7 Ways To Boost Your Child’s Confidence In Their Academics

Do you want to raise a confident child who recognises their abilities? This might seem like a far away dream, particularly if your child is struggling with their schoolwork. Don’t lose hope, because there are some very simple ways you can boost your child’s confidence by introducing helpful habits into their academic life. 

✅ Get involved in your child’s learning

Evaluate how involved you are in your child’s learning. Do you read the letters they bring home from school or do you actively check in to see how they are getting on with their homework? Talking with your child’s teacher can be an effective way to get involved in your child’s education. If you are curious about your child’s academic progress, it is not harmful to indicate that you would like to be kept updated. Your involvement will show how invested you are in your child’s education and can help strengthen your bond with your child. They will understand that you have more insight when they raise issues and concerns with you about their school life.

✅ Create a space to learn 

Identify a quiet space that is free from distractions and use this as a desk for studying and doing homework. Keep the space stocked up with study essentials like pens and pencils, colourful post-it notes and highlighters. Allow your child to own this area by allowing them to decorate and organise it.

✅ Allow them to struggle 

When sitting down with your child to revise for tests, resist the temptation to answer the questions for them. Give your child time to answer the questions themselves, to show you (and themselves) that they are learning and retaining information. When it is evident that they are unable to answer a question or are facing difficulty, step in. This doesn’t necessarily mean giving them the answer, but rather showing them the method so that they can solve problems for themselves in the future. 

✅ Celebrate the wins

It’s easy to celebrate good grades, so rewarding your child for all academic accomplishments, big and small, will help create a positive attitude towards learning. Give your child genuine and specific praise directed at their efforts more than their results. 

Instead of simply saying “Good job”, here are some phrases you could use instead:

👏 “You were so focused on your work today.”

👏 “I noticed you’ve been working very hard and you’re making lots of progress.”

👏 “You look very excited about finishing your project! What did you learn?”

✅ Allow them to discover what they love

Don’t assume that your child will enjoy the same subjects that you did. Allow them to discover their own interests and passions. Once they know what they like and excel at, they will gain confidence in their own abilities. 

✅ Create good study habits 

Help your child to get into good study habits by implementing a study timetable, scheduling homework time, encouraging brain breaks and ensuring they aren’t cramming for tests. 

✅ Pair them with a tutor that gets them

There’s a difference between a tutor who assigns homework tasks and one that genuinely understands the academic needs of your child. At Teach Me 2, our goal is to pair families with their perfect tutor. This includes a rigorous process of hiring only the best tutors, taking time to understand your child’s unique needs and then personally selecting a brilliant tutor that matches your family’s requirements. 

Click here to boost your child’s confidence and find their perfect tutor!

We have online tutors available as well as tutors in Johannesburg, tutors in Pretoria, tutors in Durban and tutors in Cape Town