A Parent’s Guide to Building Essential Personal and Academics Skills

As a parent, helping your middle school student develop essential life skills and academic strategies is key to maximizing their learning potential. The pre-teen years are a critical time for nurturing personal growth alongside academic achievement. Our expert strategist, Will Kirsop, answers the burning question all parents have - how to guide middle schoolers to build essential skills for academic and personal success. Read on for actionable tips from Will on empowering middle school students with personal and academic skills that will serve them now and in the future.

Here are three ways how to help your child develop their personal skills:

1. Time management: a key focus area for teenage students is their time management skills as during this age their executive functioning skills are still developing. As a parent, you can support your child by working on time management. Whether it be helping your child write to-do lists, creating their own calendar, or developing a project plan for their assignments, your support in fostering the development of time management skills is a key skill that will support their academics and have long-term benefits too. 

2. Public Speaking: is an essential skill for teenagers as it enhances their ability to communicate effectively and confidently in various situations. It also boosts their self-esteem and prepares them for future academic, professional, and social opportunities where clear and persuasive communication is crucial. Teenagers can develop public speaking skills by joining debate clubs, drama groups, or public speaking organizations like Toastmasters. 

3. Managing perfectionism: it’s all too easy for students to get caught up in trying to perfect one project, and not giving sufficient time and attention to their entire workload. Supporting your child with setting reasonable targets and deadlines for their work, and prioritizing the various projects and exams they are taking is important. 

Here are three effective techniques for your child’s academics

1. Spaced study: research demonstrates that ‘spaced’ study is far more effective than ‘massed’ or crammed study. A top study technique for students is the Pomodoro technique, whereby students study in blocks of 25 minutes with a 5 minute break. This technique helps to maximize the retention of concepts during study sessions.

2. Practice by testing: practice, practice, practice; the age-old adage rings true. Whether it be math problems, vocabulary, or long-answer questions on a particular topic, studying by attempting to practice questions is a leading way to maximize the effectiveness of a study session. Rather than reading, re-writing, or even summarizing notes, practicing past questions/exams is a far more effective study technique. 

3. Ask questions: giving your child the confidence to ask their teacher questions can make a huge difference in their academic performance. Whether it’s clarifying a concept, asking for feedback on their work, or seeking additional information, this can go a long way in helping your child’s academic performance.

 At Crimson Rise, we take a personalized approach to empowering each student, understanding their unique personality, strengths and weaknesses to suggest learning methods that align with who they are. Our mentors work closely with pre-teens through one-on-one guidance to determine the techniques that will allow them to thrive both academically and in building essential soft skills like time management, communication and confidence. Book a free consultation with our academic expert to know more about building an individualized academic pathway for your child.

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