The attitude any child has toward school comes from one of two places: personal experience or from the attitudes around them – the vibes, the attitudes they see others have toward school and learning. School may have rules – but learning can be fun. That attitude of “fun” comes from you the parent.
Incorporate learning with games.
The school system understands this and programs are geared toward making learning fun for young kids in order to motivate learning and maintain interest. This should be the goal at home. The first experience with school should be fun, interesting, caring. This should also be considered when picking day care or pre-kindergarten schools.
Be involved not a dictator.
While time is a commodity that many of us do not have and it is simply so easy just to say "I don't have time", we as parents need to spend time with our children. The times in mind are homework, study sessions and most importantly of all – to be present at school functions. Children feel much more motivated to learn if they know you care about what they are doing in school.
The one thing adults and children instinctively have in common is: the fear of failure. Children need to learn that making mistakes is ok, that you can learn from mistakes and that failure is nothing to worry about. Often times we as parent refuse to admit mistakes to our children – who know full well when we are wrong. Failure, mistakes are a part of the learning process and should be seen as a motivator, a challenge: you learn from your mistakes and you become better. In school the fear of making a mistake, can cause children to shy away from learning and school all together.
