By Lynette Mathews

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a secret formula for raising kids who care about learning, or keeping teens motivated to make the most of their high school experience? We’ve all wished our kids came with a User’s Manual, complete with tips on how to raise them to be happy, smart and successful, but maybe all we really need are these ten tips:

1. Be involved in your child’s school.
Show your child that school is important by your actions. Make the most of parent-teacher conferences, volunteer in the classroom, keep communications open with teachers and coaches, and be involved in your school’s parent and boosters organizations.

2. Encourage college talk at home.
Share your positive experiences and start conversations with others who have gone to college. We all know that our kids get sick of our stories, but how about asking aunts, uncles and well respected friends to share their college stories?

3. Surround your child with college bound friends.
Middle school and high school students are greatly influenced by their friends, so encourage your child to forge friendships with other students who see college in their futures. If going to college is perceived as the thing to do within his peer group, then your child will likely do it.

4. Support good study habits.
Develop a healthy homework environment and make time in the family schedule for homework. Create a homework sanctuary where everything your student needs is at hand (paper, pens, calculator, stapler, dictionary, etc.), and be available to answer questions, quiz her before tests, and read written assignments if needed.

5. Encourage your child’s interests.
If you notice an emerging interest, help your child develop it into a passion. Encourage commitment. If your children join a team or a club, ensure they stick with it for the season.

6. Encourage and model the joy of reading.
Take trips to the library with your kids and talk about books you are reading. Join a book club and share with the kids the social aspect of reading and sharing ideas. Encourage them to share their own books with friends.

7. Provide community service opportunities.
Help your child find meaningful ways to give back to the community. Search for opportunities that will strengthen their interests and passions, rather than just an activity that will fulfill a requirement. Include their friends to make it more fun.

8. Tour colleges.
Look up schools that are on the way to Disneyland, Grandma’s house or wherever the family is traveling on vacations. Plan detours to colleges, even if it is just to attend a sporting event or music performance. Take picnics with young children and walk through the library and bookstore. Make a scavenger hunt out of exploring the campus (find the school mascot, find the gymnasium...). Ask the kids what they liked or didn’t like about the school. It will reinforce the concept that they will someday choose a college of their own!

9. Ask your child about their career preferences.
We typically stop asking kids, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” at age eight or nine. Why is that? We need to continue the discussion, so our children can start envisioning and preparing for their futures now. Encourage them to ask professionals (friends’ parents, the family doctor, local store owners, etc.) about their jobs. Most adults welcome an opportunity to speak with young people about career aspirations.

10. Set college expectations early.
Research shows that if a student does not have a plan to go to college by seventh grade, then they likely will not go to college—yikes! Talk with teachers and school counselors to ensure your child is enrolled in college-preparatory classes and is fulfilling any other admissions requirements. Your son or daughter doesn’t have to know where they want to go to college—just that they will go to college!

Lynette Mathews is freelance writer and independent college counselor for College Connection in Folsom, CA. She is a member of the National Educators Writers Association and can be reached at (916) 932-0453 or online at www.collegeconnect.org.