Have a family meeting to talk about your child’s goals for the new semester. These can be broken down into smaller goals as well. Write these down and save it so that you can check back in with the goals as the semester progresses. After talking about some of the goals your child has for themself, talk about your expectations. You might have a specific GPA in mind, or your expectations might be to turn in all homework assignments, miss less than one week of school, or be involved in one club or extracurricular activity. If your child starts to fall behind during the semester, you can return to these expectations and point toward areas that need improvement. 

Your child might have more social responsibilities compared to last semester. For example, they might be starting a new sport or club in the upcoming weeks. Your child might have earned more free time to spend with their friends outside of school. This is a perfect time to talk about their social responsibilities, set expectations, and determine the consequences for breaking rules. Laying this out in the beginning will help your child stay on track and manage their social life outside of school. 

Dream boards are a great way to stay inspired throughout the year. Have your child cut out pictures and words from magazines, or print images from the internet, and paste them onto a poster board. This should result in a collage with images and words that represent their dreams, goals, passions, interests, and plans. This activity is helpful because it inspires students to think about their future, and it reminds them why their hard work is so important. Returning to the dream board at various points of the school year can give your child a boost of motivation and inspire them to finish strong. 

Talk with your child about which topics they find most challenging. Are there any courses that they are worried about? Once you identify which topics have been the most challenging, you can brainstorm ideas with them to help them be successful. Having a game plan will take off the stress when things get hard. You might consider working with a tutor to make sure that your child doesn’t fall behind from the start. Another way to prepare for challenges is by meeting with your child’s teacher right away to talk about how your child can be successful in the classroom. 

A new school semester is a new opportunity. Make sure you start it off right by setting expectations, discussing responsibilities, focusing on goals, and preparing to meet challenges!

Club Z! Tutoring in Glenbrook specializes in providing individualized, in-home, and virtual tutoring for students K-12 in Northbrook and Glenview. If you want your child to work on developing skills that will translate to improved grades and self-esteem, contact us today at: bbalatsos@clubztutoring.com.