My Child Is Falling Behind at School: What Can I Do at Home?

When Learning at School Becomes a Battle

You're watching your child drift further from their schoolwork. Maybe the teacher has called, concerned your child doesn’t engage in class. Or homework time has become a nightly battlefield—tears, avoidance, or that blank stare that hurts your heart. You’re doing everything you can… but nothing seems to stick.

If you're reading this, you're likely exhausted, frustrated, and more than anything, worried. You're also not alone. Many parents of children aged 6 to 12 wrestle with this invisible slide that begins in silence. It can be learning difficulties, emotional overwhelm, or a mismatch between how a child learns and how the school teaches. But whatever the cause, you have more power than you think to help turn things around—right at home.

Step One: Rebuild the Trust Before the Skills

When a child starts losing interest or falling behind at school, it’s rarely just about academics. Often, they’re feeling defeated or disconnected. Before diving into spelling lists or math drills, start with connection. Is your child afraid of failing—again? Have they come to believe they’re simply “bad at school”?

In the evenings, make space for small, pressure-free check-ins. Sometimes this looks like sharing your own struggles from the day—freeing them to share theirs. Sometimes, it’s just sitting while they do something they enjoy. That emotional foundation is key. As this positive homework routine guide suggests, children need to feel emotionally safe before they’re ready to learn again.

Make Learning Feel Like Less Work—and More Play

Let’s be honest: learning at school can feel very dry, especially for kids who learn differently. If your child dreads opening their schoolbooks, perhaps it’s time to change the format—not the content.

For example, one parent I worked with noticed her 8-year-old son, Lucas, struggled to stay focused during traditional study sessions. But during car rides, he eagerly listened to podcasts and narrated his own stories. So she tried using an app to convert his weekly lessons into audio adventures in which he became the main character. Suddenly, multiplication tables weren't just numbers—they were part of a mission to rescue treasure. Lucas not only retained more but started asking when the next lesson would be.

This is where tools like the Skuli App can gently help. It can transform a photo of a lesson into a quiz, or even turn school texts into engaging audio recordings—ideal for kids who thrive when listening or imagining themselves in the story. Just one thoughtful tweak like this can renew your child’s motivation.

Quick Fixes Don’t Work—But Small Rituals Do

No solution will work overnight. But simple routines can create a rhythm your child learns to rely on. Think less about cramming and more about helping your child feel capable—one step at a time.

One idea? Create a 10-minute ritual after dinner that doesn’t revolve around “studying” but reviewing. Let your child choose: do they want to review one story from the day or answer three quick questions aloud? Keep it light. Add a reward for consistency, not performance. You’ll be amazed how this rhythm can slowly reduce the stress fog around school. For more on this, see this evening ritual method.

Lean Into What They Love

Children learn most easily when lessons overlap with their passions. Does your daughter love animals? Let her choose her reading assignments based on animal nonfiction. Is your son obsessed with space? Let math problems include aliens and asteroids. You don't need to wait for the school to accommodate their interests—you can do that at home.

You can even turn subjects like learning French or reviewing multiplication into mini-games, songs, or stories. A child’s engagement skyrockets when they feel ownership over their learning process—when it's about what they like, not just what's assigned.

Your Home Doesn't Have to Be a Classroom

One of the biggest traps for parents trying to help a child catch up is trying to replicate school at home. But your home should feel different—a safe space where mistakes carry no judgment, just curiosity. Focus less on perfecting homework and more on exploring learning together.

Play board games that sneak in math. Listen to stories together. Talk about TV shows in terms of character decisions. Your kitchen can be a science lab; your walk to the park can be a time to practice spelling. Learning is everywhere—and it often seeps in when no one is forcing it.

If you're unsure where to start or feel overwhelmed by subjects like math, check out some fun tools to review math at home. There are many small ways to turn confusion into clarity, or at least, into less resistance.

Final Thoughts: You're Part of the Solution—Not the Problem

This phase won’t last forever, even if it feels endless now. Bringing your child back from academic disengagement requires gentle persistence, plenty of empathy, and flexible tools that work with your real life—not against it.

Whether you're filling in gaps they missed, soothing their anxieties, or adjusting rhythms at home, know this: helping your child reconnect to learning doesn’t require perfection. It requires presence. And you already have that.