Reasons Why Your Child is Struggling in School

Watching your child struggle in school can be disheartening for any parent.  When a child’s performance suffers, they frequently experience low self-esteem and lose confidence in their ability to succeed.  So, it’s important for parents to identify the cause of the problem and get their child the help they need as quickly as possible.  Identifying the reason for your child’s struggles will make it easier for you to come up with a solution to get them back on track.  Here are four common reasons students have difficulty in school.

Lack of Organization
Students are expected to keep track of a variety of routine assignments, special projects and test dates.  This comes easily for some, but other students need a little extra help.  If your child has difficulty organizing their academic tasks, it could be impacting their performance in school.  After all, if your child doesn’t know when assignments are due and can’t remember test dates, it is unlikely they will be able to complete their assignments on time or adequately prepare for an exam.  To help your child keep track of important dates, create a calendar that lists key dates and keep it someplace your child can always see it.  When your child receives a new assignment, stores it in a binder, they can easily see the projects they still need to complete. When your child is finished, remove the assignment from the binder.

Inadequate Preparation
Children often have unrealistic expectations about the time and effort required to complete homework assignments, work on special projects and study for tests.  This is especially true when students transition from elementary school to middle school and middle school to high school.  They are not prepared to handle the workload at the next level in their academic career. As a result, their grades suffer.  Talking with your child’s teacher can help you understand what is required for your child to succeed, so you can set realistic expectations about the amount of preparation that will need to take place at home for your child to earn good grades.

Poor Time Management Skills
Does your child wait until the last minute to do their homework or study for a test?  If so, poor time management skills may be to blame for their troubles at school.  Helping your child establish a homework/study schedule and prepare in advance for upcoming assignments and exams is the key to resolving this issue.

Lack of Motivation
Everyone needs a little extra encouragement from time to time.  But if you have to drag your child out of bed every morning to get ready for school, and they don’t show any interest in what they are learning in the classroom, it may be more than the occasional lack of motivation most students experience every now and then.  If your child is seriously unmotivated to learn, it is important to find out why and resolve the issue.  Only then will you be able to help your child get back on track.