Tips on helping your child become more independent

This last week, I had a conversation with a mother who was telling me about how she wishes her child to be more independent when it comes to his school work. After the conversation, I realized that this is a common cry that many parents have not only in Atlanta, but in all parts of the United States.

So, the problem that I pose to you is - what can we do to make our students more independent? Here are a few suggestions that I have come up with:

1. Involve your student in sports:

There are many positive attributes in joining some type of athletic team. It will allow your student to learn how to work with others and more importantly, take responsibility of their actions.

2. Work on a project and have them manage it:

Some of the different things that happen in your home such as creating a grocery list, putting together a scrapbook, or organizing a chore list is all very detailed and structured. Ask your student to take part in this activity by giving them ownership of one of the tasks and slowly adding on to their role in managing that task.

If you like scrapbooking, they can be responsible for laying the pictures out, if it is creating a to-do list for a football team dinner - they can manage the guest list. There are a myriad of activities that your student can do.

3. Allow your student to ask for help:

Students who constantly need someone to help them with their everyday tasks may not be as great in problem solving as those who are able to solve problems on their own. If your student is constantly asking you to help them with their homework, allow them to write their questions down on a sticky note. After they have worked independently for a certain period of time (ten, twenty, or thirty minutes) have them place all of the sticky notes on the door and go over these questions. They may be surprised that many of their questions have already been answered!

If you are in the Atlanta/Marietta/Kennesaw/Vinings/Sandy Springs/Buckhead area (Cobb County, Fulton County, Dekalb County, Cherokee County) and have any questions about the CRCT, SSAT, SAT, GED, Summer Tutoring, Orton-Gillingham, Handwriting Without Tears, Writing Strategies, or any methodologies or instructional methods that may help your child succeed, please contact me at  christine@learningridge.com or visit my website at http://www.learningridge.com/. You can also call me at (404) 964-8533.