Show interest in your child’s work

LEARNING is a natural part of living and it nurtures a child's sense of discovery and desire to search, explore and grow.

Helping children grow, develop and learn is one of the most basic forms of human interaction. Research experts claim that with just a little effort and care, anyone can help children learn.

After all, very few things in life can equal the satisfaction of helping the next generation explore the world and its wonders. Every caring person has a role to play in helping the next generation enjoy the present day and prepare for the demands of the future.

Since there is so much that people must know in our competitive world, we look for ways to help children get a head start. And we look for ways to help them avoid problems so that they can have the best things in life.
Education (whether formal or informal) is an important aspect of our lives. Parents today have a wider choice in selecting which schools to enrol their children in considering that we have a lot of community, private and government schools.

But do parents' responsibilities end at taking their children to school and sitting back expecting academic miracles while teachers do all the work in educating them?

Experts say parents play an important role in their children's studies and research confirms that parents can become their children's best and most influential teachers.

As a parent you are your child's 'first teacher' and as such your beliefs, attitudes and behaviours have an important effect on your child's development. It is therefore imperative not to underestimate just how influential you can be in your child's life.

But how do you get started in setting your child on the right learning path? There is no one right way-no simple set of techniques or recipe or magical prescription. There are some ideas that lead in the right direction and away from problems but helping children learn is more of an attitude than a set of methods and techniques. In the end, it is much more important to adopt the right stance than to have the right answer.

However, the first thing parents can do is to help their children discover their specific talents. Children show their creativity in various ways and as parents, if we notice the things they enjoy doing the most, we would be better placed to identify their talents.

When parents comment positively on their creativity, they encourage its development. The second challenge for parents is to help children channel their creative energy.

Sometimes parents do not notice their children's creativity because it is expressed in subtle or private ways. One child may have the makings of an artist, while another child may have a gift for singing. Parents would do well to make a mental inventory of the gifts they see in their children and to make sure they regularly acknowledge those gifts.

The third opportunity for parents is helping their children explore and further develop their creativity. Parents can discuss their children's interests with them and take them to places they feel have relevance and real potential to enhance and help sustain their children's creativity.

Most parents today have demanding jobs that take them away from their homes and families and helping children with their schoolwork is not even among the priority list. Some of them only show interest in their children's academic performance when the end of term report indicates results that displease them.
Others however, take it for granted that their children's good performance in school is a guaranteed thing.

The rest simply have no time to attend Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meetings but are quick to question most (if not all) decisions made by the association regarding their children's academic welfare.

The good news is it's not too late for parents to change positively for the benefit of their school going children. Here are some tips as suggested by Dr Julian Melgosa, Chartered Psychologist at the British Psychology Society.

Emotional support - Even more important than the direct help with the schoolwork itself is the emotional support. The encouragement and words of support from parents are very important in the life of their children.
Correct attitude towards studies - Although it is true that scientific or humanistic academic knowledge are not the only things needed to succeed, adults should not express themselves in a way that makes it seem like they scorn or reject education. Emphasizing the benefits of knowledge and showing respect for teachers help children maintain a favourable attitude towards learning.
High goals - Parents must show confidence in their children's work. Children need to hold the certainty that someone believes and has confidence in them.
Support in studying - Study techniques are versatile enough to be applied to any subject or topic.

Parents should become familiar with them and when they are helping with their children's homework, they may suggest the most efficient ways of doing homework. In any case, they must always take into account that all students have their own learning style, often different from their parents or teachers. For this reason, they not impose a rigid style on anyone.

Attention to non-academic problems - It is very common to discover that the root of problems at school lies in matters that have nothing to do with academics. If parents want to help their children in their studies, they can do so indirectly, by supporting them in their personal problems. They can do this by devoting time to be with them, listening to them and being real friends to their children.

Cooperation with the school - It is advisable for parents to regularly go to their children's school to find out about their children and participate in parent-teacher activities.

A coherent lifestyle - It’s almost too obvious to say that all this advice given will have a better effect if those who offer it give a minimum example of self discipline and order as well as reasonable achievement in their daily tasks.



Source : www.zambiapost.com