Have you ever asked your child “How was School Today?” only to get an answer such as “fine”, “good” or “bad”? This could be because of how the question is phrased. It is too easy for students to just give a one word answer. Here are a few examples of ways to ask and actually get an answer!

1. What was the best/worst thing that happened at school today?
2. Tell me something that made you laugh today?
3. If I called your teacher tonight, what would he/she tell me about today?
4. Tell me one thing you learned today.
5. Where do you play the most at recess?
6. Who in your class do you think you could be nicer to?

In school, we often use the term goals with your children. How can we help our students set realistic goals and stick to them? Consider these ideas you can also support at home:

1. Make the goal specific. The target needs to be very clear for your child. Help him/her clearly articulate what it is they want to achieve. For example, instead of a goal to get better at reading, the goal could be to better understand what is being read.
2. Set a short timeframe. Many goals fail because the timeframe is too long. Set small, specific timeframes (2-3 weeks) that can be more easily monitored.
3. Make a plan. Help your child figure out actions they can take to reach their goal. How will you better understand what you are reading? Will you write a summary after a certain number of pages? Will you ask questions as you read?
4. Adjust the goal. There is nothing wrong with your child adjusting his/her goals. Adjusting will be more successful than quitting.
5. Celebrate. Celebrate the small successes like sticking to the goal’s steps. There is something about acknowledging progress, even small progress, that propels us to keep at it and work toward the next small step along the road of attaining a goal.

Every parent wants to help their child do their best in school. Here are some tangible things that can be done at home to help foster success at school. 

• Feed your child a healthy breakfast each morning
• Make sure they are getting enough sleep each night
• Attend Parent-Teacher Conferences and ask for specific things to work on at home
• Support homework expectations
• Help your child study by providing a quiet place where they can concentrate
• Know the school rules and let your child know your expectations of them at school