A large part of social studies is learning about history. Many children have a hard time with this aspect of social studies, simply because it is uninteresting and irrelevant to them. Parents can spark an interest by taking their children on field trips to see historical sites in their community or on family vacations.
Some children are turned off by a teacher who simply lectures or assigns reading about historical events. Not all students learn effectively this way. Parents who find videos with the same information or biographies of people in the era being studied may better capture students' attention.
Parents can also foster an interest in history by talking about the family's history, genealogy and how relatives may have been involved in certain historical events.
Another aspect of social studies that children may need help in is geography. This subject is quite applicable in everyday life, so parents can talk about it often. Every trip in the car can be a lesson in directions and reading maps. At home, keep maps and an atlas handy. Any time there's a discussion about an event--news, sports or a letter from Aunt Edna--children can visit the maps to find the location.
A drive through the community can bring up how the land is being used, whether for commercial, residential or agricultural purposes. The different aspects of terrain can be seen first-hand.
Government is difficult for many children to grasp. Start small, by talking about the government in the local community. Learn about local elected leaders and law enforcement and then slowly work up to larger government.
One way to get a student interested in government is to raise of topic of interest, such as the environment, school funding for sports or the local library, and research how government laws, budgets, and elected officials have affected those topics.
Families can also read the newspaper together or watch televised news to see how government is working in their lives.
Economics can be discussed on many different levels with children. One approach is to let children in on the financial business of the family. Children who can understand how parents work, get paid and then use that money to pay certain bills to keep their household running will get a small understanding of the financial flow of money.
Starting a small business, such as a lemonade stand can make concepts such as expenses and profit more concrete. At the Social Studies for Kids website, "Economics" suggests talking about the Internet, and how that has changed economics, making any person able to buy or sell just about anything from home.
As parents inspire their children to take more of an interest in social studies, don't let poor grades squelch motivation. Sometimes the only issue that children need help with is study skills and organization. At TestTakingTips.com, "Study Tips and Study Skills Help" suggests parents help children get organized with their notes, quiz them to prepare for tests and show how to use tools like flash cards to learn material. Much of social studies material is memorization, which can be a challenge for some children. Reviewing material often with children can increase success rates and interest in social studies.