Formal education in school and private physics tuition plays a crucial role in your child’s education. However, just as important is the encouragement that a child receives from his or her parents.
As parents, the values you impart in your children will make a difference in not just how well they study, but also the attitudes they have when studying. This is especially true when they encounter difficult subjects. For some students, that difficult subject might be physics. But the problem with subjects like physics is that most parents don’t seem to believe that they can be of help, which is not true!
Even if you don’t understand much of physics yourself, there are still plenty of ways that you can help your child.
1. Provide your child with an environment conducive for studying
A home that is full of noise and distractions makes it difficult for children to develop a good study routine. Some of these distractions include the television, video games, other members of the family, and so on. To encourage your child to focus on their studies when they need to, you can set up a study zone for your child that is kept away from these distractions. It can be a room to themselves, or a quiet corner of the living room.
2. Connect with their teachers and instructors
It doesn’t matter if it’s their school teacher or their physics tuition instructor. As a parent, you should make it a point to communicate with the people responsible for teaching and guiding your child. This means turning up for parent-teacher conferences in school, and using text messages or e-mails to keep tabs with your child’s tutor.
In addition to allowing you to receive feedback regarding your child’s school performance, your child’s educators might also be able to give you advice on how you can support your child’s education better and how to address problem areas when at home.
3. Motivate your child
When it comes to their child’s studies, parents tend to go to either extremes: giving their child too much pressure, or letting their child have free reign. Neither approach is healthy if taken to the extremes. Instead, you can consider motivating your child with words of encouragement and occasional rewards.
The key is to let them know that you are invested in their studies, but avoid being overbearing and giving them extra pressure.
4. Support their learning in tangible ways
If you feel lacking in terms of the knowledge required to help your child, you can at least support your child by providing them with the materials and platforms that can help them. One of these ways is to give them the option of taking up physics tuition. You could also invest in science magazines or experiment kits that will stir up your child’s interest in physics.
These materials can also be a good talking point for you and your child, so that you can gain new knowledge about physics too!
Ultimately, what your child needs, more than you being able to understand physics yourself, is providing them with a nurturing environment. Your children will appreciate the effort you put in to give them a comfortable environment and ample opportunities to help them brush up on their physics.