How to Help Your Child Love School

Sooner or later it happens to every parent. Your child yells out "I hate school!" and soon he or she begins to rebel against everything related to school. It may happen to a kindergartener or it may not happen until your child reaches high school but it will happen at some point in every child's educational career.

Parents can do more than wring their hands or try to cajole kids into loving school and here's how:

First, show the kids how learning can benefit life at any age. Pick up a book and read, take them to a classical music concert, load up the family to visit a local museum or historical site, and even consider signing up for an adult education class. By demonstrating that you enjoy reading or learning about history, parents can teach the children through example that learning can be fun and that learned skills are valuable life skills. Parents can't expect children to read if Mom and Dad are tied to the television for ten hours a day!

Next, make school a hot conservation topic in your home. Ask about the child's day, inquire what he or she learned, and ask what was the favorite part of the day. Once you get kids talking, they often focus on the positive things about school and discard the negative events. Parental interest also makes school more attractive.

Use everday experiences as lessons. This is easy. Count out milk or lunch money with younger students, making it a math game. Take middle school students along to the grocery store and have he or she do the shopping, fitting the purchases into a specific budget. Let middle school kids map out that next family trip or let a high school students take a crack at writing checks for the family bills. Kids of any age can get a math lesson by cooking, using weights and measures that apply to fractions. These hands-on-activities teach kids that the skills they learn in school have practical life appliactions.

Turn off the televison - at least part of the time. Gather the family together for an evening meal around the table so that you can talk about your day and ask about school. Limit weeknight tv time to two hours or less - and obey the rule yourself. Break out a few board games to play with the kids or take an evening stroll around the neighborhood.

Invest in a few teaching aids. Whether your child makes the honor roll or struggles to pass, today's teaching aids can be fun. Everything from flash cards to educational software is available. Make learning fun and let the entire family participate.

Most important of all, offer support to kids. Be there for school events, don't miss the parent/teacher conferences, have lunch with your kid at school a few times during the school year, join the PTO if you can, and support their activities. Encourage them to succeed and even excel - but remember not to hurt the feelings of kids when they don't do as well as their peers. Remind them that everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Accentuate the positive and be there for your kid.

A positive parent/child relationship can be the best foundation for academic success so help your kid learn to love school!