Tips for Academic Success - Parents

How can I support my child?

Overall success has a lot to do with your child’s self-esteem. A good student is often a confident student and the reverse can also be true. Celebrate with your child, his or her success, but don’t be afraid to ask important questions when he or she does not do well. Be honest and positive about your child’s strengths and weaknesses.

If your child performs well on tests, but sometimes falls behind on homework or assignments, he or she may need a little more guidance from you to keep on track. Establish a set time to do homework daily.

For many students, the last few minutes of the school day may be painfully long. They are counting down the seconds until class lets out and may not have the capacity to be productive. When your child gets home, allow them some time to relax with a favorite activity and a snack. After an hour or so, it may be a good time to re-introduce the idea of homework. The added time away from written work will hopefully allow your child to focus with new energy and new eyes at the task at hand and allow them to complete their work in record time.

If homework and assignments are a no-brainer for your son or daughter, perhaps test-taking provides more of a challenge.  Encourage regular review of coursework regardless of whether or not there is an impending test.


A student who is familiar with the subject material is likely to suffer less anxiety leading up to and during a test. This will decrease the risk of “drawing a blank” or forgetting the answer that they know all-to-well. Many of us can recall handing in a big test or exam only to remember a correct answer the moment we sit down at our desk.

Review assignments and tests with your child. You provide a valuable opportunity for self-evaluation by asking your child why he or she was not successful in specific areas. Encourage your child to identify ways that he/she can continue the successes he/she has had and how he/she may make small improvements in areas of difficulty. 

 This can also be an esteem-building exercise. If you help your child to make a mental or written “action plan” for future assignments. It will inspire a “can-do” attitude and will reassure him/her that you have faith in his/her abilities.

Be patient. Your child is learning so much about who he or she is, what his/her likes are and how he/she learns. Everyone learns differently and identifying how you learn can be a lifelong journey.
Your child may have strengths in areas where you experienced difficulty in school or possibly be challenged by things that may have been easier for you. With your support and a positive learning environment, your child will have many opportunities for success. He or she may not always make the best choices for his/her education, but with your help, those choices will still lie somewhere on the path to success.

If you have any great tips you would like to share with other parents, please describe them in the comments area below. I would love to hear from you!