A little planning and encouragement goes a long way toward helping your child have a positive attitude about school.

The following ideas can help promote good attitudes and practices in your child.

1. Help your child unwind once the school day is over. Give your child focused attention every day. Talk about the school experience. Listen for underlying feelings of anger or fear along with the positive feelings of excitement and satisfaction. Because your child’s time at school is quite structured, plan time for unstructured activities once school is through for the day. Allow your child to let off steam through active outdoor play or sports. While one or two after-school commitments like piano or soccer lessons are beneficial, be careful not to over-program your child. The inevitable result is stress-overload–for you as well as your child.
2. Help your child get organized. Arrange study space. Reserve one corner somewhere in your home for your child’s quiet concentration. Provide a table or desk, good lighting, reference materials, and school supplies. If possible, keep the study area far from tempting distractions like the TV. Plan for the next day. Help your child get into the habit of organizing such things as clothing, lunch money, permission slips, and homework the night before. Nerves are bound to be less frazzled in the morning. Note important dates. Buy a giant wall calendar with large boxes. If your youngster is too young to read or write, draw pictures symbolizing important school activities. Help an older child jot down dates of exams, reports, field trips, after-school events, and other upcoming commitments.
3. Establish a regular homework routine. Daily attention to school work for short periods of time is superior to night-before panic and agony over a project or examination. While maintaining some flexibility, set a fixed time each afternoon or evening for school assignments. Your child’s homework schedule should be in accord with other extracurricular activities. Depending on age, 15 minutes to an hour before or after dinner is usually sufficient.
4. Be available to encourage your child. Show your child you are interested by being consistently available at predictable times each day. If your child is having problems with a certain subject, talk to the teacher about supplementary activities you could do together at home as well as tutoring or other special attention at school. In addition, do not attempt to protect your child from negative consequences by doing the homework assignment for your child. This will seriously detract from your child’s confidence to cope successfully with future school demands.
5. Display a love of learning at home. To fuel your child’s natural interest and curiosity, celebrate learning. Ask questions, exchange ideas, and allow your child to arrive at personal conclusions. Provide a home environment rich in books, games, and projects. Complement your child’s school experiences with excursions for the entire family. Above all, let your child see you enjoying new challenges and activities.
6. Become involved in your child’s school. By joining a parent-teacher organization or volunteering your time, you share more of your child’s world. You are also in a better position to understand and make suggestions for improvement.