One important key to helping your child succeed in school is to become a "strength detective" at home!Make a list of all the wonderful things about your child. Include information about special talents your child may possess, such as musical or artistic abilities, positive qualities your child demonstrates, including attributes such as creativity, courage and curiosity. And don't forget to list things that your child is really interested in, like sports, reading or science. Then spend some time with your child -- going over the list, and talking about "positives" in his or her life. Make sure to ask him/her what he likes best about himself or herself. Encourage your child to keep a scrapbook of photos, artwork, school papers and other items having to do with accomplishments and abilities in his life.You may be surprised to see what a difference these things make in your child's general attitude. Research suggests that when children feel better about themselves at home, their ability to succeed in school improves at the same time.

Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D. is an award-winning author and speaker with twenty-eight years of teaching experience from the primary through the doctoral level, and over one million copies of his books in print on issues related to learning and human development. He is the author of nine books including Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, In Their Own Way, Awakening Your Child’s Natural Genius, 7 Kinds of Smart, The Myth of the A.D.D. Child, ADD/ADHD Alternatives in the Classroom, and Awakening Genius in the Classroom. His books have been translated into sixteen languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Hebrew, Danish, and Russian.