For many student athletes, sports are all the motivation they need to keep their grades up. They know that if they don’t have the GPA, they can’t play.
At the same time, sports also swallows up study hours. It’s a catch 22 for many athletes. They must keep their grades up, but they don’t have as much time to study.
Perhaps your child finds that the demands of a sports help him structure his time better. I’ve talked with many parents who’ve seen that in their children. That alone makes sports a worthwhile endeavor for the family!
Whether or not your child is a self-motivator; whether he struggles in or out of season, there are ways you can help him keep
up the grades. Try these suggestions:
- Get the facts. Many schools offer a way to check grades online. Find out about it and check grades at least twice a month. Instead of getting a vague, “I’m not sure,” when you ask, “how are your grades?”, you will get the facts.
- Ask for the coach’s support. My husband has made a practice in his 28 years of coaching to keep an eye on his players’ grades, especially those who struggle. If your child struggles, ask his coach to support your efforts by stressing the importance of grades and even take the time to check your child’s grade himself.
- Help set goals. Whether it’s a set amount of study time each night or grade improvement, work with your child to establish goals, and then off a tangible or verbal reward when they are met.
- Help them get organized. Buy a daily planner, teach them to write down assignments, have them review homework and place it in backpack when they are finished. Have a homework “lost ‘n found” where stray assignments are placed. Teach them organization. It’s a skill that they will always need.
- Get rid of distractions. I’ll probably get some parents mad at me for saying this, but some kids really can watch TV and do homework at the same time. The proof is in their report card. But if the grades aren’t cutting it, then get rid of the distractions. Take away whatever is pulling at their attention–tv, ipod, phone–during a designated study time.
- Stay involved with the school. When your children are young, take time to get to know their teachers and coaches, and do whatever you can to stay involved with their school. When they are middle or high school, that becomes harder to do. But you can look for other ways: be sure to attend the back-to-school open house, join the boosters, help at fund-raisers, drive for events. If you really want to stay in touch, you will find a way.
- Ask questions. Don’t just assume that things are going well at school. ASK. “How did you do on yesterday’s test?” “How’s the science project coming?” Your kids may become annoyed, but that’s okay. Bugging our kids is in our parental job description.