10 parental tips for better grades

1. Don't scold, comfort instead: With a lousy grade the child already knows that they performed poorly. Pride and self-esteem are dented.

2. The child's own assessment matters: If the student is satisfied with the ‚3‘, it will be hard to motivate them to work towards a ‚2‘.

3. If the child is unhappy about the grade, parents and child should look for the causes together without judging or condemning. Is the child overwhelmed? Did they fall behind? Have they practiced too little? Did they have a bad day?

4. Responsible for themselves: Blaming others for the poor grade doesn't count. The child must take responsibility so they can climb out of the ‚grade slump‘ on their own.

5. How can things improve? What does the child suggest? Examples might include: getting a vocabulary box, practicing math twice a week in addition, or arranging tutoring.

6. Agree on and monitor fixed practice times: This may be necessary if the child doesn't get going on their own.

7. A crash landing can be risked depending on the personality type. Maybe it will jolt the child awake

8. B reak big goals into smaller ones, break them down into individual steps and review achievements. The child thus finds out whether their strategy is on the right track.

9. Praise and rewards should not only be given for the results, but also for the process and the effort to get there: ‚Great that you started studying by yourself today‘.

10. Grades aren't everything: Efforts and achievements in sports or music also count and strengthen self-esteem.