It’s every parent’s dream to raise children who grow up with endless opportunities at their disposal. Opportunities for employment or entrepreneurship all start with a child’s academic performance now, during school.

This is why it’s so important to empower children with the tools they need to build an adult life filled with purpose and happiness. With this in mind, here are five things parents can do to support kids going through high school right now:

1. Support Their Academic Learning

Sending children to school daily and ensuring they complete their homework is not the full extent of your duties as a parent. Staying engaged will help you highlight areas where your child may be struggling. A teenager who expresses frustration in a subject can be mentored and assisted before their grades begin to drop.

English and math are central to success in all other areas of academia. So, investing in high school English and maths tutoring can ensure your kids are getting the foundational knowledge they need to excel in all their other subjects.

2. Teach Children Self-Leadership Skills

Self-leadership is a trait that is paramount to the success of individuals all throughout their lives. It helps people set boundaries and maintain healthy relationships. It also ensures that people know how to achieve a good work/life balance, staying productive and motivated without burning out.

The best way to teach self-leadership skills is to model them in your own behavior. If you’re not confident in your own abilities, do some research and start taking steps to improve your self-discipline. Doing so will be of great benefit to you and it will help your kids immensely.

3. Consider Rest and Relaxation Part Of Productivity

Resting is as important for academic success as study and work time is. It’s a part of the process. Resting includes a good night’s sleep, but it also requires some healthy leisure time away from the books. This might involve taking on a hobby, like horse riding, swimming, or art. Screen time does not count towards leisure time and should be minimized.

4. Help Your Kids Discover Their Passion

A passion outside of academics can do wonders for improving a child’s grades. Life is about balance. The key to making your child’s time away from the desk truly count (and reflect in their test scores) lies in connecting the child with their own passion. This cannot be a hobby selected for them. Nor can it be a hobby that their friends are pressuring them into. Taking the time to expose your kids to an array of activities and possibilities will help them discover that one thing that sparks passion.

5. Be Present With Your Child

The way in which kids engage with the world comes from how they are engaged with by their caregivers. Spending just a few minutes a day with no distractions, just talking and connecting with your child can have a tremendously positive impact on their academic results.

It’s the shortcut to successful parenting that many modern-day families have forgotten. The issue is, it’s more difficult than it sounds because most people have become addicted to fast-paced lifestyles and the endless entertainment offered by technology.

Successful Children Are Nurtured With Love And Patience

Though we all want our kids to succeed, it’s important to remember that their purpose right now isn’t to grow into a successful adult, it’s to be a child. Once we embrace this, we can raise human beings who are comfortable within themselves and capable of being naturally productive and happy.