Helping Your Student Athlete Excel in the Classroom
If your child excels on the field, court, track, or pool, there are a few things you can do as a parent of a student-athlete to help them excel in the classroom as well. 🏅
Students who love playing sports usually are kinesthetic learners, meaning they learn best when being physically active is part of their education. These learners often thrive when they are able to move or act in ways that help them remember key concepts. However, they may get anxious or fidgety when they have to sit for a long time. Try breaking up study time into chunks to allow them to get up, move around, and return focused. 🏃♂️
When helping the student athlete do well in the classroom, it can be beneficial to tap into their “athlete” side to improve their “student” side. Scheduling study time is essential, as student-athletes often have busy weeks with practices and games. Remind them that they wouldn’t show up to a game without practice, and academics work the same way. They can’t expect to succeed on “game day” (Test day) without proper preparation. 🧠
Instead of just sitting at the kitchen table and reviewing the material repeatedly, take your child outside. The fresh air and change of scenery will help them focus. If possible, use objects from around the house as manipulatives for them to hold, sort, and move. Using counters, rulers, or other objects helps kinesthetic learners retain more information. Let them experiment, using trial and error to aid with content retention. 🔄
Ask your child to make up hand gestures or body movements to explain or describe important concepts. They will be able to use these gestures to remember information and perform better on tests. Kinesthetic learners remember things they’ve done before, so the more they work through a problem and successfully solve it, the better they’ll do on the test. 📈
Flashcards are a great resource for kinesthetic learners, as they are physical objects the student can handle while studying. Giving the student a small object to occupy their hands, like a stress ball or pencil to tap, can also help. 📚
Encourage your student athlete to take advantage of travel time. Long bus rides are great opportunities for studying and can make the ride feel shorter. 🚍
As your child heads out onto the field, court, track, or pool, you want them to feel confident and prepared. Just as you take them to practices, purchase their equipment, and cheer them on during games, be the same kind of fan when it comes to their studies. Cater to their learning style, and they’ll hit the next big test “out of the park!” 🎯
