My Child's Room Is a Mess!
October 10, 2014
CH – CHallenge Your Child to Set Both Short- and Long-Term Goals
October 16, 2014
Parents and students often start the school year off hopeful that with focus and hard work, success will surely follow. It is true – focus and hard work are definitely pieces of the puzzle that is the game of school, but when parent conferences or those first grades roll in, and things appear a bit shaky, it may be time to re-evaluate the strategies and tools that are being used to elicit successful goal setting and work completion.
There are times when fine-tuning the executive function support systems can make a big difference in work flow, completion, and motivation to persevere. We’ll be discussing this graphic over the next few blogs. (Download a printable PDF here.) I hope you have an opportunity to talk with your child about each part of it, and perhaps incorporate it into your school success game plan!
CH—CHallenge your child to set both short-term and long-term goals.
- Understanding how to identify WHAT is important to attend to, WHY it’s important, and HOW you are going to reach the goal is critical to actually accomplishing it.
E—Emphasize working smarter, not harder.
- Working with the classroom teacher, school specialist, or outside support provider to develop strategies and smarter processes for learning and goal attainment can take the load off of active working memory, and help with time management, elements of organization, and self-regulation skills.
E—Encourage Independence
- Encourage independence by allowing children to be part of the decision-making process. Children also need to hear that making mistakes is part of learning. Highlight when your child has taken a smart risk, regardless of his triumph or failure.
R—Reward Effort
- Motivation comes only where success has been! If we keep this in mind, and reward small successes, your child will be more motivated to work the program you and others have helped to put in place, and to try new things.
You are your child’s strongest cheerleader, and with a different approach she will be CHEERing too!
Follow along as we dissect CHEER in future blog posts.
Blogger Barbara Hunter, MEd, shares her expertise in the use of technology to support learning. If you have questions, please contact Barbara at .
