HOW TO INSPIRE YOUR CHILD
By Nic Rothquel, Director of Elite Education
You want the best for your child… And so do we. We value young people like they are our own. Since we first started in 2006 we have worked with thousands of students from K-‐12 to help unleash the genius within. It can often be hard as parents to connect with our kids, especially as they get older. Although we were young once too, it seems like they live in a completely different world right? iPhones, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube; their world is so different to the one we grew up in. For us, a relationship was meeting up with someone. For our kids, it is chatting to someone online. For us, an assignment was researching and studying. For our kids, it is a 5-‐minute search on Google. Things sure have changed. With so much going on and so many things calling for their attention, it can be a real challenge to engage young people in their schooling. This can be so frustrating for parents, which is why we wanted to put this together; to make your life a little easier. We’ve mastered the art of inspiring young people and want to share those secrets with you. Please use these strategies and share them with your friends. We hope this helps you bring out the best in your child.
PRIMARY SCHOOL
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The foundation years: how to inspire your child to perform at their best and instil a passion for learning.
HIGH SCHOOL
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Where young people become adults: the habits they build during this time will stay with them for life.
HOW TO INSPIRE YOUR CHILD WWW.ELITEEDU.COM.AU
Inspire young people from the inside out. A good sales pitch should not be about the features of the product; it needs to show how it will make your life better. Real inspiration comes from the heart.
Daily Lovin’: Encourage them.
They might have had a tough day at school; let them come home to a place where they are appreciated and loved. Make sure you say one encouraging thing to your child each day. It doesn’t need to be over the top, just compliment them on how well they dealt with a problem, or that they are a good person to be around. Beware of the little things we say that shatter their confidence; “Your room is always messy”, “Stop being so lazy” and any other generalisation can really hurt a child’s view of themselves
Share your thoughts. When you can demonstrate that you genuinely care about a child’s problem, they will feel valued and accepted. The next time they mention that they are having problems with a friend or struggling with an issue, actually take the time to think about it and then discuss with them. Even if they don’t listen to you, they will appreciate that you went to the effort of thinking about it.
When your child gets home from school, they are probably pretty tired. They might crash out on the couch, raid the kitchen (eating those biscuits you were saving for that special ‘me’ time) and then do whatever it is they do to relax: play Xbox, browse the internet, play guitar or kick a ball. When it finally comes around to tackling their homework it is probably the last thing they want to be doing. It can be so frustrating as parents trying to convince our kids that studying is good for them. We’ve been there – we’ve experienced first-‐hand the benefits of hard work or consequences of no work. All we want to do is save them from those lessons we learnt the hard way! But what if it isn’t about convincing at all? For young people a logical argument might just be useless words. A poor sales person will try and convince you to buy a product based on the features, but a good salesperson will sell to you based on what the product can do for you. Maybe it is the same with young people. Rather than nagging them to do their homework, try encouraging them and explaining why it will benefit them. Young people will respond much better to something that appeals to their heart; their emotions. The key to inspiring children is to paint a picture of what they are capable of achieving if they apply themselves. Telling them to get stuff done won’t inspire them. Explaining why it is beneficial will.
Welcome them warmly.
Kids have moments where they want to feel loved. One of these is when they get home from school/work/social lives. Even though you may be really busy making dinner, working on the laptop or vacuuming the house, drop everything and make them feel welcome. Give them a hug and talk about their day. This will let them know they are important to you. Equally important is the farewell – make it count. 2
HOW TO INSPIRE YOUR CHILD WWW.ELITEEDU.COM.AU
PRIMARY SCHOOL
These are the foundational years that will determine their attitudes in the future. Primary school was fun.
not play games or spend some time reading together?
I don’t remember much, but I know it was fun. I remember a few things: getting my pen license in year 2, the first time I held a girls hand and the time my friend Sam vomited all over his desk.
Kids enjoy a challenge; because they like to be rewarded. If you can instil personal satisfaction as the greatest reward of all from a young age, your child will be determined to do their best for life.
Despite not being able to remember a lot of the details, those years were crucial in shaping my attitudes and perspectives. Just like building a wall, the years between K-‐6 really were the foundations that supported what would happen later on.
It is a valuable lesson; instead of trying hard for reward or praise, they do it for the knowledge that they worked hard and conquered.
Inspiring a love of learning from a young age is crucial, and it starts at home. The greatest role model a child will ever have in their life is their parents. If they see you enjoy learning then they will too. I know things can be so busy with work and laundry and preparing dinner, but taking the time out to learn with your child will make such a big difference.
Explore things together. Rather than watching TV, why
Create fun games that will challenge them to think hard. Give them a weekly research assignment and get them to present it in a speech at the end of the week. Get them to help you cook dinner and measure out the ingredients. Practice memory enhancing activities. The most important thing you can do to inspire your child between K-‐6 is demonstrate that you love them and believe in them. A supported child will usually outperform a genius who is unappreciated because they are more likely to try harder. 3
HOW TO INSPIRE YOUR CHILD WWW.ELITEEDU.COM.AU
From years 7-12 young people undergo a journey from teenager to adult. There is no other time in our life where we experience such rapid change. As a result, it can become a very tough time for all involved: the parents who just want their kids to do well clash with the kids who seemingly don’t care how well they do. Sometimes It can feel like you are on autopilot: “Clean your room”…“Put your phone away”… “Get off Youtube”. You often wonder what it is they do behind their closed bedroom door all the time. What’s that strange sound? Oh, it’s your sons iPod – he calls it ‘music’. If you are tired of the struggle, stress no more. We want to make your life easier: here are a couple of ways to inspire your child. •
Allow them to find their thing. Whether it be guitar, acting, sport or coding, each young person has something that will allow them to feel like they are in their element. When they find this, encourage them to be the best; it is something that they will love and work hard at willingly.
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Promote hard work as a reward in itself. It is a great habit to create. Too often young people need some sort of reward: either a tangible prize or a verbal encouragement, but if you can instil the intrinsic reward of hard work it will ensure they do their best at whatever they choose to pursue.
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When it comes to encouraging them to do the things that they really don’t want to do, try to avoid nagging them. What you want to communicate to your child is that you have to do what you have to do so you can do what you want to do. Remind them that each time they pick up their pen they are building their future. Celebrate achievements by focussing on the effort put in. If they do well in exam don’t praise the great result; draw attention to the effort they put in to achieve it. This will create a greater emphasis on the hard work and will inspire them to repeat in the future. Encourage learning from mistakes. Mistakes will be made. Don’t yell at them; spend time with them to learn valuable lessons.
HIGH SCHOOL
CONQUERING HOMEWORK: Homework: the nemesis of the teenager. One of the greatest pieces of wisdom that we can give to our students is this: The more work you do at school, the less work you have to do at home. Most students only apply themselves between 40-‐50% in class. They are busy talking to friends, thinking about the weekend and playing on their phones. If they apply themselves more, they will get more done and reduce what needs to be done later.
7 HABITS OF THE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEENAGER: A number of strategies to share with your teenager, making them a powerhouse of efficiency and creativity: 1.
Be proactive
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Begin with the end in mind
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Put first things first
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Think win-‐win
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Seek first to understand
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Synergise
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Sharpen the saw
More info at www.eliteedu.com.au
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ONE-ON-ONE TUTORING
The greatest inspiration you can give your child is a private tutor to join them on the journey. Elite Education has been providing one-‐on-‐one tuition on the Northern Beaches for over 7 years. Having worked with thousands of students from K-‐12, Elite Education is the expert in providing individualised academic mentoring. Whether your child is struggling to keep up in class or pulling away from the rest, a private tutor will give them the support they need.
Either in our Dee Why tuition centre or straight to your home, our tutors are young, fresh and experts at what they do. We also run a number of holiday seminars throughout the year. We hope you will entrust us to nurture and support your child. Call today for a free assessment session and give your child the strongest advantage.
"I sought tutoring a little over a year ago because my son had lost all motivation and his grades were dropping fast. A teacher from his school recommended Elite Education where we saw them once a week on average. Not a great one for study, my son now looks forward to his tutoring sessions and his motivation and grades have both improved rapidly. He is now managing over 80% in his subjects and his teachers have only praise for him. I am really pleased with the outcome and I would recommend Elite Education to anyone considering tutoring!" Gwynne Flood, Parent "Since I started my tutoring with Elite Education, I have gone from failing every exam, with my last exam result being 15%, to topping the year with 45/50. I couldn't have done it without them” Dan Robinson, Student "Now that my son Lachlan has completed his HSC Adv Maths tutoring sessions with one of your tutors, Alex, I just wanted to thank you for the fantastic service provided. I have nothing but praise for Alex -‐ what an outstanding young man he is! Always on time, polite, friendly, a great role model and most importantly, really knew the subject well. From the feedback Lachlan has given me, Alex explained everything so well and successfully helped Lachlan with areas he was finding difficult. It was also very convenient having the tutoring sessions at home and Alex was always very accomodating with dates, times and any changes made to these. Many thanks, will definitely use your company again in the future and would recommend your tutoring services to anyone" Leanne Jameson, Parent
w. www.eliteedu.com.au | ph. 02 8006 4590 | e. info@eliteedu.com.au