Some tips for supporting your child

Students’ educational journeys are often marked by important challenges, and motivation and perseverance are essential for their success. By adopting certain strategies, parents can contribute positively to their child’s progress. Here are some tips:

More tips and advice are available in the Guidance for my child section.

The more the child hears French, the more they will be sensitized to the sounds of the language and will develop understanding of their second language.

Here are some simple ways that will help your child:

  • Listen to French-language television programs for 30 minutes per day
  • Listen to French-music and try to write the lyrics to the songs
  • Watch well-known films in French. As they already know the story, it will be easier to understand in French
  • Play computer games in French
  • Read French books for 15 minutes per day
  • Invite a francophone friend to play at your home
  • Play board games.

Register your child for sports or cultural activities offered by the municipality:

  • Soccer
  • Story time
  • Summer day camp

Organize themed evenings at home:

  • One dinner per week during which the entire family speaks French
  • One hour of family play time in French
  • Pick up French books at the municipal library

These shared family moments in French will send the message to your children that you find it important that they learn to speak French, which will have an impact on their motivation and the efforts they make.

Source: francisationcstl.wordpress.com, CSTL

The school often needs volunteers for certain activities. Your commitment as a parent may be a one-time event, or more sustained, formal or not.

Here are different possibilities:

  • Be present when the school organizes community activities (e.g., movie night, community dinner) or concerts (e.g., Christmas concert).
  • Volunteer in your child’s class or at the school library (elementary), or occasionally accompany students on school trips or activities at school.
  • Join the governing board, which adopts the school’s educational project, sees to its implementation and periodically evaluates it, offers extracurricular services to establish, and ensures consultation between the community and the school, etc.
  • Join the Parents Participation Organization (PPO). The activities carried out by this group of parent volunteers can take many forms, such as organizing information groups for parents, thematic days and weeks; participate in fundraising campaigns; take part in the organization of extracurricular activities, parties and other important events; develop school improvement projects (e.g., planting flowers, creating a school newspaper, organizing a graduation party).
  • Join a Parents’ Committee whose main role is to advise the school board or service centre. This committee should also promote the participation of parents and represent them to the administrative authorities.

These different options will allow you to better know the school and how it works, interact with other parents and facilitate your integration or learning French, if applicable. The school can give you more information.

Source: TCRI – Family-school-community collaboration

Alloprof parents

Academic success is closely linked to self-esteem. In life and in school, your teen—just like everyone else!—needs to have confidence in their abilities in order to succeed. Here are five activities you can suggest to help boost their self-esteem.

Draw a skills tree

How self-aware is your teen? Do they know where their strengths lie? A key element of self-esteem is a person’s ability to recognize their best qualities. You can help your child do this by suggesting they draw a skills tree.

Here’s what they’ll need to do:

  • Draw a tree
  • Write a personal quality at the end of each branch
  • Find examples of how they put their qualities to use (e.g., My ability to empathize with others makes it easy for me to sense what people need.)
  • Etc.

If necessary, you can help your child identify their best traits by asking them different questions:

  • Why do you think your friends like you?
  • How would you describe yourself in one word?
  • What are your favourite activities?
  • What skills have you developed by doing these activities?
  • What are you most often praised for?
  • Etc.

See a project through from start to finish

Whether it’s building a birdhouse or writing a story, every project your child completes is a small victory that builds self-esteem. They gain a sense of pride when they’re able to persevere despite obstacles and frustrations.

Here are some examples of things you can say that will motivate your teen and help build their perseverance:

  • Keep reaching for the stars!
  • Don’t worry, everybody makes mistakes!
  • You can count on me, even when the going gets tough.
  • I’m amazed by your creativity!
  • Etc.
Example

There are all kinds of little projects your teen can tackle:

Help others

Taking the time to lend a hand or a sympathetic ear has a positive effect on self-esteem. That’s because helping others makes us feel a certain way:

  • Useful
  • Appreciated
  • Competent
  • Etc.

There are a countless ways your teen can dedicate their time to others. Consider making these suggestions:

  • Call or write a letter to an elderly relative
  • Read to a younger sibling
  • Prepare a dish for a neighbour who lives alone and leave it at their door
  • Offer to do errands for someone who’s ill
  • Offer to the mow the lawn (free of charge) for a neighbour while they’re on vacation
  • Etc.

Write mantras

Mantras are short, motivational phrases that are usually displayed someplace where everyone can see them. When we read these encouraging messages over and over, they eventually become ingrained. Try inviting your teen to come up with some of their own. Here are a few examples:

  • I always do my best
  • I never give up
  • I will succeed
  • I’m not afraid of a challenge
  • I am good at ________
  • Etc.
Tips and tools

You can also suggest that your child write their mantras on slips of paper, put them in a bowl, and randomly choose one each morning to keep in their thoughts for the rest of the day.

Overcome a personal hurdle

Setting realistic goals and working to achieve them is another great way to boost self-esteem. Encourage your teen to set a new goal every week. Here are some examples:

Collaborators

Writing : Alloprof Parents’ team

Alloprof Parents

Showing determination, despite disappointments and obstacles, is a valuable skill. It can help your child thrive in many facets of their life, including school. Determination isn’t innate, but your child can develop it early on with your help.

Apprendre à persévérer : un plus pour l’école!

Get involved at your child’s school

As a parent, you can have a big impact on your child’s determination at school. Showing support and interest will help boost their motivation and their desire to succeed. Here are five ways to play a more active role in your child’s education:

  • Chaperone field trips
  • Attend parent-teacher meetings and parents committee meetings
  • Communicate regularly with your child’s teacher
  • Check your child’s agenda
  • Use the school’s parent portal to stay in touch
  • Etc.

Speak positively about school

If you paint school in a positive light, your child is likely to see it the same way. For example:

  • Talk about all the things you loved about school
  • Ask your child about their day and find out what they learned
  • Explain that school and education are very important to you

Highlight your child’s achievements

Focusing on your child’s strengths and their ability to overcome hurdles can have tremendous benefits. Point out their successes without comparing them to others. Thanks to your positive feedback, they’ll feel more confident and determined.

Encourage a stick-with-it attitude

To encourage your child to stay the course, show them that you believe in them and their abilities. For instance, you can give them certain responsibilities, or try the following:

  • Explain that everyone makes mistakes sometimes and that failure is an important part of learning
  • Enrol your child in an extracurricular activity so they learn to push their limits
  • Encourage your child to finish what they start
  • Lead by example and approach obstacles with motivation, determination, and positivity
  • Explain the importance of school
  • Divide a long or difficult assignment into smaller, easier steps
  • Let your child learn at their own pace

Did you know

Did you know? As a parent, you can have a big impact on your child’s determination at school. Showing support and interest will help boost their motivation and their desire to succeed. To learn more, check out our article on staying in school.

Collaborators

Writing: Viviane Asselin
Scientific review: Nathalie Paquet-Bélanger, orthopédagogue

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Rewriting: Alloprof Parents’ team

Alloprof Parents

For many children, exam season is extremely stressful. Physical symptoms of stress, like stomach aches and insomnia, are very common. Plus, when kids are afraid or anxious, they tend to lose motivation. Here are a few strategies to help your child set motivating goals.

Trucs simples pour se motiver avant un examen

Setting specific, achievable, quantifiable, and adaptable goals is a great way to boost confidence and motivation, which are essential to keep kids in school.

Help your child set goals

Your child’s goals must be defined according to their skill level and ability to manage stress. Setting easy-to-achieve goals will help your child stay motivated. The most effective approach is to choose them together. Remember, their goals should have the following qualities:

  • Specific: They should be clear, well articulated, and easy to understand.
  • Achievable: They should be realistic.
  • Quantifiable: You should be able to measure your child’s progress.
  • Adaptable: You should be able to modify them according to your child’s needs and abilities.

Focus on effort as opposed to grades

When setting academic goals for our child, we tend to highlight their results. We want them to get a specific grade. However, every step of the learning process has value, from studying to exam writing. When setting goals, consider all the tasks that your child needs to accomplish. Even lesson review and work methods can be included in your list.

Below are a few examples of specific, achievable, quantifiable, and adaptable goals that your child can work toward:

  • At least two weeks before the exam, begin studying for 30 minutes every day
  • Two weeks before the exam, make a study calendar
  • Aim to increase your grade average by 10 percent by the end of the school year
  • Etc.

Give their tasks purpose

It’s been shown that children have an easier time staying motivated when they feel like their tasks are meaningful. To help give their schoolwork purpose, consider doing the following:

  • Discuss the subject with your child
  • Explain how their assignment relates to the world of employment
  • Explain different aspects of the subject
  • Etc.

Encourage your child to take responsibility

A motivated child is responsible for their own schoolwork. To help your child learn to manage their assignments and study habits, you can encourage them to do the following:

  • Make a study plan
  • Organize their tasks
  • Set goals
  • Reward themselves when they’ve completed a task
  • Ask questions in class
  • Etc.
Tips and tools

Help your child visualize their goals by displaying them on the refrigerator door or bathroom mirror. Of course, once they reach their goal, don’t forget to recognize their success. Your child will be delighted and proud of their achievement, which will only increase their motivation in the future.

Did you know

Did you know? The key to helping your child succeed in school is to get them motivated—one goal at a time!

Collaborators

Writing : Marie-Pierre Gazaille
Scientific Review : Mathieu Labine-Daigneault, orthopédagogue

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Rewrinting : Alloprof Parents’ team