Helping your child regain their love for learning

This post was created in partnership with Sylvan Learning. All opinions are my own.

Can you believe we are already half way through the school year? This year was very different but familiar (if that makes any sense) for us. We spent over 18 months homeschooling RJ and Elias, and somehow doing preschool with Laila and Joel- NOT EASY! So when we made the choice to send them back to school this school year it was a tough choice. But we knew it was what was best for them individually. We knew that by going to school in person we would be able to provide them with all the ample support we could possibly give. But what I wasn’t prepared for was the workload that 3rd grade brings (versus earlier grades) and the mid year slump my oldest would fall into. 

And by mid year slump, I mean a child who no longer is on fire for school like he first was in the beginning of the year. Tests that he’d typically get 100s on he was getting 80’s on. That’s when we knew we needed to do a mid year reset to get his head fully back in the game. 

I am so excited to share with you that I have partnered with Sylvan Learning Center to share some tips to get your child back on the right path and to finish off the school year strong!!

Helping your child regain their love for learning

• Having a weekly check in- during that check in, I ask how they are doing mentally, what’s going on with school, what they need help with, some academic accomplishments they are proud of, and setting weekly academic goals. 
  • • Weekly academic goals can be huge like getting 100s on every assignment or as small as just raising your hand when you need help. 
• Working with Sylvan Learning to give them an extra push to finish off the last half of the school year strong- I am a STRONG believer in “it takes a village”. Raising kids is probably the hardest job us parents will ever have. And i know it takes a village. And if that means getting outside help to give them that extra push, sign me up!!! 100% worth it, and it will only better your child. But really Sylvan offers help in so many ways, and you can customize your child’s program to fit your budget. They offer personalized tutoring, academic coaching, advancement and test prep, and STEM programs. 
• New study habits- Like changing the scenery as one. As an adult, sometimes I get tired of working from my same ole’ same ole’ office. I like to switch things up and work in different settings, like a local coffee shop, the library, outside in my yard or even from my bed. So I know as a child it’s also nice to switch up the scenery and study in other settings. Maybe take your child outdoors, take them to the library or maybe even let them study in a different room that’s more free of distractions, than they are used to.  Another thing I like to do is analyze their study techniques and switch it up. A lot of times when I feel that one of my kids’ need a change in their studying, I’ll have my husband study with them because how I review things with my kids is very different from how my husband reviews their school work. Tip: Also during our weekly check in, I see what he’s currently learning about in school and try to find youtube videos that are further explaining the subject. 
  1. 1. Sylvan offers an amazing study skills course which helps your child: 
        • become an independent and effective student. 
        • Will also help with school time management tips and organizational habits to better manage time and responsibilities. 
        • They also address reading strategies, including reading comprehension strategies, to read better in every class. 
        • They cover listening strategies and presentation skills to communicate clearly.
          Effective note taking strategies and how to use study tools, such as flash cards and color coding, to study efficiently and improve test scores.

• • • • Test taking strategies to take tests and quizzes with confidence, tackle different types of tests and manage testing anxiety.
      • How to research effectively, such as learning how to research a topic, evaluate sources and write a bibliography.
      • How to write effectively, such as mastering all the steps of the writing process
      • How to be safe online, such as learning how to locate, evaluate and share digital information responsibly and other tips on how to be safe on the internet.
      • How to navigate college admissions requirements, including a college admission essay.
      • Job interview preparation, including job interview tips and how to write an effective resume and cover letter
• Positive affirmations- I love this one the most because positive affirmations help build confidence, strength and self love. But not only will my kids’ hear it from my husband and myself, I teach them to say it to themselves so there’s no room for negative self talk!! Here are some good ones

1. 1. I can do great things
   2. I can try my best 
   3. I am a hard worker
   4. I can do hard things 
   5. If I’m overwhelmed i can take a break and come back to it later 
   6. I’m always growing my knowledge and learning. 
   7. I’m intelligent in many ways. 
   8. I’ve overcome challenges before and I can do it again.
   9. I practice things to grow my skills. 
   10. It’s ok to not be good at everything!
   11. I’ve got this!
   12. I have faith that I can do this! 

If you really want to make it fun, have your child write some of these affirmations on sticky notes and place it in random places like their notebook for school, inside their lunch box, on their bathroom mirror, on the ceiling above their bed, on the backboard of their basketball hoop! 

Well I hope this post was super helpful and you are able to help your child with the mid year slump, or maybe you;re just adopting these haits into your normal routine to prevent the dreaded mid-year slump! Thank you so much for reading and don’t forget to follow me on instagram where I share more of our daily life with 4 kiddos!