Is Your Child Struggling With Academic Pressures?
Our world is full of competition and pressure to achieve. This is also true when it comes to school, where your child may feel their worth is measured by their performance. How can you tell that your child is suffering because of academic pressure?
- Drop in grades
- Lying about homework
- Destroying or losing report cards
- Irritable
- Withdrawing
It is important to notice these behaviours early and put the proper supports in place.
Top 7 things parents can do to help a child who is feeling academic pressure:
- Give them your full genuine support. Believe in them when they don’t believe in themselves.
- Teach them how to calm and reassure themselves.
- Collaborate with them to develop and maintain a daily academic routine.
- Be or find someone (e.g., a tutor) who is effective at helping them learn.
- Gently help them to investigate if there are other things going on (e.g., learning disorder, other stress, anxiety, peer struggles).
- Focus on meeting their basic needs, i.e., food, water, sleep and love.
- Make sure you make it safe for them to communicate with you.
Watch for positive change within the first two weeks of starting these strategies. If you do not see some improvement then the best thing you can do is get additional help.
You can talk to a:
- Teacher or professor
- Social worker
- Principal
- Guidance counsellor
- Psychotherapist
It is most important that you keep the dialogue open with your child and support them as best as you can.
