And how you can help them.
Chances are you took a period of maternity leave (short or long) when your child was a baby, but surprisingly, once they hit primary school they need you more than ever before. Sure, you’re not needed to wipe their bottom (here’s hoping) but psychologically, emotionally and physically you’re needed every step of the way.
If you have the feeling your child may be struggling in school, they’re probably not going to come right out and admit it. Here are six signs they may not be coping – and what you can do about it.
1. Their grades are dropping.
One giant red flag here is that a usually academically sound child has started failing. A once off could be a sudden lack of interest in that subject – or something more serious. Your first point of call should be discussing it with their teacher.
2. ‘I just don’t get it.’
If your child expresses frustration and gives up easily on homework by saying that they ‘just don’t get it,’ they may have lost confidence in a class of full of whizzes. Engage their interest with an educational app such as Splash Math, which covers Year 1 to 5. The challenge is to add new fish to their virtual aquarium each time they answer a question; they won’t even remember it’s not meant to be fun.
“I send my son to private school. The last thing I am is selfish.”
Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by HP’s new Stream family. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words.
3. They don’t want to talk about school.
Almost every child goes through a phase (for some it lasts their entire schooling career) of not wanting to talk about what they did at school. But if your usual chatty child completely shuts down and displays depressive behaviour, it could be a sign they are having difficulties at school. From having trouble making friends to potentially being bullied, this is one you want to get onto sooner rather than later.
