School’s starting, and the contrast between summer’s casualness and school’s structure is palpable. Your child and you are not strangers to this overnight dichotomy. This makes now prime time for chatting about how the school year will play out.

Consider setting targets. When we watch Katniss Everdeen shoot, she knows exactly where each arrow will hit. While our lives are not on the survival scale of hers, we appreciate the value of having a specific target. I urge you to collaborate* with your child to establish earning a specific grade for each class. Your child can achieve the agreed upon goals such as that 98 in Math – the favorite subject, 92 in Language Arts – the most challenging, and on down the list. Defining a target makes hitting it more likely. And, it maximizes your child’s achieving, learning and working potential.

Consider setting homework time. The purpose is for your child to solely focus on learning and mastery without interruptions or distractions. Having a set time to convert fractions into decimals, practice scales on the French horn, or work on projects is beneficial. In addition to acquiring knowledge and skills, it fosters time management, organization, and study skills. Combined, these contribute to bringing the targeted grades (above) to fruition. I encourage the two of you to set specific homework time while you’re collaborating on grade targets.

Consider the future. For all that is learned and experienced from working hard, children grow to be reliable, responsible, and self-starters. This vigor converts to outstanding lifelong habits and practices. The other bright side is that, in the doing, children, your child acquires confidence, competence, and autonomy. This is all because of your influence and inspiration!

Here’s to the best year yet!

*Click here for a collaboration visual.