What can you do as a parent to help your child with their education? Here are ten suggestions.
1. The first and one of the most important is to read to them from the time they are born. Don’t stop once they can read for themselves. There’s still something great about being read to. It’s also a great bonding time. Some of my best conversations with my kids have come during that special time after a story.
2. Play counting games and rhymes with them as they get a little older.
3. Teach them basic things like colors, shapes and simple songs.
4. Talk to them often and listen to them. You might just be surprised at the wisdom and insights that come out of their mouths. It will give you insight into how they are thinking.
5. Encourage and praise them often. A child who lives with praise becomes well adjusted and confident.
6. Be careful about the words you use when you criticize. Never ever, call them stupid, dumb or silly.
7. Get involved in their school if possible by helping with reading groups and activities. Teachers are always looking for help in these areas. It also helps you build a relationship with the teacher as well as your child’s classmates.
8. Help them with their homework. This doesn’t mean taking over and doing it for them though. It means showing them where to find the information they need and checking how they are going. It means helping them understand any things that they are struggling with.
9. Play words games like Scrabble or Upwords with them. I played these with our children and my daughter claims it improved her vocabulary and spelling no end. Whenever I’d use a word she didn’t know, I would explain what it meant. I could be sure the next game she’d have remembered the word and manage to use it.
10. Don’t expect your child to have the same interests as you and follow the same educational path as you. Each of us is an individual.
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