1 Simple change you can make to Improve your kids school grades.

As a child and teen did your parents put you through the same routine when you got home?

• Shoes and coats away
• Drink
• Upstairs homework?

Every weekday that same routine, sound familiar?

Strangely now as a parent, I do the same with my girls, and I'm betting you do the same with your kids.

In the last academic year spelling became a big focus for my eldest daughter Evie, and so my wife would sit with her for 20 minutes before bed to practice spelling whilst I read to Erin, our youngest.

Well Evie's spelling showed some really rapid improvement, her test results were up and her confidence to sit and write grew as well as her confidence.  in the work she was doing.

Now I decided I would take some credit, the school suggested they practice each word once every day for a week.  I had Evie write each word 5 times, my theory being that with repetition some muscle memory would kick in.

Was I right, or was it the timing of when she was practicing?

In a Boston study 2 groups of learners were compared.

• The first group did a learning early in the day for a few days
• The second group did the learning just before bed.

When they repeated the learning, referred to as a practice session, the first group of early learners saw a slight decay in what they had learnt,

Compared to...

the second group who when they returned to practice the following evening they showed no sign of decay, and furthermore they were able to do further learning!  Boom, yes please!

And its not just Sleep that improves learning ability.

In another study conducted with students at the University of Michigan, 2 groups were compared after completing cognitive tasks designed to fatigue the brain.  

• One group was asked to go for a 50 minute walk around an arboretum
• Group 2 took a 50 minute walk down a busy high street.

As you can probably guess the group that took the walk around the arboretum showed better test results after the walk, and to test fairness the groups were swapped, now group 1 took the busy high street walk, and this time they showed the weaker test results.

Now, please do not think I am telling you how best to parent, by all means tell me to "mind my own business" - I'm just a guy that does exercise.  

Your still reading so thank you.

What I do want to do is present ideas that may help you to help your children.

This is what lead me to get involved in youth exercise (yep, here comes the cheap sell!), I am looking to help kids become happy kids, great kids become awesome teens, become successful/happy adults and I am sure you all want the same for your kids.

Till next time,

Darren.