This concept seems so obvious: focus your attention on your child’s strengths. As parents we want our children to be successful, so it makes sense that we would encourage them in what they naturally do well. The problem is that it is very easy to get caught up in focusing on improvement, particularly when children learn differently to the traditional school model and perhaps it feels as though there is always something that the child must learn how to “do better.”
Ultimately this type of negative attention can affect a child’s confidence. By instead turning our focus to what children are good at as well as what they enjoy doing, we can help them build upon their successes to strengthen their natural abilities.
How can we implement this philosophy in everyday life? Think of something that your child loves to do—maybe it’s collecting rocks, or skateboarding, or painting. Try to be involved in this activity with your child. Discuss different textures of rocks, ask about new skateboarding tricks, reconnect with your creative side and paint a picture together! Whatever it is, let them know that you are interested in what they are interested in. You can even help make difficult areas of learning more fun by incorporating their interests. Why not practice addition and subtraction using the rock collection? Whatever your child’s interests and abilities, be sure that they are a topic of conversation and incorporate them into your day whenever possible.
Here at Fusion Academy we embrace each child as an individual and base our instruction accordingly. Our curriculum is success-driven, not deficit-based, and engages students in order to inspire a love of learning. Working together, parents and teachers, when we focus on our children’s strengths we will empower them to be the unique individuals they are and to follow their own path in life.
Fusion Academy is now open in Woodbury, Long Island and Midtown Manhattan, and will launch a Westchester location in the winter of 2013. For more information go to: www.fusionacademy.com.
Focusing on Your Child’s Strengths is a post from: NYC Private Schools Blog
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- Trading Large Class Size for One-to-One
- The Unspoken Benefits of Tutoring
- New Hobbies Help a Student Get His Life Back on Track: Controlling the Fire
- A Teacher Left Behind: One Teacher’s Story of Breaking Away from A Broken System
- Thank You To Our June 2012 AdConnect Platform Sponsor: Fusion Academy