Study finds three ways to help your child succeed in school

Parents want their children to do their best in school. But what works? A study by researchers at Indiana University found that children do better in the classroom when parents:

1. Are positive. You know that your child is sensitive to your emotions. Not surprisingly, the study found that to also be true for parents' attitudes about schoolwork. Parents who thought their child could do an assignment successfully had a child who believed that, too. In addition, the study found that encouragement from a parent led a child to be more motivated. Model positive attitudes, and your child will copy them.
2. Break it down. A long assignment can overwhelm your child. One of the easiest things you can do to help is to break that big task into smaller pieces. The study found that when children worked at a task they thought they could handle, they did better at it.
3. Teach the importance of a final check. One of the best habits to instill in your child is to look over his work before handing it in. Oops--he added when he should have subtracted. He wrote their instead of there.
   Correcting these minor mistakes can lead to a much better overall grade. In addition, the study found that children who were in the habit of checking over their work were more likely to volunteer to answer questions in class.

Reprinted with permission from the September 2009 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2009 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Anne Dopkins Stright and others, "Instruction Begins in the Home: Relations Between Parental Instruction and Children's Self-Regulation in the Classroom," Journal of Educational Psychology (American Psychological Association, www.apa.org/journals/edu).

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