Academic results: 4 keys to supporting your child

By valuing your child’s progress, encouraging them when faced with difficulties and transforming failures into learning opportunities, you help them develop a positive state of mind. Doctissimo explores concrete strategies to establish constructive dialogue, offer motivating challenges and enrich one’s experience beyond school, in order to build an environment conducive to one’s personal and academic development.

Cultivate an optimistic mindset in your child

The main thing is to prioritize the right points. You need to know how to congratulate your child when he/she has progressed, so that he/she gains confidence in himself/herself and his/her abilities, this will encourage him/her to want to make an effort. As for the negative, reassure your child. Show him/her that you trust him/her, and that he/she will succeed in facing his/her difficulties. Failure is part of learning, everything is a lesson.

Promote transparent communication and establish an open dialogue

Take a moment to review the results calmly and without interruption to you and your child. Calmly discuss why he/she is performing poorly, how he/she feels about it, and ask how you can help.

Offer challenges to your child

Ask them what their difficulties are, in particular the subjects or skills to work on and prioritize more. Then, establish an “action plan” with your child, step by step. You can do it in a more “fun” form, like a game with rewards at the end of each stage.

Support your child in developing their skills outside of school. This can be a sport, playing a musical instrument, reading, doing theater… Anything that could develop autonomy, self-confidence, organization or even social relationships can be beneficial for a child.

Academic results can be a real subject of conflict with your child. The important thing is not to cut off the dialogue and not to create anger or fear in him/her. Be patient and listen to him.

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