How To Get Your Child Excited For School

There are some children who absolutely love going to school. Whether it's the constant interaction with friends, the classes or the after-school activities, they hardly ever complain about having to get up in the mornings - and their parents are the lucky ones!

If your child is less than thrilled with the prospect of starting another year at school - or just puts up a fight every weekday morning - then you may feel at a loss as to how to get them excited for school. Sure, you could tell them how great getting an education is, or how much you miss school yourself - but your opinions are likely influenced by hindsight, whereas your child will benefit from something more tangible.

So how exactly do you get your child excited for school short of becoming his or her own personal cheerleading squad? Here are some sneaky tricks and tips that will have your child excited to wake up on weekday mornings!

First, be sure that you understand exactly why your child isn't excited about school. Is there any reason in particular that he or she is unenthusiastic? For example, is your child being bullied? Is there a teacher who your child doesn't like? Or do the school subjects not appeal to him or her? By finding the root cause of your child's apathy, you're more likely to successfully address these concerns and get your kid motivated to get on that school bus every morning. Be sure to sit your child down and ask more than just surface questions about school: quiz them on their favourite or least favourite subjects, friends and teachers.

If your child is suffering from bullying, you'll need to get the school involved in order to make the classroom a safer and more supportive environment. Talk to school administrators and demand a zero-tolerance policy on bullying; thanks to the national attention that's been paid to problems that arise with bullying, you're likely to be successful.

However, if it's the academics that really turn your child off, try to tease out what exactly your child dislikes about his or her classes. Is the work too hard? If so, enroll your child in tutoring and other programs that will teach him or her how to study successfully. On the other hand, are the classes too boring? If that's the case, find out if your school has any programmes for the academically gifted or advanced classes that can be taken after school. Ask your teacher if he or she can assign intellectually challenging homework to your child in order to keep things interesting.

Additionally, play up your child's favourite hobbies and put them in context of school. Does your child enjoy acting, singing or playing sports? Then get them enrolled in an after-school activity pronto! You'll be amazed at how much your child will look forward to going to school if he or she knows that the day will end doing something extremely enjoyable. Does your child enjoy art or writing? Lots of schools now offer after-school classes on painting, drawing and creative writing. If your school doesn't, then find one in your area that does - the point is to get your child to associate a school day with enjoyable activities, no matter what school it's held at!

Sometimes, your child might say that he or she hates school just because "everyone else does". However, be sure to highlight all of the great things about school whenever you're faced with this comment - soon, your child will associate school with fun, and will look forward to the weekdays.

By: Gareth Williams