Inspire your child to learn this winter with these helpful tips

How did your child do in the first half of the school year? Were you pleased with his or her performance, or do you think there is room for improvement? No matter what letters or numbers appeared on your child’s report card, February is the perfect time to help him or her get excited about a new semester and learning.

This can be accomplished by creating an atmosphere in your home that encourages learning. The experts at Sylvan Learning offer a few tips about how to be more involved with your child’s learning process and help motivate him or her for the rest of this school year.

Have family reading time at least once a week

Utilize Book Adventure, a free Sylvan-created interactive, reading motivation program that can be found at BookAdventure.com. Students choose their own books from more than 7,500 titles, take short comprehension quizzes and redeem their accumulated points for small prizes. Book Adventure also offers teacher and parent resources and tips to help children develop a lifelong love of reading

Set aside a specific time for homework and studying

Take advantage of quiet time to sit with your child and do some of your own work. This visually demonstrates the importance of “work time” to your child.

If homework was a struggle during the first semester, set up a reward system for this semester

For example, deposit change in a small jar when homework is complete. As soon as the jar is full, treat the whole family to something everyone will enjoy. Or you might keep track of minutes spent on homework and reward with equal minutes of a fun family activity.

Refresh your child’s study space

Make sure that all materials, such as pencil sharpeners, erasers and extra paper are easily accessible and in adequate supply.

Create study plans

Have your child do his most challenging assignment first, while he is most focused, and then have him work on easier tasks. Finish each homework session with a fun activity.

Search the Internet

Do this with your child to learn more about topics being covered in school.

Invite your child to participate in cooking or shopping

Use these activities to strengthen her math and reading skills by pointing out signs in the store and multiplying recipes.

Encourage your child to choose a classmate with whom he can study and swap reading books

Having a group of friends who work together cements the value of school work.

Get your child organized inside and outside of school

By being organized, your child will have plenty of time to complete all assignments, and she will also learn the value of time management. This can be done with paper or electronic schedules and to-do lists!

Talk to your child’s teachers

The second half of the year can be more challenging than the first. Find out if your child needs extra help in a specific subject in order to keep up with the class.

Give your children an edge by being informed about how you can help them be successful learners. Tips for parents about current issues in education – that’s what you’ll find here on the Edge. Whether it’s about homework, report cards or summer learning, we’ll have practical tips for you. And if you have suggested topics, we’re listening.