There are many things that children need to learn that cannot be taught through traditional lessons. Lots of skills can only be developed through practise, which is why it’s important for parents to find ways to help their children progress outside of school. Extra-curricular activities are a fantastic option, as discussed below by a Sixth Form in Hampshire.
Parents should always encourage their children to pursue their interests outside of school to ensure they are using their free time in a healthy and productive manner. Nowadays, so many of us are worried about the amount of time our children are spending couped up inside, playing on their digital devices, which is why it has become more crucial than ever to find some different activities that they can explore, so that they are able to stay physically and socially active. When it comes to extra-curricular clubs and hobbies, there are so many to choose from, from sport and dance, to chess or even charity work. Many of these activities are physical, which will support your child’s fitness and mental health. Creative hobbies, like art or drama, will give your child a chance to express themselves in a safe and structure environment.
Extra-curricular activities are a fantastic way for children to grow in confidence. As they develop a range of new skills, such as teamwork, problem solving and public speaking, to name but a few, they start to feel more comfortable in their own skin and understand what they are truly capable of. It’s also a chance for them to develop relationships with people they might not otherwise associate with, further improving their confidence and communication skills. A confident child is one who might feel better about raising their hand in lessons and engaging in classroom discussion, thus improving their engagement at school.
Having a hobby will also give your child something to look forward to each week, even if it means they’ll have to keep on top of a busy schedule. This is actually great for improving time management and organisational skills, which will benefit them in the future when they have exams and other important commitments. If your child is hoping to go to university one day, having a hobby will demonstrate a sense of personality and they will be looked upon favourably by the admissions teams at various unis. The skills developed through extra-curricular clubs will also help your child prepare for their future career.
Helping Your Child to Succeed in School
One of the key ingredients to a successful student is support from their parents, no matter how old they are. Children who feel as though someone close to them, whom they respect, is genuinely interested in their performance at school are far more likely to try harder to succeed. This goes beyond helping them with a few homework questions every once in a while, as explored below by an independent school in Hertfordshire.
Your attitude towards your child’s education and learning in generally will be a strong influencing factor in their performance. If they hear you saying things like “I hated maths at school” then they will see that subject in a negative light. Instead, try and be positive and look for learning opportunities all around you. Talk about some of the interesting things you’ve read about in the news or discussed with a colleague that day to show your child that knowledge is something to be appreciated.
Try and find some time each evening to have a one-to-one chat with your child in which you ask open questions to find out about their time at school. Ask them which of their lessons they enjoyed the most or if there were any that they found particularly difficult. Find out if there are any upcoming events at the school that they might be interested in taking part in. Essentially, the idea is to show your child that you are sincerely interested in that side of their life, not just the grades they receive at the end of it. Following on from that, you should also make sure you attend things like sports day and school plays to show them that you really care about their achievements, both personal and academic. If they know you care, they will feel more inclined to succeed.
Extra-curricular activities are a great way to support your child’s overall development because it’s a chance for them to develop a variety of key transferrable skills. For example, if they learn an instrument, they will develop time management and organisation skills when fitting in their music practise into their already busy schedule. Through sport they will learn how to be a team player and follow instructions from the coach. In drama they will be expected to speak coherently in front of an orders, helping them with their communication skills. The confidence they develop through these extra-curricular classes will help them understand what they are capable of and allow them to feel more comfortable taking risks and getting involved.
Of course, it’s very difficult to completely guarantee your child’s success in school but getting involved where possible and demonstrating a positive attitude towards learning will certainly help guide them in the right direction.
Top Tips for Helping Your Child Learn a New Language
Children who are fortunate enough to have been given an opportunity to learn another language are able to open their mind’s to other cultures and deepen their understanding of the world. It also provides them with various travel and career opportunities when they’re older. However, like any school subject, learning a language doesn’t come naturally to every child. What’s more, as parents, it can be difficult to help your child learn a new language, especially if you don’t speak it yourself. I have teamed up with an independent school near Chorleywood to offer some tips.
Sticking labels to all of the frequently used items around your house in the target language is a great place to start because it will help your child become familiar with these words so that they will eventually be able to incorporate them into sentences. Flash cards are great too and will give your child an opportunity to study with someone else, rather than alone, which is far less tedious. You can hold up the card with the English version of the word facing you and the foreign version facing your child; ask them to tell you what the word means in English. If you aren’t able to do this type of activity with them, perhaps allow them to invite a friend round so that they can practise together.
Watching foreign movies with English subtitles is also another good idea and will allow your child to hear the language spoken in a more conversational manner, rather than just reading it from their revision guides. Eventually, as they become more proficient, they won’t need the subtitles at all. Perhaps you could also consider creating a playlist with various foreign songs. If your child doesn’t recognise a word, they can write it down and look it up later.
There are also a range of educational apps that can be downloaded onto smartphones or tablets. Some of them are free, while the more in-depth versions might cost a bit of money, so make sure to look at the reviews first. These apps are great because they allow your child to practise their language from anywhere and they make it a more interactive and enjoyable experience.
Little and often is the best approach when it comes to learning a language because if they spend two hours studying once a week, they will have forgotten much of what they have learnt by the following week. Fifteen minutes each day would be a better approach in helping them retain the information.
If possible, have a chat with your child’s teacher and ask them if they know of any appropriate learning resources that you could use to help your child.