School and education in general is a necessary part of growing up for our children. You may be considering homeschooling, or checking out all the different options of schooling and education available to your child and often those early years can seem quite daunting. There is a level of expectation that you can and will do all you can to ensure that your child gets the very best out of the hours spent in a school environment. We hope that they can learn as much as they can and then when they hit the age of 16, can feel confident in their choices to move on to further education. As a parent you will want to do what you can to help them with their educational future. With that in mind, here are some of the things you could consider.
Image source – pixabay – cco license
Consider tools to help them right now
At the moment, there is no choice but to homeschool, so you may be finding that you are using online resources a little more frequently. The best advice is to understand that not every child will want to learn in the same way and you may need to encourage them to look at how you do things. Perhaps your school is setting up home learning and may want to use things such as LanSchool classroom software or perhaps you are having to set your own activities so that schooling can continue. However you are doing it, rest assured you will be doing a great job under tremendously difficult circumstances.
Consider school trips as educational rather than just for fun
School trips are an excellent way to encourage your child to learn outside of the classroom environment and experience new and different things. Some schools like to think about trips to museums or different towns and cities with an historic appeal, other schools may even encourage weekends away doing adventure type activities or even abroad. This type of activity is a great way for a child to learn different things, experience new cultures and actually learn more about themselves as well. However, not all schools are forthwilling with this type of activity, so you may want to suggest and recommend certain activities. Even think about raising money to help the school.
Be positive about school
When it comes to school ultimately you want your children to be happy and you want them to learn more. That is not to say they have to be the top student year on year but rather that they are performing to their best ability and expanding their knowledge throughout their educational career. Children, much like adults, will perform better when they are doing something they like or are interested in. This can be difficult as not all children will like school but school is non-negotiable. So to try and make the most out of it, even for those who may not like school, try to create a positive attitude towards it. It is important to view school in such a way, as a positive, and endeavour to encourage your children to see it the same way. When you discuss school remain upbeat about it, look for the good things or the elements you know your child will respond to and focus on them. Being negative and downbeat about schooling or education will ultimately rub off onto your child and their attitude toward school. Of course don’t dismiss the bad or the problems children may be having, discuss them with them and try to find solutions just don’t make them the focal point every school day.
Think about how you can help your child at home
Finally, it is important to think about what type of activities you can do at home, and often looking through homework, working with your child, or even doing extra activities to help in areas or subjects they are struggling with can go a long way. Many children, especially of a younger age where their birthdays are a little later in the school year, can struggle with different things where other children can be a little ahead. Recognising these things early can mean that your child can still feel enthusiastic and motivated while also tackling areas and subjects they are struggling with.
Let’s hope these suggestions help you when it comes to helping with your child’s educational future.
Leave a Reply