Help Your Child Love to Learn

School can be arduous for children who don't show an interest in learning. Some children are naturally more inquisitive and self-motivated than others. If your child doesn't have the desire to do well in school, you have the privilege and responsibility as a parent to help him or her develop a genuine love for learning.

A simple, three-step process can help.

Step #1 - Discover

Ask your child what he likes to do. When he's not in school and no family activities are scheduled, how does he choose to spend his time? Does he have an interest in sports, nature, history, politics or the community? The first step in motivating your child to enjoy learning is to find out what he enjoys. 

Step #2 - Motivate

After identifying your child's interests, use them to motivate him to finish his schoolwork. When he does, reward him with opportunities to engage in the things he enjoys. When he doesn't, withhold fun activities until he does complete his schoolwork. 

Step #3 - Balance

Balance is just as important in a child's life as it is an adult's. Help your child find balance through spending free time with both family and friends. Alone time is valuable but too much of it can be a problem. Keep TVs, computers and electronic devices in the common areas of your home and limit and monitor your child's use of them. 

We all have God-given talents - things we enjoy that come naturally to us. They interest us and we are good at them. Help your child develop those talents and connect with others who have similar interests. ​

https://www.boystown.org/parenting/article/Pages/help-your-child-love-to-learn.aspx/

 How Well Do You Know Your Child?

Living with a child means nurturing, teaching, talking and listening. It means spending time together. Still, no matter how much time we spend with our children there are usually things we don’t know about them. Go to https://www.preventchildabuseny.org/_files/ugd/47d16a_db26f4d18f6b41639fb3d9a0ce92876a.pdf for some questions to help you learn more about your child’s ideas and feelings. After you’ve answered them, ask your child these questions—just a few at a time if your child is very young—and compare the results. Remember to listen to your child’s ideas without correcting or criticizing. And remember it works both ways. Your child might want to ask you some questions! Most importantly have fun

Article from www.preventchildabuseny.org 

Understanding Emotional Disability in Students

IDEA defines emotional disturbance as follows:

“…a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance:

 (A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.

(B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.

(C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.

(D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.

(E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.” (2)

As defined by IDEA, emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia but does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance. (3)

When to Get Help

Sometimes families can be confused or even unnecessarily embarrassed about getting help. It may be difficult for parents to know what their child is thinking (e.g., sad, angry, lost interest, etc.)

Sometimes families just have indications that something is wrong by how the child is acting. Clues can be:

Frequent temper tantrums

Not doing things they enjoy

Waking up at night 

Needing a routine or doing the same things over and over 

Overeating or extreme dieting

Not being able to sit still or pay attention

 Doing poorly in school

Drinking, smoking, drugs

Not dealing well with loss (such as death in the family)

Trauma (natural disaster, abuse, accident etc.)

Any behavior that is harmful to themselves or others

If the thoughts, feelings, or behaviors are frequent, intense, long duration, or are having a negative impact on anyone . . . it’s time to seek help. Families should know that getting help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Parents are brave in recognizing that there is a problem and trying to fix it. Families also need to realize that they are not alone.