How to Help Your Kids Earn Top Grades This Year

School has or will start soon for most children and we've discussed many ways to strategize budgets, meals, and daily routines for 2021's back to school season. 

The one thing we haven't talked much about is how to help your kiddos score top grades this year, especially with hybrid and online learning so prevalent. Here are our tips you and your child should try. 

Use a Planner

This seems obvious, but it's just as crucial as it is basic. Even if your child doesn't want to use one, encourage them to do so, even if they're learning virtually. This will help them with time management, help them to avoid forgetting assignments, and better organize their schedule. 

For those with young kids, try helping them with this step. You can color code or bookmark pages in their planner to help them learn the process. I know college students who still use a planner — you're never too old to use a time management tool, and teaching these skills early is great for your child's development. 

Teach Them How to Take Notes

Either sit down and help your young kid learn how to effectively take notes or help them search online for the best note-taking strategies. Taking notes, especially in more advanced classes, is absolutely necessary. The biggest obstacle tends to be that some teachers don't go over effective note-taking methods before diving into their curriculum. Help your kids out by helping them discover their ideal method of note-taking (it's a little different for everyone!) Doing this before classes get rolling will prepare them for recording in-depth concepts on paper later. 

Avoid Procrastinating

I know, many of us (especially adults) procrastinate. Even if this is one of your vices, go out of your way to teach your kids not to do this. Having a planner can assist with this, but take this a step further; encourage them to finish assignments in advance, space out assignments over the course of the week before they are due, and help them tackle big projects by working on them a little each day. 

Really stress how procrastination can lead to anxiety and poor grades. You want to make these good time management skills a habit for your kids. 

Tell Them to Ask For Help

Everyone needs a little bit of extra help sometimes. Make sure your children know they can ask for help when they need it, whether it's help studying, tutoring, social dilemmas, etc. Having an open door for communication will always foster a better sense of honesty when your child needs assistance. Reinforce that there is no shame in asking for help; everyone needs help sometimes. 

If you don't feel qualified to tutor them in certain subjects, see if there are tutors or tutoring clubs at their school. If not, go online and see if any online resources or online tutors can help. 

Help Them to Study

Make sure even outside of homework, your kids are studying. Going over this information and concentrating on not just memorizing, but truly understanding the material is what gets straight A's.

Sit down with them and help them start to review the material they learned. Have them explain concepts to you to be sure they understand the material and encourage them to do a couple of practice questions. Studying doesn't have to be boring and time consuming. A few minutes of studying each day is far more time-friendly and effective than cramming the night before a big test.