7 Effective Methods to Supplement School and Tutoring

Many parents seek after school help for their children and expect miracles. While we can't exactly work ~tutor magic~, there are a few methods to make the best of your child's tutoring. They are not all equal, and they may take some time to see results. However, they are all worth trying! We promise!

1. Especially for students K-3, reading at home together is essential. It doesn't take more than twenty minutes per night, and you don't need a massive library either. Sometimes, a few favorites is all it takes. Short on time? Have your child read the back of the cereal box to you! Take turns reading traffic signs together! You'll quickly find that your little reader is improving, and the quality time you spend is just another plus.

2. Stay in contact with your child's teacher and tutor! As a tutor, I LOVE to hear feedback from my student's parents. Good or bad, we enjoy hearing what you think about the work we are doing. Students don't always communicate their feelings to us, so it's nice to know how they feel about tutoring as well. In regard to your child's teacher, they can tell you a lot about the student's performance in class. Their behavior is very important to their in-class performance. Aside from back-to-school nights and parent teacher conferences, the teacher or teachers don't get a lot of face time with parents. Creating a triangle of communication between parent, tutor, and teacher can help us provide exactly what the child needs.

3. Ask questions. Check in with your child to make sure they like their tutor. Ask if they feel good about coming to Momentum. You can even ask them to bring home an assignment or two to show you! We love to send kids home to Mom and Dad with work that they are proud of.

4. Come on in! You are always welcome to sit in on a session with your child to see what we're all about! Even if your child has been coming to Momentum for years, you can always attend with them. It might even help your child behave a little better, focus a little more, and feel a lot more confident in their skills.

5. If you have the time, you can even look into buying a workbook for your little one to do at home. Weekends, long drives, and the sidelines of big sister's AYSO games are all perfect places to camp out with a small reading, writing, or math workbook! You can find them online or at bookstores like Barnes N Noble.

6. Flash cards! And you don't even have to make them! Ask your child's tutor to send them home with a light stack of flash cards for easy, quick study breaks. Almost any subject can be put into flash card form, from simple sight words to complex calculus.

7. STEM challenges or science experiments! There are thousands of simple, family-friendly STEM challenges and science experiments across Pinterest and the web. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. But don't be discouraged! These are FUN. I introduced a few simple ones like making the longest paper chain and making the tallest clothespin tower this past summer for Time to Travel Summer 2017.