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If your child is falling behind at school, it can often feel as if they are stuck in an impossible situation. While they are struggling to keep up with the rest of the class, the course work keeps getting harder and harder. If you have just started homeschooling, fortunately, there are ways of breaking this cycle. Check out our top 5 things to do if your child is falling behind.

1. help them master mathematical operations

You have to learn to walk before you can run. Many students who fall behind in mathematics do so because they have not yet mastered their basic mathematical operations. Skills such as times tables, long division, multi-digit addition, subtraction and multiplication, decimals and fractions provide the foundation of even the most complex mathematical questions. Without a firm grasp of these basic operations, it is unlikely that your child will be able to keep up. So, if your child is struggling in mathematics, a simple 10-minute revision of basic mathematical operations each night can dramatically increase their chances of keeping up with their learning level and even getting ahead! You can ask Euka to provide the lower level of Mathematics, which allows you to move between the levels and focus on areas that are challenging, while moving ahead in other areas that your child has a good grasp on. With so many different topics in Maths, it is not unusual for a child to be excelling in one area, e.g. measurement but struggling in another, e.g. algebra.

2. expand their vocabulary

One of the most common traits of students who fall behind in English is that they have a lot of great ideas but lack the ability to express them. Expressing ourselves through language is one of the most difficult skills that human beings develop, and it is one that students must consistently strive to improve. You can help your child to expand their vocabulary by providing them with the opportunity to read widely, and by encouraging them to seek out the meaning of words they do not understand. If your child asks you what a word means, encourage them to look it up and report back to you. Then, see if they can use it in a sentence. You can also challenge your child to come up with as many synonyms as possible for a particular word. For example, how many words can you think of that mean “big”? Examples are, huge, colossal, gigantic, epic, mountainous, grand, significant, enlarged, overgrown, immense, massive, humungous, copious…

3. improving their comprehension

On top of writing, the ability to read and understand texts is a vital skill that every student requires to succeed. Students who lack the ability to engage with texts will often struggle and fall behind in their classes. The good news is, reading comprehension is one of the easiest skills you can practice. All it requires is for you to ask your child questions about what they are reading, watching or playing. While this may annoy your child if you do it formally, it can also be a good way of connecting if you show genuine interest in what they are enjoying. You may have to do your own research so you can ask relevant questions and understand their answers. Here are some questions that you might ask about your child’s favourite book/movie/TV show/video game…

Who is your favourite character?

Why do you relate to them so much?

What would you do differently if you were in their situation?

What do you think the moral of this story is?

How does this world differ from the real world?

Who is the author/director?

What do you think the author/director has done to make this so enjoyable?

What do you think will happen next?

The more your child thinks about the media they are coming in contact with, the more natural it will feel when they are asked to answer similar questions about texts they read.

It is also important that they enjoy what they are reading. If you find the novel for the term is not a good fit, simply let the team at Euka know, and we can provide you with a “Choose your own” book option.

4. help them get organised

Albert Einstein once asked, “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” While I’m not sure I agree with his point, I agree that there is an obvious relationship between the state of one’s desk and the state of one’s mind. No matter how intelligent a student might be, they will inevitably struggle with their school work if they cannot keep their diary, study space, and lesson notes organised efficiently. If your child is falling behind at school, it may be worthwhile to dedicate some time to developing a system they can use to take care of their notes. You can even encourage good habits in a more fun setting by encouraging your child to develop a system to organise their music, photos or video game collection.

5. get help

Quite often, parents don’t find out that their child is falling behind at school until parent-teacher interviews or, even worse, when school reports arrive. The problem with this is that parents are often given a very limited indication of which areas their child is struggling with. When you begin with Euka, take at least a term to work through and discover the areas your child is finding challenging. The individualised learning options that Euka provides allows you to move any subject areas up or down at any time to create a program that is a perfect fit for your child.