Encouraging your Child at School

As a parent/carer, you have the skills needed to support and encourage your child to learn, achieve and get the best out of their school experience.

Top Tips

• Check for information about your child’s progress in your child’s homework diary or exercise book.
• Encourage your child to give it a go even if it seems difficult.
• Provide a comfortable space to talk and work.
• Do exercises in little steps – a bit at a time.
• Ask other family members to help and encourage your child to learn.
• Make learning fun, play games and laugh at your mistakes!
• Show you are interested and ask questions.

Celebrating Achievement

It's always a good idea to reward your child's progress (eg getting their homework done on time), and it doesn't have to cost lots of money! You could...

• Let your child pick what film you're going to watch as a family.
• Let them play their favourite game.
• Make extra special time to have fun together.
• Talk about school and ask the right questions.
• Ask questions that lead to conversation.
• Avoid questions that lead to a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.
• Try to find out what school work is about so that you can ask questions that will help your child to solve problems themselves.

Talking together - Why is talking important?

Your child will enjoy sharing their ideas thoughts and views with you. It helps to bring any worries, fears or concerns your child may have out into the open.

Listening skills - Why is listening important?

• Being a good listener is important in your relationship with your child.
• Listening tells your child they are important to you.
• Listening shows you want your child to share their feelings with you.

Some questions to ask your child (but don't ask them all at once!)

Here are some questions to help you talk to your children about school and their learning. Quite often we may get a grunt or a sarcastic reply, but stick with it, ask them at least one question every day.

• What was most fun at school today?
• What is your favourite thing to do at home?
• What made you laugh today?
• Tell me something about your favourite animal.
• What's your favourite thing about school?
• Is there anything you don’t understand at school? What is it?
• Have you helped someone recently? What did you do?
• What games did you play today?
• Who is your favourite teacher and why?
• What's hard for you at school at the moment?
• Describe something you’ve eaten today at school.
• Tell me about one thing you have done at school today that you feel proud of.
• What has made you sad recently?
• If you had a wish, what would it be?
• What do you want to be when you are older?
• What's easy for you at school at the moment?
• Tell me about something that you are good at?