In today's post, I will share tips for helping your child to improve their work ethic, study skills, and attitude toward schoolwork. Personally, I spent the past several months worrying about my 7-year old because he often rushed through his schoolwork and had a negative attitude about some subjects. I tried several strategies to improve his work ethic and attitude, but the biggest contributor to breaking through our hurdles was taking him to the Explore Horizons Tutoring Enrichment Center. Let me share the tips that I tried and tell you more about this trendy tutoring center that helped to reshape his study skills, work ethic, and attitude.
Let's start from the beginning. My 7-year old son is a very bright child, but he is still developing his study skills and work ethic. Over the past several months, I noticed that he was no longer "reading" books, but was skimming them in order to finish quickly. It was strange because he even did this for books that he read for fun. I guess that he just wanted to know the ending quickly. In addition, we noticed that he was reading questions too quickly on exams and getting them wrong. He would have answered most of them correctly if he slowed down to read the questions. I wasn't as worried about him answering questions incorrectly as much as I was worried about his emerging study skills and work ethic. This is when I started to research ways to help him so that he becomes an effective lifelong learner. Let me share the tips that I found.
Tips for Helping 7 Year Olds with Work Ethic and Our Experience with Explore Horizons Tutoring Center in Colleyville, TX
1. Work with educational experts at an Explore Horizons Tutoring Enrichment Center.
The #1 most effective strategy that we tried was taking our son to an Explore Horizons Tutoring Enrichment Center. We visited the location in Colleyville, TX. This was my first experience with a tutoring center and I was impressed with their expertise and amazing rapport with the children. They were able to reshape my son's study skills and work ethic without any meltdowns or bad attitude. Actually, he enthusiastically appreciated their support and bragged to me about his sessions. It was amazing.
The main goals of the tutoring include:
Hunt for Answers
Capture Thoughts Clearly
Tackle Tests Fearlessly
We started with an assessment where they reviewed my son's background and listened to my concerns. For instance, they had hard data about his background from their own assessment tools, but also considered my concerns in regard to subjects that worried me.
Once the assessment was complete, my son visited two times per week. It's really nice that we could drop in for the sessions at our convenience without worrying about scheduling. Each session consisted of one hour of learning and fifteen minutes of fun time. The majority of the learning hour involves using a computer with a teacher who takes turns checking on the children. For instance, one of the most important interactions with my son was helping him to slow down and read questions rather than rushing through them. Another example of helpful interaction was when they had him practice reading aloud. Not only was the actual skill useful, but it also helped his confidence.
After each session, the teacher provided us with an overview of our son's lessons. This was both interesting and helpful to me as a parent. I enjoyed knowing what he worked on, but also the opportunity to extend the lessons at home.
Finally, my son loved the motivation that they provided. He loved his 15 minutes of recharge time at the end of each session. He earned lizard cards at each visit. Each card has facts about a reptile. They are educational and fun! He enjoys reading them to us on the car ride home. He has them lined up in his bedroom because he is proud that he earned them. The cards may be cashed out for prizes.
He also enjoyed seeing his progress on their chart.
If you would like to schedule a free in-person assessment at your nearest Explore Horizons tutoring center, visit them here. You will also find a coupon here.
2. Make regular trips to a library and/or bookstore.
We visit the library every week. Our son selects several books that he reads before bedtime. We have a routine where he has his bath, brushes his teeth, and gets ready for bed. He then has one hour to read books in bed before it's time for "lights out." During the summer, we let him stay up for two to three hours with his books. This routine has helped to make learning fun.
3. Register kids for camps.
We register our son for three different camps each summer. That is, one camp per summer month. This is a great way for him to focus on specific subjects. For instance, our son's favorite was Super Hero Physics camp where he focused on physics and robotics. He also loved an environmental camp and a bible camp this year. We try to select camps with different topics so that he becomes well balanced.
4. Sports are important.
Sports are a great way for children to practice social skills, develop good work ethic, improve teamwork skills, and learn patience. It may take a few attempts, so try not to worry if the first sport that you try is not a good fit.
5. Reinforce good behavior.
Sometimes it is tough to be a little one. They are still learning about the world around them and how they fit in. Positive encouragement that boosts their self esteem goes a long way!
I hope that you enjoyed the tips that we used to help improve our son's work ethic and study habits. I give a lot of credit to the experts at Explore Horizons that tutored my son. It takes a village to raise a child and I'm grateful that the experts at Explore Horizons are part of our village!