Once children reach school age, they face new challenges - friends, teachers, and schoolwork. Parental guidance is needed more than ever.
Once children reach school age, they face new situations and challenges. Looking at the world through the eyes of your school-aged child will help you shift your thinking about how your child needs you. Think about how school activities look and feel compared with the usual patterns of family life. Here are some examples:
Children must learn to manage the ins and outs of making and keeping friends. They may need your coaching to solve problems and learn important social skills.
Children must build good relationships with their teachers. You will want to find friendly ways to connect with your child’s teacher and to assist your child in connecting, too.
Children must balance two sets of demands — one set from home and one from school. Stay on top of how your child is handling this balancing act. Show interest in your child’s schoolwork and activities. Ask about homework. Talk about how things are going.
School-aged children are more skillful and independent than when they were preschoolers. But they still very much need their parents’ attention and guidance to learn to handle these new challenges.
Learn more about the needs of your school-aged child related to these challenges. Visit the links below, courtesy of our partner site, Parenting 24/7.
