There are only a few weeks left for classes to end and many children and adolescents find it difficult to keep up with their studies, either due to fatigue, boredom or because they know that they will take leveling courses during the summer. Mary Castro, a psychologist at our clinic, gives us some guidelines to prevent our children from neglecting themselves in the last two months of the school year and to be constant in their learning process.

Recommendations if your child is in primary school:

• Rearrange your child’s study place. Having them study and do their homework in an appropriate place with good ventilation and lighting will help their motivation and concentration.
• Set short-term goals together. Reaching weekly goals will motivate you to continue studying, and you will also learn to value each step forward.
• Verbal reinforcers before the short goals achieved and the perseverance they have will be of great help. Use expressions like: Very good! Great! I’m very happy for you! or I like it that way! For children, what their parents tell them is important.

Recommendations if your child is in high school:

• Maintain interest not only in your child’s academic activities, but also in recreational ones. This will make them feel supported in all.
• Help him/her organize the time he/she dedicates to each course. As well as to identify which is the area in which he/she works best, highlighting his/her abilities.
• Propose strategies to improve their school performance. Listening to him/her and attending to his/her needs will help him feel motivated and supported by his/her family environment.

If your children fail to achieve the expected goals:

• Do not condition the love and protection that you must give your children with their school performance.
• Do not label your child with adjectives or nicknames or minimize the effort he/she may put into doing his/her homework or studying.
• Practice empathy and under no circumstances verbally or physically attack your children for having a “low” or failing grade.

Remember:

• If a child or adolescent does not want to study, parents should investigate what causes this lack of motivation. If they are not clear about this, it is essential that they seek the help of a specialist. In this way, it will be much easier to find a solution to the problem.
• Each little one is different; they have their own skills and processes. Do not compare your son with his brother or with his peers, that can generate frustration or jealousy towards others. Always remind them that your love for them is unconditional.

Mary Castro
Psychologist at Clínica Ricardo Palma