How can parents get involved in their children's education?

 Children would be of varying calibre and have different passions so it's of utmost importance that parents involve themselves in the process and guide their children accordingly. Some children may need more attention than others and parents may not have a clear idea as to how they can guide their child in the right way.

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Tuition agencies in Singapore have tuition teachers on board who are experienced and have seen many students of varying degree of talent, so they will be better in guiding students as compared to parents. Tutors will have a clearer idea of what the child is lacking in and will be able to easily identify the child’s interests, strengths, as well as weaknesses.

So, how can parents actually be more collaborative in their children’s learning journey?

Firstly, some parents may be knowledgeable about certain subjects and topics. Instead of keeping this knowledge to themselves, parents should try to share everything that they know with their children.

Sometimes, students may find it difficult to understand the topics after their lesson in school and it will help them a lot if their parents are able to clear their doubts at home. This will make learning much more effective for students.

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Moreover, parents can help to teach topics in advance to their children so that they will have a better understanding of their action lessons. The main risk in parents teaching their children is that they might teach inaccurate or just wrong information which can set their learning back instead. Thus, parents should only teach if they are confident.

Secondly, no matter how much parents think that they know their child the best, there are always some things that teachers will know more about than the parents themselves.

These factors may vary for each child and can only be found out if parents communicate with the teachers. Some parents do not even know the names of their child’s teachers which is alarming.

Parents need to have some understanding of what goes on in school and sometimes what their child tells them is only half the truth. At the same time, parents should refrain from being too nosy as many students enjoy living an independent life in their school and might not want their parents to know every detail.

Thirdly, parents need to instil the habit of reading into their children. Reading is a very good avenue for students to gain a lot of knowledge and many miss out on this opportunity just because they dislike reading. Reading is also a necessary tool in school as it is used for textbooks, notes and other assessments.

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Students that despise reading will struggle a lot during school as relying heavily on audio and videos will not bring them far. Moreover, it will become harder and harder to start developing this habit as they get older. Thus, it is up to parents to develop this habit of reading for their child from a young age.

Fourthly, many students struggle with studying as they just do not see the point of it. Humans in general tend to underestimate the importance of something when its benefits are long term.

This is true for studying too. Students may think that the knowledge that they are gaining will never be useful in real life but the truth is that almost everything that they learn will play a part at some point in their life. It is up to parents to convince their child that studying is important.

At the same time, breaks are also really important to prevent them from overexerting themselves. Emphasising a balance between spending time on studying and spending time on other hobbies will help them manage their stress much better.

Fifthly, parents should try to attend parent-teacher meetings if they are free. This is similar to the previous tip about healthy communication between teachers and parents.

Parent-teacher meetings are special occasions in which parents can talk in detail with teachers about how their child’s studies are going. Parents can ask teachers for tips to help make their child learn more efficiently at home.

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They can learn what went wrong and also what has been going well. Moreover, teachers can also attend parents' organisation meetings and communicate with other parents. Other parents may also have certain secret tips that can be useful.

Sixthly, education does not necessarily only refer to studies. Education has been defined as more holistically involving other activities such as extracurricular activities, sports and exhibitions. Most of these big events will allow parents to enter the school to spectate and support their children.

Although it may feel insignificant, attending these events may leave a big impact on them. Knowing that their parents care about what they do may motivate them not only for studies but also for all of these extracurricular activities.

Something parents should keep in mind is:

Some parents may get too involved in their child's life in school which may end up resulting in the opposite effect of what they want. It is important for parents to provide this necessary distance and breathing space; otherwise, children may not like to interact with their parents.

Helicopter parenting would be counterproductive at the end of the day.