It’s SUMMER! Plan the New School Year Now

Keeping up with schoolwork and making better grades during the school year doesn’t just happen for many of the students I work with, maybe your child is included. You have to design your child’s school year before it actually begins. Summer is usually the best time to do this. A few preparations over the summer break can help to make the next school better for your child and less stressful for you. This will allow you to identity what skills your child to hone or learn to get a headstart without the added pressure of homework, projects, quizzes, and tests.

A simple yet strategic adjustment can make a big difference for students who have learning and/or cognitive challenges due Dyslexia, ADD, ADHD, SLD, or Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Here are 3 simple things your can do during the summer break to help your child get ahead and  make the 2017-2018 school year your child’s best year yet!

1.  Take an inventory of all the concepts in each subject that your child struggled with during the present school year. It could be that he/she knew and could solve problems when it was introduced but later seemed to not recall the steps or even the concept at all.

2.  Have a conversation with your child and ask him the following questions:

• What were the good experiences he would like to repeat year after year?
• What were the bad experiences he wouldn’t want to have ever again?
• What subject did he have challenges with throughout the school year?
• What would he like to do differently in the coming school year?

3.  If your child is transitioning to middle or high school, it’s essential that they have the following basic learning support skills that will position them to thrive in the classroom from the first day of school, and hopefully position him to make good grades throughout the school year.

• Organizational skills
• Time management
• Note taking skills
• Study habits
• Test taking skills