Helping your child believe in their academic ability

To be confident in their abilities, kids have to be aware of their strengths. You can help your child identify where their strengths lie by listing some of their skills. Here are some examples:

• “You manage your time well.”
• “You’re very independent.”
• “You have a great memory.”
• “You excel in French.”
• “You’ve got a great imagination.”
• Etc.

Persevering through obstacles to achieve a goal can make a student’s confidence soar. There are a number of ways you can help boost your child’s stick-to-it-iveness:

• Encourage them when they show initiative
• Acknowledge their efforts
• Praise them when they make progress
• Listen to their concerns
• Be there when they need help
• Etc.
   

Factors like self-confidence and repeated success are also crucial to building a sense of competency. To experience success, your child must first be given a chance to demonstrate their talents. You can do this in various ways:

• Give your child more responsibility
• Encourage them to do things on their own
• Give them more autonomy when doing homework
• Etc.

Setting realistic expectations means respecting your child’s capabilities. It’s a way to ensure that they don’t end up overwhelmed by impractical challenges. You can help your child be successful by considering these factors before giving them a task:

• Their attention span
• Their level of interest in the task
• Their mood
• Their energy level
• Their environment
• Etc.

To feel competent in school, kids must have a strong sense of their abilities. Help your child improve their self-confidence by encouraging them to do the following:

• Take on ambitious but achievable challenges (e.g., improve by two marks on their next dictation)
• Choose their own “mission” (e.g., improve their grade, bring all their homework materials home)
• If they need to, ask for help from someone they trust (e.g., a parent, a teacher, a friend)
• Focus on the progress they’ve made
• Etc.