10 Ideas for Engaging Parents in their Children’s Education
10 Ideas for Engaging Parents in their Children’s Education
Parents, you are the most important teachers in your children’s lives. Remember your child’s first few years? You helped your child learn to stand and walk, to say words and eventually sentences. Once your child enters school, you are still critical to your child’s education. These 10 Ideas for Engaging Parents in a Child’s Education are meant to inspire and encourage you on this lifelong challenge.
Inspiring your child to continue learning outside the classroom will help them understand why the lessons they learn in school are relevant to the real world. Plus, you can help them remain at or above grade level during the summer months.
Here are 10 Ideas for Engaging Parents to Support your Child:
- Meet with and email the teacher regularly. Check-ins help to find out if there are any struggle areas for your child. Ask for tips on how you can best help your child overcome these challenges. Continue with this habit all the way through high school.
- Designate a homework time everyday after school. Regardless of age, structured time is important to help teach time management skills. Sit with your younger child to keep them focused or answer any questions. Encourage your child to double-check their answers. Be sure to guide them and not actually do it for them. (Resist the temptation.)
- Find a tutor if necessary. Sometimes your child may need extra help. Many local libraries, churches, or community centers offer free tutoring. Local high school honor society students need “volunteer hours” to maintain their NHS status. Contact the high school to help point you in the right direction. Otherwise you could hire a neighbor, a service, or ask the teacher for recommendations.
- Go to the local library. Get your child their own library card and sign them up for a summer reading program. We want them to continue reading as a habit. Once it’s back-to-school time, you’ll save weeks of ramp-up and help your child’s teacher. Plus, being the owner of a library card shows them that they’re maturing and you trust them to make good decisions on their own.
- Read with your child. Some parents make a ritual of reading to their young child or letting their child read aloud every night before bed. This bonding time also creates a love of books and thirst for knowledge and storytelling. However, for older children, we recommend you check out a book or two and read as well. Talk about your stories together.
- Explore the outdoors. Nature is full of hands-on educational opportunities. Make science journals to record your discoveries.
- Go to a children’s museum. Young children learn through play!
- Go to a “grown-up” museum. Exposing your child to art, science, history, space, oceanography, or other topics is a wonderful way to introduce them to future careers and show them why math and reading is so important. Most museums have free days or free hours. This is why Washington D.C. is a fantastic family vacation destination as the museums and landmarks are free!
- Ask your child what they find interesting and then develop a project for that topic. If your child likes butterflies for instance, you could teach them about metamorphosis and then help them act out a skit showing the different life stages. Or, you could even raise caterpillars and watch them transform to butterflies! If they like baking, find cookbooks and YouTube clips of great bakers or designers.
- Be the role model. You are your child’s number one hero. Show your child how important education is by advancing your own. Read books, listen to podcasts, or take a continuing education or professional development course.
These 10 Ideas for Engaging Parents in a Child’s Education are a great starting point. You know your child best. Use these tips to stay energized, stay focused, and enjoy the parenting process. Be as excited about them discovering their unique gifts and talents, as much as you were when they took their first steps or spoke their first words.
CoolSpeak works with local school districts, churches, and organizations to help provide parents the resources you need to make a positive impact in your child’s education. Contact us to learn more about how CoolSpeak can support you in helping your child succeed.
CoolSpeak – We put the Motivation back into Education. CoolSpeak is the nation’s leading youth engagement company. Since 2009, we deliver unique speakers, programs, events, books and products designed to keep students inspired, parents involved, and teachers engaged.