Being a parent can be really tough at times but you always want the best for your children. There are certain things that you can do to help them as they grow up, and to ensure they have the best future possible. Some things will have a bigger impact than others. Here are some things you might want to think about
Make sure homework is done
When children start school in Reception they will initially have very little homework to do. However, as children progress in school what is expected of them will become more and more. It’s so important to get children into a good mindset from the very first time they come home with homework to do.
By making sure your child completes their homework not only on time, but in good time, will set them up for things later in life. They will learn how to stick to deadlines for a start, as well as teaching them how to respond when asked to do certain things such as tasks at work somewhere down the line.
Read at home
Reading is such a joy and something that should be encouraged from a young age. At school, whether it be infant school, or university, your child will be asked to read quite a lot. This can seem like a real chore and can end up being something that they don’t enjoy.
By asking your child to read at home, for fun, you can help them to discover a love for different genres, different texts and maybe encourage a passion for learning too. If children learn to read for fun they’re much more likely to continue this later on in life.
Teach them how to cook
Although children may take some lessons at school where they can follow a couple of recipes it’s not the same as learning how to cook properly. Get children involved in the kitchen from a young age and teach them how to make meals from scratch. It can be really easy to rely on frozen meals or convenience food but by making meals together, as a family, you will encourage your children to carry on doing this as an adult.
Household essentials
It’s surprising how much you realise you don’t know when you finally move into a place of your own and out of your parent’s house. This might be going off to university and living in dorms or it might be when you rent or buy your own house or flat. If your parents do everything for you at home then you’ll never learn what you need to do when you move out.
By asking children to help around to house, learn how things work, you’ll be setting them up for life. This could be anything from remembering to clean the washing machine, how to descale a kettle or maybe learning how to turn the water on and off.
Budgeting and finances
One of the most important things you can do to help to prepare your child for the future is to talk to them about budgeting and finances. As soon as people turn 18 it can be so tempting to take out credit cards and store credit but a lot don’t really know the consequences.
Introducing pocket money to your children can help to teach them how to save up for things they really want and the cost of things.