How to Help Your Child Finish the School Year Strong by Dr. Emily Levy, Ed. D., Founder & Director, EBL Coaching

As temperatures rise and the days get longer, it’s starting to feel like summer. With this season of fun just around the corner, many children may lose academic motivation and the discipline to focus on schoolwork. Don’t let your child’s grades and performance slip at the end of the school year; instead, help them finish the year on a strong, confident note. Try some of the ideas below.

Set short-term goals

Even though the school year is winding down, there’s still time for your child to set short-term goals to maximize their performance. Talk to them about goals they feel are realistic for this time of the school year, like reading for 20 minutes per night, raising one grade in each subject, or turning in missing assignments. When goals are smaller, they often feel more achievable and less overwhelming to children. For added motivation, you might want to even consider a small reward for meeting each goal, like a trip to the ice cream store or a special movie rental.

Create end-of-year routines 

It may feel like school is just about done, but it’s not too late to set routines! By taking the time now to establish routines that work, your child can use them in the fall to start the new school year strongly.  One routine that can help is setting a consistent homework time. At this point in the school year, your child may be doing their homework at erratic times – sometimes right after school, other times before dinner, and often late at night, when they should be getting ready for bed. Discuss with them a consistent homework time that is viable and encourage them to stick with it daily. You can also pick a “clean out my backpack day” – maybe every Wednesday or Friday (or any day that works best) – and on that day, have them clean out all papers or materials they don’t need to be carrying with them on a regular basis. They should also check their school portal (if their school has one) every day during their homework time so they don’t miss any upcoming projects, tests, or assignments. These routines can help build stronger executive functioning skills, which will continue to be important when the new school year begins.

Prioritize missing assignments 

At this point in the school year, many students have assignments piled up that they haven’t turned in and that are well overdue. These missing assignments can negatively affect their grades, so it’s important that they prioritize identifying which assignments need to be turned in and come up with a plan for completing them. You may want to help them with this plan. For example, have them estimate how much time they think it will take to complete each assignment and then come up with an allocated amount of time they need to spend each day to finish their work. Help them set a goal for which date they will turn in each assignment, prioritizing the ones that need to be turned in first.

Teacher communication 

To help advocate for your child, it’s a good idea to maintain regular communication with your child’s teacher. Don’t let this communication slide at the end of the school year! A lot can change – including your child’s grades and motivation – at this time of the year, and if those changes happen, you’ll want to know about them. You may want to reach out to your child’s teacher to check in and make sure your child is staying on top of their work. If your child’s teacher mentions challenges, ask them specific questions, like which assignments are missing, which ones should be turned in first, what to focus on for final exams (if there are any), and if there are any extra credit assignments your child can do to help improve their grades. This type of communication can have a big impact on your child’s overall performance at school.

Prepare for finals

Older students will likely have final exams to study for at this time of year. If this applies to your child, help them come up with a plan for preparing for these exams without procrastinating. Encourage them to ask their teacher if there are study guides for each test that they can use when preparing. Then help them come up with a plan for how to study for each test, ideally breaking studying down into shorter sessions with built-in breaks to avoid burnout.

This may also be a good time to introduce the Pomodoro Method to your child, which is a great study skills tool that helps with time management. To use this strategy, your child should set a timer for 25 minutes and study straight for that window. When the timer goes off, they should take a 5-minute break to relax and unwind. After the five minutes are up, they should study again for 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute break, and so on. Once four of these “Pomodoro cycles” are complete, they should take a longer break, around 20-30 minutes. If 25 minutes of studying (or the 5-minute break) is too much or too little time, your child should adjust the time windows to ones that work best for them.

The end of the school year can be a challenging time for children to stay focused and motivated but slacking now can bring down your child’s grades and confidence. Encourage your child to use these strategies to help them end the year feeling encouraged, successful, and ready for a great summer.

EBL Coaching specializes in one-on-one in person and virtual tutoring for students in grades pre-K-12 with specialized learning needs. They use research-based, multi-sensory techniques, including the Orton Gillingham method, to develop students’ reading, writing, math, note taking, test taking, and executive functioning skills. Each student is evaluated and then receives an individualized learning plan to address their specific academic needs. Learn more at http://www.eblcoaching.com/. Dr. Emily Levy, Founder & Director, is happy to hear from anyone who is in need for their child. You may reach her thru her website, and mention you heard of her thru MotherhoodLater.

Tags: ADHD, executive functioning, school, special needs, summer, tutoring students