] How to Empower Children When They Struggle With these uncertain times we are living in, it is important to keep our students motivated to succeed. Remote learning is our new reality and many of our students may (and will) struggle with this. Here are some ways to try to keep them motivated and on the right track through these days of uncertainty! 1. Listen and empathize Practice listening when your child vents about a problem. Validate their feelings. Ask them “What do you need from me?” 2. Model the attitude you want to see Avoid expressing negative opinions of yourself or making comments like “I can’t do this.” Focus on the positive. Is there a lesson to learn from all of this? Did we improve anything? 3. Build up confidence with age-appropriate tasks Boost your child’s feelings of confidence and capability by allowing them to do age-appropriate tasks on their own. (Getting dressed, making their bed, picking up toys, prepping meals, etc.) Try to find something they can be successful with doing! 4. Remind them of past struggles and accomplishments Remind your child of tasks that were once difficult and became easier with time. Remote learning is new for all of us, but we have all started something new and difficult before. How did they learn to cope in that situation? 5. Teach problem-solving skills Talk them through their struggles instead of just giving them the answer or doing it for them. How can they become more independent on the other side of this? Ask them “What is the problem?” “What are some solutions?” and “What will I try?” 6. Know when to lend a hand Step in when: There is a safety concern, a skill needs to be learned before they can succeed, or when your child has tried multiple strategies but is still struggling.
