Parents always play a pivotal
role in their child’s success. The website Goal Setting for Students .com
provides these 10 tips for motivating your student and seeing them reach
their full potential during the coming school year.
1. Stress "I’ll Make It
Happen" words. Encourage your child to use positive, motivating
words like yes, I can, and I will.
2. Minimize "Bummer
Words." Avoid using negative or limiting language in discussions
with your children. Some of the most common bummer words include no, can’t,
won’t, never, maybe, and if.
3. Do the Basketball
Shuffle with your child. Play the Basketball Shuffle to encourage
independence and responsibility. Write "It’s in your court NOW" on a
basketball, and place it in the kitchen or family room to emphasize how the
entire family gets the school year off to a good start. Then "pass" the ball
to your child to show how he or she is now responsible. Your child can
"pass" it back when they need help. The basketball becomes a fun, visual and
practical way to emphasize your child’s role in his or her education.
4. Thank You, Ben
Franklin. Ben Franklin used the following process week after week
for fifty-seven years and claimed it made him a better and happier man.
Develop thirteen character traits you and your child want to work on
together. Consider honesty, fairness, self-control, order, sincerity,
responsibility, self-respect, and kindness to others. Each week select one
character trait, and, as a family, work to improve this trait. Provide
rewards to the family member who shows the most improvement. Continue the
process until you complete all thirteen weeks of character traits.
5. Stress the Importance
of Goal Setting. Sit down with your child and set goals for the
school year. According to John Bishop, author of the workbook, Goal
Setting for Students®, "Students will take more personal ownership for
their education when they learn how to set and achieve goals and how to use
these principles in the classroom. They will embrace your efforts to help
them succeed."
6. Accountability is a
Two-Way Street. Both parents and students need to be accountable
for a child’s success in school. As adults, parents have to model
responsible behavior for their children. Did you promise to volunteer at
school, or help with the latest class project? Make sure you follow through.
7. Answer the "BIG"
Question. At least three times per week have your child write down
the following question, "Did I give my best effort to today’s activities?"
and record their answer. If their answer is "yes," reward them. If their
answer is "no," have them list two things they will do tomorrow to improve
their effort. Writing this question on paper (instead of just discussing it)
will imprint the words in their minds.
8. Help Them Manage
Their Time. Have a family meeting to discuss the weekly schedule.
At the beginning of the school year, it is easy to sign up for too many
activities, events and committees. How many activities will each child
participate in? When will you have dinner together as a family? When will
homework be done? What chores are each family member responsible for and
when will they be done? Create a family calendar in a centralized location
to keep everyone aware of the day’s activities.
9. Make it easy to
study. Create a study area that fits your child’s personality. Do
they work best at a desk in a quiet area of their room? Or is the dining
room table a better place to work? Does music distract them, or help them
focus? Help your child determine the best way to study. Fill a tackle box
with commonly used school supplies and keep it stocked. Prevent last-minute
runs to the discount store by keeping poster board, extra notebooks, paper
and other supplies on hand.
10. Define success
through
your child’s eyes. Help your child define what success means to
them. Bishop says, "Children need to know that success takes time; success
takes planning and a strong desire; success takes setting and achieving
goals; success involves helping others. Students need to know it’s their
achievement, not ours."
With these few simple steps and
positive encouragement, parents can get their children off to a good start
for the new school year.
Ever wonder how much your child
could accomplish? Use The Goal Setting for Students®
workbook by John Bishop to teach your child to set and achieve
goals and become responsible for their own success. Find out
more at
http://www.goalsettingforstudents.com.
This article was sourced from:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Bishop
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