Improve your child’s grades during holidays

A child being instructe on how to write

In 2007 the Ministry of Education and Sports put a ban on holiday studies. Currently, no school in Uganda is supposed to teach students during holidays since it is against the law.

However, there are instances when a child returns from school with a worrying report that they are advised to repeat a class or find another school.

In such a situation, a parent has to intervene to save the child’s worrying performance without necessarily looking for assistance from school.

Anthony Kato, head teacher Global Junior School, Mukono, says though many parents are reluctant to get involved in their children’s studies, their involvement can help improve the grades. Kato says the participation of parents in a child’s learning will ultimately improve their performance.

“As a parent, you are your child’s first and most important teacher,” he says, adding that when parents and families get involved in their children’s learning, it improves those children’s attitude towards learning.

Kato notes that parent’s involvement in a child’s learning process is something that any parent can do. He says though this is more often overlooked, it can lead to the most positive and lasting changes when it comes to improving a child’s study skills and grades.

Here are some of the effective ways parents can use to help their children do better in their studies during holidays;

Design a holiday programme
Kenneth Ategeka, a teacher at Kagadi Primary School, advises parents to draw a timetable for the children to follow during holiday. He observes that often students do nothing tangible during holidays which he blames on the parents’ negligence.

“Do not allow your children to only play and go for leisure activities during holidays, make a timetable for them and ensure to include revision time. Also do follow ups to confirm that the children make use of this timetable without fail,” he advises.

Get involved in their studies
Grace Tumusiime, a parent of three says each time her children are in holidays she tries to find out their strengths and weaknesses by getting involved in their studies. She says she does this to ascertain where she can start from to help them improve.

“I always ask my children about what is challenging them, why they are failing specific subjects and through their responses I find ways to help them improve,” she explains.

Tumusiime says when a parent actively helps a child in their school work, it plays a key role in their learning process.

Establish the cause for their failure
Tumusiime adds that it is important to identify the cause of poor performance in your child. “Could it be stress at school, peer pressure, a teacher that they are not getting along with well, these and more are some of the issues you need to find out so as to help them,” she observes.

She notes that every child is capable of excelling as long as parents befriend them to establish what bothers them. “From there you will forge a way forward on how to improve their grades,” she adds.

Buy them study materials
Kato notes that parents can buy study material for their children so as to boost their learning. He says when a parent does this it can reinforce a child’s learning.

“Get them different sets of exams from various schools and revise with them, you can also buy them pamphlets for those subjects that are challenging them,” he says adding that children perform better when they are provided with necessary materials.

Initiate regular communications about their studies
Ategeka says despite it being holiday time, parents need to initiate regular communication with their children about studies.
He says this includes developing and maintaining communication with them about their school life which helps parents establish potential problems before they turn into bigger issues.

“Strategies to improve communication include being approachable, asking open ended questions and listening more than talking,” he says.

Teach them good reading habits
Ategeka says it is advisable for parents to read frequently and regularly with their children. “Parents can help their children develop good reading habits by reading with them as part of a night-time routine, especially books that capture their attention and imagination. By doing this, they will find revising easy,” he says.