3 Signs Your Child Is Struggling in School and How to Help

As a parent, you have a lot of things to worry about whenever it comes to keeping your child safe, happy, and healthy. You need to make sure they have the required resources.  You need to make sure they are able to grow.  And you need to catch problems before they get out of hand. This means that eventually, you are going to run into the signs of various issues.

One of the biggest issues that parents can run into are the signs that their child is struggling in school. No parent wants to see that, and nearly every parent wants to help but the way to help is not always evident. If you see these signs, follow the tips at the end of this article to help your child get back on track.

Your Child Is Spending A LOT Of Time on Homework

While teachers may joke that they give out too much homework and students moan at having to work on it, at least some homework is necessary Teachers have different opinions about it. Regardless, your student might have homework they breeze through because they know the subject inside and out, but other subjects might take them a while, even with your help.

They might be doing worksheets or playing interactive reading games on ABCmouse. But if your child is really trying and spending a lot of time on their homework and it is still taking them a while, they might have problems.

Homework is supposed to support and reinforce what the kids are learning in school, and if your child is having trouble with their homework, they could be having problems understanding the material.

Your Child Doesn’t Want to Talk About School

Some students might love gushing about school and how awesome it is. Others might simply shrug and say that it was fine. But if your child is constantly avoiding talking about school and constantly changes the subject, they might be struggling. Don’t be afraid to check in with the teachers for any problems, which leads to our next point.

Teachers Are Communicating with You

Generally, if a student is having trouble in the classroom, then the teachers will get the parent involved. If teachers are talking to you about your child’s low grades or issues keeping up in class, then you need to see this as a major sign. Don’t be afraid to talk to and work with the teachers in order to come up with a plan for how to help your child.

How Can You Help Your Child?

As a parent, we want to help our children as they move to become better students. But many parents don’t know how to help. So, they either put more pressure on the child or they focus on shoving resources and extra tutoring on them.

While these are good things to try, not every single problem can be solved by simply working harder, and you need to give your child a chance to explain why they are struggling.

They could be having issues in school due to peer pressure, problems with a teacher or how a teacher teaches, or issues with understanding a key feature of the material. Learning what is causing your child to have a problem can be very helpful. Not only does it give you as a parent something to work with, but it also helps with the child feeling like they are being listened to and seen.

Help Them Learn, Their Way

While schools tend to have one way of teaching, students often need to learn in a lot of different ways. Some learn through lectures and textbooks, while others learn by doing or watching videos. If you can help your child learn about how they learn, you can help them take on the content their way.

It might require a different approach to learning, but if you are patient and allow your child to learn at their own pace, they will eventually succeed.

Communicate With the School and The Teachers

Finally, keep an open line of dialogue not just with your child, but also with the teachers and the school as well. If you and your student can keep the lines of communication open, it is going to go a long way to helping everyone get your student back on track.

At the end of the day, everyone wants to help your student learn the material that they need to know. So don’t be afraid to take action if you see signs that your child is struggling, because they will need your support more than ever to help them achieve excellence.