Maximising my child’s academic performance: the pre-school years

Virtually all parents want their children to do well at school and with good reason.

The characteristics of successful students mirror many of the characteristics of successful adults: dedication, discipline, perseverance, the ability to learn and apply knowledge. This is mostly because we are creatures of habit and the approach to life that we adopt in school is frequently the same approach we will take to the rest of our lives. Success in school also tends to give us a confidence in our capacities that allows us to believe that we can can take on the challenges of the post-school world and be successful.

It is no surprise then that people want to know how do I help set my child up for success in school. There are 100s of things that will ultimately contribute because we humans are complex animals, but let’s have a look at a few of the important ones. Obviously intelligence plays a key role in ultimate academic success and IQ has a significant genetic component. So, if you want to have a smart kids, start with smart parents. Before you think “Oh well, that’s my kids chances of doing well shot to bits” and stop reading, there are many ways to improve your child’s academic abilities even before they get to school and as we will see shortly, the best predictor of ultimate academic success is not IQ anyway. Make sure that you read the next blog to find out what is.

There are obvious and not so obvious contributors. The health of the mother during gestation is important so, no smoking, no drugs, no alcohol, do what you can to keep stress levels in check and if you can avoid getting sick, that helps too. Studies have shown that the foetus takes in much of what is happening around the mother, certainly once they get into their third trimester. So, talk to your baby, play it good music that will be impacting its brain that long after it is born.

The first years of life are where many of the characteristics that you will carry through life are formed. A baby is born with more brain cells than it will ever need, what it experiences though will determine the synapses (connections) between brain cells that are formed. The extent of these connections will ultimately have a huge say in how well their brain performs. Critical activities include talking to your child, engaging them in play and learning things like playing music and a second language early in life are beneficial. In addition, fostering a curiosity in students is important for success.

So do your best to answer their questions as best you can, no matter how many times they ask why and ask them the same questions to get them used to processing information and coming up with possible solutions.