#Annual reflection examples how to#

School Year Reflections About What They Need to be Successful 6. Share that recognition often comes after they take pride in themselves and their abilities, whatever they are.

This is a good way to reinforce that their own view of themselves and schooling is important. Try to focus on what they are most proud of (big or small), not how they were recognized by others. Kids love to be recognized, for that reason, their year-end reflections may start off as a list of all the extra special accolades they received or all the “A’s” they can list.Īnd if there aren’t many–or any–they may think there is little to be proud of. What worries or fears about school turned out to be unfounded? Uncover together the ways your child has tapped into their own sense of self-discovery.Īsk if they now consider themselves capable in arenas they never considered before. Have art courses uncovered an eye for design? Did a gift for languages arise from a great Spanish class? Did they realize they liked leadership when a teacher suggested student government? 5. “I discovered these new strengths…”Īsk your kid to share what they can do now that they believed they couldn’t do before. School Year Reflections On What Your Kids Noticed About Themselves 4. In fact, those “learning helpers” make the book learning even more useful and interesting.

#Annual reflection examples how to#

Share with your kids that school is just as good for learning how to listen, help, and care about each other as it is for academic work.

Who would you like to go back and visit after you move on?.

Which helpers rewarded you during the year?.

Who let you try new things or help them at times?.

Which teacher made a dreaded subject tolerable?.

Who made reading or writing less boring?.

Just as a productive and happy home life is greatly affected by and dependent on relationships, kids should reflect upon their educational life in a similar light.Īsk which friends, teachers, paraprofessionals, or administrative staff made them feel important, heard, capable, and understood. “I got to know these learning helpers…”Īsk your kids who they know as well as what they know. Sometimes it takes a while for things to come together. Let them know that struggles and failure are just part of learning. Assure your child that they aren’t “dumb” or “stupid’ or “bad” at school. Help them see there’s no need for shame and no blame coming from you.Īs a parent, these school year reflections are a good time to listen well and encourage your kids to give themselves credit for their effort. This isn’t a call to negativity, but a way to show kids that admitting they had a tough time is not an admission of defeat. Your job is just to facilitate the thinking and engage their memories so that they can connect the dots for themselves regarding their own knowledge. Your child will likely perk up a bit, and start to think about what they’ve learned and mastered. Did you ever get the hang of that?” or “Whatever happened with those fractions, do you know how they work now?” Try “ Oh, I remember at the beginning of the year, you got that big packet of plastic coins and paper money. If you’re hearing crickets or get the old “I don’t know,” after a minute or so, just follow up with what you know. If they give you some good material to work with, great. Ask your child to finish that sentence and sit back for a bit. This basic thought prompt works as a good place to start. School Year Reflections About What Your Kids Know 1.

What they feel they need to be successful going forward.

What they notice about themselves and how they learn.

They can be a source of confidence, encouragement, and hope if adults help them look clearly at their experiences in the following ways Most feel like last month was a long time ago. Thoughts and memories can become a jumble, especially for kids. After all, your kids have likely come a long way. To help kids think and express their thoughts, its best to choose age-appropriate mediums (surveys, games, worksheets, posters, memory books or even school-specific social media) to aid their recall. So, to get to anything meaningful, you may need some help reminding them that it’s important to take a bit of time to really think about all the hard work they’ve put in. And the idea of school year reflections can be difficult for students who are eager to leave long days inside, tough classroom challenges, and the structure of school relationships behind.