My Child is Struggling in School - What Can I Do to Help?

Whether their grades are slipping or they’re no longer participating in class as much as they once did, there are many ways in which your child could be struggling in school.

Whatever struggling looks like for your child, as a parent, you want to know what you can do to help them overcome their challenges, improve their mental health, and start thriving again.

In this blog, we share some steps you can take to support your child and get them back on track.  

Have an Honest Discussion

The first step to helping your child is to sit down and honestly discuss their struggles in school.

Encourage them to share their feelings and speak openly about their struggles and why they think they’re happening. Maybe they’re having a hard time staying focused and, as a result, are falling behind in certain classes, or perhaps they’re feeling unsafe in school, which is causing them to want to skip classes. 

Show Empathy

Resist the urge to explain away or dismiss your child’s feelings. Even if the things they’re struggling with seem minor, they’re significant to your child (and, therefore, require a delicate approach).

Empathize with your child and let them know it’s okay to feel the way they feel. You may even want to share a story about how you struggled in school with a similar issue.

Encourage Them to Ask for What They Need

It’s also important to encourage your child to ask for help and be specific about what they need.

‍This resource can help your child ask for what they need when their feelings are big.

Here is how you can use this resource to help your child:

• Share this resource with your child and ask them to complete each statement.
• Try to resist responding to what they say, and focus on just asking the question and listening. 
• Mirror what your child says, so that they can feel heard and supported. 

I hear that (math class) is bothering you and that you feel (anxious) about it. What you really need is (more time and extra help). I can support you with (getting more support for math class).

• Thank your child for opening up and communicating with you. To encourage further communication you can ask, “Is there anything else you’d like to say?”

How Your Child Can Access Clayful

You can do a lot as a parent to help your child when they’re struggling in school. And, certified and experienced coaches can help fill in the gaps and offer additional support.

Working with a Clayful coach can provide significant benefits for your child like better attendance, improved academic outcomes and lower anxiety and depression.

If you want to bring Clayful to your school, you can request Clayful from your PTA or school principal by sharing this link.

Learn more about the Clayful coaching team today.

‍