The 10 Best Tips for Parents of Preschoolers

This article was originally written on empoweredparents.co

Every parent wants their child to succeed and thrive in the world. Although there is no magic formula, parents want to feel they have done the best they can.

Here are the 10 best tips for parents of preschoolers, written by an early childhood educator.

How Can I Help My Child Succeed in School?

Success in school starts with laying a solid, balanced foundation from an early age.

There is no easy formula for parenting, but there are simple strategies you can follow that will benefit your children for a lifetime.

10 Tips for Parents of Preschoolers to Help Your Child Succeed In School

Here are 10 tips every parent should follow. These ideas are geared towards raising well-rounded children who are happy, confident, self-motivated and independent.

The more you follow these principles, the better chance your child will have of developing to his full potential and coping well at school.

1. Let Your Children Play

Play is the most underrated form of learning and the most important one.

Your child should be playing every single day.

The amount of learning that happens every time your children are in their natural state – engaging in free play – is massive.

Today’s lifestyle has become chaotic and school-age children have schedules that were unheard of in the past.

You may have them signed up for 3 excellent extra activities a day, but if that means there is no time for free play, you might want to rethink the afternoon routine.

2. Read Every Day

Reading to a child opens her world in so many ways.

I have always said there are two types of parents. Those who read to their children and those who don’t.

Reading, apart from being the perfect time to bond, teaches vocabulary, problem solving, creativity, thinking skills, emotional maturity and so much more.

Just 5 to 10 minutes a day is all you need. It can be the perfect bedtime routine.

Whether you are reading to your 3-year-old or listening to your 8-year-old read to you, make sure to make the most of the time by using questions that encourage thinking.

3. Instil Independence

Independence is the number 1 quality any child needs to succeed in the world.

This may seem obvious, but it can be too easy to do too much for your child. Parents want to help and guide their children and be there for them every step of the way.

Sometimes being there just means watching from a distance.

What are some ways you can instil independence?

• Allow your children and their friends to resolve most of their conflicts amongst themselves.

• Understand that school is their territory. Drop them off and give them a confident goodbye kiss and “have a nice day”. There is no need to walk your Grade 1 in day after day to make sure they’re ok. It sends a subtle message that they are not safe without you.

• Encourage doing some homework independently and packing their own bag every day.

• Give chores from a very young age. Let your children develop responsibility at home by making a bed, taking cups to the sink and packing away toys.

• If your child has a problem at school, discuss how to handle it the next time it happens and offer coping strategies. Resist reporting every incident to the teacher or your child will rely on you and not learn to take action. Serious concerns or repeated negative behaviour should be reported if it does not get resolved.

4. Build Grit

Watch this short TED Talk by Angela Lee Duckworth. It is all about her research in determining the best predictor of success.

And it is a little four-letter word called…

Grit!

In her words:

Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future day-in-day-out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years. And working really hard to make that future a reality.

5. Allow Your Child to Be an Individual

Every person is different and every person has different strengths, weaknesses, interests, passions, etc. Being allowed to be an individual is one of your child’s basic emotional needs.

School is an environment that tends to be quite focused on certain areas – academics, sports, etc. Some are changing and encouraging all forms of expression, including drama, music and the arts, to name a few.

School and the few years every person spends there is not the be-all-and-end-all of life. Let your children engage in the things they show passion for.

You might want to spend 10 extra minutes a day practising sight words with your struggling reader, but don’t forget to let him do his science experiments, or finish building his rocket or whatever else he is drawn to.

These are the things that he will probably gravitate towards in a career one day – and will provide the most value to him.