The past four years have certainly been a challenging time for parents and their children. You may be wondering more than ever how you can best support your child during these unsettled times.
We continue to live in a competitive world where those with five good GCSEs have the advantage. Many courses require a minimum of grade 4 in Maths, English and Science along with other academic subjects.
However, it is still the case that the higher the grades, the greater the chances of success in gaining a place on a chosen course.
The good news is that there is much that parents can do to help maximise their child’s potential.
Help your child to discover their passions
Children learn best when they are engaged in activities that fire their curiosity and interest. As a 9 year old student, I remember choosing to research fossils, a topic I continue to be interested in to this day. With encouragement, I may have moved on to a career as a Paleontologist!
Parents can do much to nurture their child’s passions. If you notice your child seems enthusiastic about a subject, simply allow the time to explore without pressure. Activities such as building, cooking, arts and crafts, reading and writing can be done without structure and instruction.
Help your child to be resilient and embrace failure
We are all familiar with the proverb; “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
Research shows that a positive attitude towards learning increases a student’s creativity, engagement and willingness to persist through difficulties.
As parents, you can tell your child about your own experiences of learning curves to encourage them to keep trying. This will help them to see that working hard and not giving up due to obstacles will bring rewards in the future.
“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” Albert Einstein
One to one tuition can also increase a student’s confidence in their ability to succeed …
‘Tina has tutored my 3 children in maths and english. She is always professional and works well with the children to help them achieve their very best, gently pushing them when she knows they can do something they may feel they can’t. My eldest son, who achieved a grade B in Maths, has now won a place at King’s College in London. I would definitely recommend Tina.’
Rachel, parent
Provide first hand experiences
It is often difficult for children to see the relevance of certain subjects to their lives, now or in the future. However, parents can help to build their maths skills, for example, in everyday settings. Asking your child to divide a pizza equally, choose coins for bus fares, etc. will help to increase their calculation skills.
Children love playing computer and board games such as Scrabble and Monopoly, but parents can also make up games. For example, at the supermarket, ask your child to guess how much the apples weigh or count the items in the trolley. Engaging in real life experiences will make learning more exciting for children.
Allow your child free time
The ability to concentrate can be one of the biggest barriers to success at school. Children need time to not only discover and explore their environment, they also need opportunities to relax and switch off. Parents can encourage their child to practise such skills as meditation and yoga as well as being a role model themselves.
Having opportunities to engage in unstructured play and practise mindfulness can also help children to develop empathy. Research shows that empathy allows people to build social connections with others which is important for physical and psychological wellbeing.
