You were shocked when your son's progress report came back with mostly D's and F's. You've held such high aspirations for him---that he might become an astronaut or a doctor, perhaps---but if his grades stay this way through school, he may not even graduate. You realize that you're probably overreacting, because he's only in grammar school, but you do want to help him improve his grades before they become a habit. Following some steps will help you help him get on the right track to a successful future.
Step 1
Determine underlying causes by considering all aspects of his life. The way you respond to his low grades will depend significantly upon what is causing them. Are his grades usually high or has he always had trouble in school? Is he simply not trying hard enough? Might a family tragedy have caused him additional stress? Did he deal with an illness of his own that caused him to get behind?
Step 2
Discuss your child's classroom behavior with his teacher. Maybe she has noticed him squinting to see the blackboard, or maybe she knows that he is sitting next to a talkative student. Regardless of her input, tell her you want to devise a plan to improve your son's grades and hope that she is willing to give him some additional help. Regularly touch base with her to follow up on his progress or lack thereof.
Step 3
Clear time out of your son's schedule for homework and play. He may simply be overloaded with extracurricular activities. Paul Donahue, a clinical psychologist and author of "Parenting Without Fear: Letting Go of Worry and Focusing on What Matters," mentions in a Good Housekeeping article that children between pre-K and age 11 should have two or more free days of the week. If he's enrolled in Cub Scouts, is on the football team and is interested in picking up guitar lessons, free up some of his schedule to allow him to fully focus on homework, playing and family time.
Step 4
Capitalize on your son's learning style. He may be more of a visual learner, a kinesthetic learner or an auditory learner. If he is an auditory learner and most of his assignments require him to read from a piece of paper, you may want to encourage him to read his assignments aloud and quiz him on spelling words by repeating them audibly. A way to determine your son's learning style is found in the Resources section.
Step 5
Hire a tutor. Find a tutor for your child in any or all of the subjects causing him trouble. You may be able to find a helpful tutor by getting a referral from your son's teacher. Many tutors attempt to make learning more fun by incorporating learning games in lessons. Tutors will also work at your child's speed and adapt lesson plans to address his unique talents and struggles. If your child's main struggle isn't with the subject matter but the time management, notetaking and organization that are also required, consider signing him up for a study skills class and monitor his notes and homework.
Step 6
Praise his efforts to do well even if his grades don't show immediate improvement. Focusing on his intelligence---even when he excels---teaches him to think of success in terms of smarts rather than diligence. In turn, he may fear accepting academic challenges in the future if he thinks he may not ace them.
