School/Home Connection
The connection between home and school is such an important factor in your child’s education. When you have a positive relationship with and towards your child’s school it will help them be more successful and find school an enjoyable place to be. Establishing a strong school/home connection will help lay a strong foundation for your child’s education and encourage a lifelong love for learning.
Ways to support the connection between school and home:
Establish a positive rapport with your child’s teacher at the beginning of the year. Schedule time to connect in person, send an introductory email, or have a quick phone call. You and your child’s teacher are a team! Establishing this partnership early on will ensure an open line of communication and may get you picked for that highly coveted field trip chaperone opportunity :)
Volunteer at your child’s school. Even if it’s not in the classroom there are so many volunteer opportunities that will help you learn the school culture, meet other parents and establish the school/home connection.
Ask your child specific questions about the school day. If you ask open-ended questions like “How was your day?” or “What did you do today?” you will often get answers like “I don’t remember” or “Good.” Children often don’t share a lot of details so think of specific questions like, “Who did you play with at recess? What did you play?” or “What book did your teacher read today?” This will show you care about your child’s school and their day and will help you learn more about their life at school.
Setup playdates with children in your child’s class. It is so helpful for students to have connections with peers in their classroom. Give them opportunities to connect with classmates and it will boost their confidence in the classroom and make them excited to go to school.
Get to know the other parents. You are going to be sending your child to their new school for a long time hopefully, so it is great to have your own support system. Make sure you establish relationships with parents in your child’s class/grade. It makes it more of an enjoyable experience for you too!
Embrace the school community. You will likely be part of it for a while and if you join it with enthusiasm it will benefit your whole family. Volunteer at the book fair. Go to that Back to School BBQ. Go to the parent coffee meetings. The stronger the connection is between home and school, the more it will help your child thrive.
Want to learn more? This is a great article from Scholastic further discusses the importance of the school/home connection.
