How You Can Help Your Child Succeed Through Learning Struggles at Home

It’s been said before, but there is no manual on how to be a good parent. Well, I guess there are parenting guides, but no matter how many we read, we can’t have all the answers. You will still find yourself worrying about your child of any age, wondering ‘am I doing the right thing? Even more difficult is when your child encounters academic struggles, especially if you as a parent didn’t struggle in the same way at their age. While we don’t claim to have all the answers, here are some things that we at Learning Foundations encourages the families of our students to practice with their children at home.

Model Positive Academic Behaviors

Children learn by observing, especially at younger ages, through a process called mirroring. While we can hope that our children will ‘do as I say, not as I do’, children learn primarily by observing as early as one year old. Even when children develop into different stages, they never stop learning through observation. So why am I telling you this? Well, it is because we as parents may unintentionally model unhealthy behaviors to our children. Although we are human and it’s unrealistic to completely eliminate all unhealthy behaviors in front of our children, it is beneficial to be mindful of the ways you approach your work habits. Think, would you want your child to develop your habits when it comes to academics? From procrastination to working late and losing sleep, they may be picking up a lot more from you than you may think. In my case I know I could work on better planning for the week rather than realizing in the morning that I need two changes of clothes ready for the gym or martial arts and my snacks for my day as well as their lunch.

Building an Acquired Skill View

When your child struggles in school, they may begin to develop the mindset that they are not smart. Oftentimes, when children hear classmates being admired by teachers or peers for their intelligence, it instills in them the belief that their own smarts are fixed and not something that they can change. This is called a fixed capacity view. One way you can curb this mindset in a child is to be mindful of what you are praising them for. Attempt to give them compliments on things that they are in control of, such as effort, and not just innate talent or intelligence. Once children begin to adopt an acquired skill view, or the belief that skill is something you work towards, they build resilience and view adversity as a challenge to overcome, rather than an impossible barrier.

Setting Healthy Expectations

It’s easier said than done, but it is important to recognize that while your kiddo is doing amazing things and trying hard, we can always keep pushing them. We can commend their successes while also showing them that we know they can succeed even more. One way we can encourage further growth is helping our kiddos set their own goals. Say your child gets an 85 on a math test, whereas they’re used to getting 80’s. After congratulating them and commending their hard work, ask them questions that encourage improvements. This may include asking what grade they want to try to get on their next test, what they did to study this time, or what they feel they could do better next time. Depending on their age, you can even utilize SMART goals to help them; once they come up with their goal, ask them if it’s Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Specific. The idea behind this isn’t to shame your child into doing better, but to remind them that they are responsible for their successes.

Seek Interventions that Recognize the Unique Needs of Your Child

Nobody knows better than us how special and unique our children are, which is why it is so important that if we do seek academic help for them, you can trust that your child’s path to success is being tailored to fit their unique needs. This is why at Learning Foundations, we work one-on-one with our students to best understand their needs, and which program(s) may help them towards success. Always start analyzing from the essential skills like attention, eye-hand coordination, focus, reflex integration and then work up towards processing skills, phonemic awareness and then academics (for more information ask about the learning continuum) We currently have the opportunity to choose from more than 20 programs, from Dyslexia interventions to handwriting to integrating primitive reflexes, and we work to fill in the foundations of your child’s struggles, not just teach them what they need to know for their next exam but to help them become comfortable independent learners. It’s impossible to know exactly what your child needs, but know that there are services such as ours that specialize in helping students with a multitude of learning difficulties to take some of that weight off of your shoulders.

If you have any questions or if you need help, please call us (210) 495-2626. All of our consultations are free and there are no small questions. As a Mom we have a lot in our plate and we want to be a resource in any way to help you and your family in any way we can.

References:

Farnam Street. “Carol Dweck: A Summary of the Two Mindsets.” Farnam Street, 5 Feb. 2021. Read Here.

Inayath, Shaziya. “Types of Mirroring Behavior in Children.” Islaah, 17 Nov. 2023. Read Here.

Mind Tools Content Team. “Smart Goals - How to Make Your Goals Achievable .” Mind Tools, 2016. Read Here.

About the Author:

Sofia Scarnati is a San Antonio area mom who is also the Director of Administration at Learning Foundations. Learning Foundations has been aiding students for over 50 years, fostering confidence and independence in learners of all ages. Through tailored cognitive programs, they enhance cognitive processing skills, utilizing advanced, research-backed techniques customized to individual needs. Beginning with a complimentary consultation, they prioritize understanding each student's concerns and requirements, potentially including further assessments to devise the most effective action plan. Find out more at the Learning Foundations website here: https://www.learningfoundations.com/