Tips for parents to help their children maintain a healthy balance between schoolwork and other activities, with support from tutoring
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, they say, and true to the famous adage, all academics with no diversions can lead to stress, burnout and other related issues.
The role of “parenting” in the modern world goes far beyond earning and supporting a family; or childbearing and rearing. Parents are the axis around which the child’s all-round success is garnered and harnessed.
Academic success is the focus, the ultimate goal of all parents for their children; while this is undoubtedly a fact, the exposure and encouragement of their children to lead an “all-round” life is crucial.
Parents who ensure that their children have the opportunity to explore other interests and engage in activities in sports, music, art or community service are inadvertently stimulating their creativity, building social skills, and contributing to their overall well-being. They allow children to develop talents, build confidence, and learn valuable life skills that cannot be taught or learnt in a classroom.
ROLE OF PARENTS IN STEERING THEIR CHILDREN TO STRIKE A HEALTHY BALANCE BETWEEN ACADEMICS AND EXTRACURRICULARS
Striking a healthy balance between extracurricular activities and academics for children begins with the right guidance from the parents. The parents who steer their children and manoeuvre the difficult bends and twists of the fine balancing act between extracurriculars and academics are in fact rewarded with well-rounded children.
Success doesn’t come easy for anyone, but with priorities in place and attainable goals set, parents can expect their children to develop confidence and achieve success step-by-step. So, with academics being priority number one, parents have the task of not over-scheduling and overcrowding their children’s day with extracurricular activities. Figure out what interests your child is most passionate about and focus on those, without nose-diving into a myriad of activities leaving your child drained and confused.
Post the Covid pandemic and the emergence of online tutories, seeking extra assistance for students who are weaker in certain subjects has been made easier.
1. GUIDE CHILDREN TO IMPLEMENT TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS
Students, save a few, struggle with time management during their years in school. The pressures of school and parents tend to defeat the entire purpose of moulding well-rounded individuals.
How do you think you as a parent can change your approach here?
Guide your child to create a weekly schedule that includes time for homework, tutoring, extracurricular activities, and rest. Regularly review the schedule to make adjustments as needed, ensuring it’s realistic and not overwhelming.
2. FIND A SUITABLE TUTOR FOR YOUR CHILD
Tutoring is a fairly new phenomenon in the past 3 to 4 decades. Long gone are the years students sought the assistance of family members and neighbours to clear doubts and concerns about their academics. With dedicated tutories coming up in urban, and rural areas more students are turning to these institutions to enhance their academic performances.
The pandemic of 2019 instigated a new normal, academics had to continue and technology paved the path for online education systems across the globe. Post the pandemic the rise of virtual learning systems has not ceased, and has in fact become a more popular option of seeking knowledge, because of the innumerable benefits it offers.
Online tutoring is a popular option students and parents are turning to, especially those who are actively involved in extracurricular activities.
The reason?
Online tutories offer flexibility and practicality to students in an age and time where people are ever on the lookout for ease.
This option gives a student involved in multiple extracurricular activities to slot classes at later times of the day, thereby not being a hindrance to the school-extracurricular routine. There’s ease in this option for the parents as well, because transport costs are eliminated in the process. Coordinating transport is another big “headache” for parents – thereby giving Online tutories another edge over their competitors in the realm of physical tutories.
Choosing tutoring sessions that fit well within your child’s schedule, allowing them to maintain their activities without feeling rushed helps the child perform better in academics and their extracurricular activities.
A tutory that is understanding and is accommodative with the student’s schedule helps relieve the burden on the parents who are coordinating the extra support sessions to help their children achieve success in all spheres.
Further to a flexible and supportive tutory, parental communication and soft skills with their children are mandatory to encourage a healthy environment. Good, open communication and an understanding environment fosters a greater sense of confidence in the child’s mind. This type of healthy communication enables the child to speak out about overwhelming situations and feelings to the parents; which in turn makes it easier for the parents to adjust or restructure the child’s academics, extracurriculars and tutoring sessions.
3. MONITOR YOUR CHILD’S ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Watching out like an eagle’s eye on your child’s academic performance in school is your responsibility! And monitoring academic grades is within your scope. If you feel your child’s grades are slipping, considerably, not marginal differences, make an appointment with your child’s teacher in school and discuss with them the reasons they feel this has occurred. The parent-teacher bond has to be kept intact for the benefit of the child, to help navigate him/her in the right direction.
If you, the parent and the teacher feel the extracurricular burden is too much, consider temporarily reducing the activities to help the student rejuvenate, recoup and relax before taking on the complete routine again. This temporary period can also be utilized to fit in extra tutoring sessions to uplift the students morale and confidence in their academic pursuits. A flexible tutory and an understanding tutor will in fact help your child regroup during this phase and enable the student to push towards better grades in the forthcoming examinations.
4. PRIORITIZE YOUR CHILD’S ACTIVITIES
Time is money they say, and in the rat race we’re all caught up in, children are like the meat patty in a burger! Sandwiched between parental expectations, school requirements, peer pressure and the constant need to hustle.
As parents, it’s your duty to teach your child how to utilize apps on devices to plan their daily, weekly and monthly schedules so that their young minds aren’t a clutter of to-do lists and tasks.
Assist your children in making informed decisions regarding their academic and extracurricular choices. Listen to them, and encourage them to traverse paths of passion and fulfillment over medals and certificates. Too many children today are trapped in a mindset of achieving accolades just to get into leadership positions or gain entry into top universities, unfortunately achieving those but at the cost of fostering camaraderie and friendships, qualities which eventually make them better human beings. So, do you want a self-centred child in an Internationally acclaimed University? Or a philanthropic child in a standard Uni? It’s your call!
5. LEAD BY EXAMPLE TO IMPLEMENT A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
Finally, not the least important point, but of absolute necessity is maintaining a healthy, balanced life. You lead by example so your actions embody your thoughts and priorities, especially to your children.
Eating a well-balanced diet, exercising regularly, maintaining a well-structured sleep-wake routine and regular time for religious practices/meditation are all factors that you can implement to help your child achieve success in his/her academic and extracurricular pursuits. Consider giving your child unstructured time to watch videos, play games or do whatever they like to aid in maintaining good mental health.
Because, after all, a happy child is a successful child!
Over to you parents!