Have you ever wondered why some children always make the honor roll and others seem to struggle? The difference, according to the Harvard Family Research Project, may be family involvement. As the researchers found, family engagement promotes educational success for children of all ages. The question is, are you doing your part?
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Read to your child. According to the Harvard Family Research Project, young children whose parents read to them at home recognize letters of the alphabet and write their names sooner than those whose parents do not read to them.
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Meet your child's teacher. When parents take the time to have one-to-one conferences with teachers, it shows their kids how much they care about their success. These children are more likely to perform better and behave more appropriately in the classroom.
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Participate in school activities. Children in K-3 whose parents participate in school activities have high-quality work habits and a better understanding of task orientation, the researchers found.
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Help with your child's homework. Kids whose parents provide support with homework, without taking over the assignment, perform better in the classroom.
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Monitor academic and social activities. Several studies have found that adolescents whose parents monitor their academic and social activities have lower rates of delinquency and higher rates of social competence and academic growth than their unsupervised counterparts.
