5 SIMPLE TIPS TO BUILD CONFIDENCE THIS SCHOOL YEAR

3-minute read.

Confidence is a vital element to any student’s success throughout the school year and is essential to begin building early. If a student lacks confidence or becomes anxious during the first few weeks of school, it could set them down a rocky road. But where does confidence come from?

The answer is simple: Preparedness.

Heading into the school year feeling capable and prepared for the work ahead creates a stress-free environment both at home and in the classroom. This leads to better performance and ultimately boosts morale.

While every student learns differently, we’ve compiled the following tips that we have seen help countless students get prepared and set on a more confident course for success each new school year.

Our Top 5 Tips For Building Academic Confidence

Rock Your Morning with a Routine

A morning spent rushing, trying to pick out an outfit, find your belongings, get lunch together, and maybe squeeze in a quick breakfast is never a good start to the day. Having a set routine can help things run a bit more smoothly. Talk to your student about how much time they need to get ready in the morning and set a daily alarm that accommodates that.

Some other easy ideas to implement are:

• Preparing breakfast, snacks, and lunch ahead of time
• Laying out school clothes the evening before
• Checking that backpacks are packed and ready to go before bed
• Setting up a bathroom organizer with everything needed for morning routines

Keep Organized at School…And at Home!

Make sure your student has a day planner to keep track of class assignments and important due dates, test dates, and other significant deadlines. Encourage them to make notes pertaining to academic goals they want to achieve throughout the year. A fun idea is to use sticky notes to stick in their lockers or inside notebooks; that way, they can give themselves little motivation boosts throughout the day!

Ensure they keep a tidy backpack, binder, and home desk environment; this helps keep papers, assignments, and supplies intact and readily available when needed! When armed with the academic supplies and tools they need, students are much likelier to succeed.

Set the Stage for Study

Create a home study environment that is quiet and distraction-free. To help maintain focus, students can break up homework and study times into 20-25-minute increments with breaks in between. During their breaks, it is always a good idea to get the body moving; go for a walk, stretch, or play a quick game.

Many students find the more senses they use, the more information they retain. When studying, suggest to your student that they try reading important passages, dates, and vocabulary aloud as well as writing the information down. This way the information is read, written, said, and heard, using multiple senses.

Create a Homework Habit

Repeat after me: don’t put off until tomorrow what should be done today! Your student should get into the habit of completing their homework the day it’s assigned, while classroom lectures are still fresh of mind. Waiting until the last minute can cause serious anxiety, which can lead to poor performance.

Focus on Strengths Over Weaknesses

Nothing kills confidence faster than solely taking notice of flaws or things your student can improve on. While it is of course important to encourage our kiddos to overcome their weaker points, there is a time and a place. At the beginning of the year, it’s best to focus on finding and building upon your student’s strengths. Give your student the positive reinforcement they need to start their school year off feeling confident and ready for anything. Their skill and knowledge gaps will come to light as they get further into the school year and can be worked on as they come up.

Our dedicated educators at Tutoring Club of McLean work closely with students to cultivate strong study skills and encourage independent learning. Our method not only provides practical results but builds lasting confidence that our students carry with them throughout their academic careers and lives. Contact us today to learn more and start the school year off right!

Check out our other blogs on getting organized at home, at school, and with their homework.

Michelle Scott
Owner/Director
Tutoring Club of McLean
703.237.TUTOR (8886)
Email:McLeanVA@tutoringclub.com