You want the absolute best for your child. If you could have it your way, they’d go through life full of confidence without ever doubting themselves. That’s why it hurts when you get the dreaded call from their school teacher. They ask if you’re available for a quick chat as your child is struggling at school. For whatever reason, your child doesn’t respond to lessons like anyone else. It’s upsetting because you know they’re intelligent, so why are they having a hard time? 

 

The worst part about this is how it makes your child feel. They’re starting the biggest phases of their lives with a lack of confidence because everyone else seems to have no issues, yet they struggle. Believe it or not, this is far more common than you realize. Loads of kids deal with this sort of thing, and it’s not always indicative of any underlying “problems” at all. Most of the time, a child has issues learning things because of these three reasons: 

Their learning style differs from the norm

The number one reason a child struggles at school is that their learning style isn’t “traditional.” One big criticism of the school system is how it never caters to different learning styles. Everything is taught in the same way to appeal to a very traditional style of learning where a teacher explains things, the kids write stuff down, and so on. 

 

Your child might be a more visual learner – they need visual stimulation to help them understand things rather than just hearing a teacher talk about stuff. Or, they might prefer to learn on their own and don’t respond well to the social learning setting of a classroom. Understanding how to help a struggling learner begins with figuring out their learning style. Work out the best way for your child to learn, and you’ll see immediate improvements. 

They don’t feel motivated enough to learn

Some children don’t do well at school because they lack the motivation to learn. This happens due to one of two things: 

 

• They find the work too boring or easy, so they don’t bother putting any effort in
• They struggle to concentrate, possibly indicating a learning disability like ADHD

 

In either case, you must figure out how to motivate your child so they’re encouraged to work harder in school. If they find work too easy, giving them more challenging things to do will instantly boost their motivation. When a lack of focus is the issue, you could go back to the learning styles approach. Find a new way of teaching your child, and it may help them focus and feel more motivated. 

They’re too much of a perfectionist

Ironically, a teacher might think your child is underperforming when, in reality, they’re exceptionally intelligent. Lots of talented children will be born with perfectionist tendencies. They don’t want to do something unless they can do it to perfection. That’s why they excel in some areas but lag in others; they avoid tasks if they aren’t able to do them perfectly! 

 

You’ll have to work with their teachers to coach them out of this approach. Make sure they understand that perfection is never the main target. Reward them the same way as other children who don’t complete tasks to perfection. It shows them there’s no real merit to striving for perfection all the time – simply completing the task correctly is enough! 

The moral of this post is simple: every child is different. Don’t be worried if their teacher thinks they’re struggling in school. There’s likely an obvious reason for this, and a few adjustments to how they’re taught will make a world of difference.