How to help when a child’s performance at school is not up to the mark

Children who do not perform as well academically are often labelled as underachievers. It becomes a cause for worry for many parents and teachers when children show potential in their early academic stages and it all seems to fizzle out as they grow older. Underachievement is actually a behaviour, which changes over time. It can stem from factors like lack of self-confidence, academic pressure from parents and peers, fear of failure, feelings of rejection and social isolation or ineffective approaches to issues. 

Children thrive in a mutually respectful and flexible atmosphere where there is room for questioning. They also need reasonable rules and guidelines, and strong support and encouragement that facilitates overall growth. Here’s how parents can help their kids to bounce back when they are not in their best, academically.  

Listen carefully 
Children need parents to be willing to listen to their questions without comment so they can use them as a sounding board as they develop their ideas and perceptions. These questions may have half-formed opinions that are still developing, and quick or negative answers can prevent them from reaching out in the future. Show genuine enthusiasm about your child’s observations, interests, activities, and goals.  

Provide choices 
Guide them towards activities and goals that reflect their values, interests, and needs, not just yours. Provide children with a wide variety of opportunities for success, a sense of accomplishment, and a belief in themselves. Allowing them to explore their potential in their areas of interest will help them take control of their learning. 

Build their self-esteem 
The line between pressure and encouragement is subtle but important. Overemphasis on the achievement of outcomes rather than a child's efforts, involvement, and desire to learn about topics of interest is often counter-productive. Be mindful about how you praise your child. Tell them when you are proud of their efforts. 

Don’t compare kids with others 
Constant competition may also lead to underachievement, especially when a child consistently feels like either a winner or a loser. Avoid comparing children with others. Show children how to function in competition and how to recover after losses. 

Teach them to embrace failure 
Fear of making mistakes and getting ridiculed for it is a part of the apprehension that leads students to underperform. Help your children understand that mistakes are considered a part of learning. They will learn from it and do better the next time. Failure doesn’t have to be the definition of their capabilities, nor should it discourage them from aiming for the stars. 

Help them deal with learning difficulties 
If your child excels at reading comprehension and finds math to be a difficult subject, undermining the success in one field in light of the failure in the other will not help. Instead, help your children make up for the gap by lending them a little extra help in the subjects they are not comfortable with.