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The school years of your children’s lives are very important. It is a place where they become educated, take exams, and take the first step toward their career goals. It is also a place where they learn social skills and fit in with their peers. When they first go to school, it can be a worrying time for a parent, you just do not know how things are going to pan out, and you have little control over it. However, there is a lot you can do behind the scenes to make school life as good and productive for your child as possible. To help you out, we have compiled a list of a few things that you should take into consideration when trying to make sure your children get the most out of the school experience.
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Start with the Basics
You want your child to feel as though they fit in with the rest of the children. So this means ensuring that their school uniform is washed, pressed, up to date, etc. Consider the shoes you get, as well as the lunch box and satchel. Children notice everything, and although some of these things may become more (or less – depending on your child’s personality) important as they grow older, you should begin with the premise that you want your child to fit in, feel normal and basically be the same as everyone else, not odd or different. The more comfortable they feel, the better the learning experience will be. You will also want to feed them well, so a good breakfast with the right vitamins and minerals in it to boost their brain power. Hunger is one great way to ensure that they will not be able to concentrate. Then give them a good-packed lunch with all the food groups, or if they are eating school dinner, make sure it is all paid for, etc. You want to make sure that they are filled up so they can concentrate in the afternoon. Another typing to get right are the tools for school, so pens, pencils, and the right equipment, such as a computer like the one here: https://setapp.com/lifestyle/top-10-mac-apps-to-get-you-through-college so they can do their homework and stay ahead.
Teach Your Children that Everyone is Different and We all Fail Before we Succeed
As your child grows, they will begin to notice that everyone is different and we all have unique skill sets. Some of these skills will be obvious to see from a young age, such as someone who excels at drawing. It is important that you impress upon your children that someone may be good at this and that but that they have their own talents, too; they just need to find them. School is a learning curve. Tell your children that they are going to have a to do a lot of things before they find their talents and skills. And it doesn’t matter if they fail in their attempts; what is important is that they do not lose hope and keep going. No one is going to be perfect the first time they do it.
Play Games
Playing games with your children is a great way to discover more about their strengths and weakness, as well as help them develop and learn. Teaching them something like chess is great for their problem-solving skills as well as logic and strategic planning. It is one of eh best teaching tools you have, but that isn’t obviously a teaching tool. Chess also takes a certain level of focus, determination, and concentration. All of these a skills that are essential to get the most out of the learning experience. A lot of board game depends upon chance, but that does not mean that you shouldn’t play them; in fact, quite the opposite, teach them as many board games as possible but prioritize chess as it is all about patience and skill.
Exercise
It is important that your children take care of their physical health. It is very common for children these days to just spend hours playing computer games and not get out into the world. Although these games can teach lessons to your children, you need to make sure that they are getting out in the fresh air. It may be ab idea to schedule in weekend activities such as going for a long walking the countryside, kayaking, or even things like abseiling. There is so much that you can do. If possible, encourage activities like playing baseball or soccer, gymnastics or ballet. The more active your child is, the better. They will be able to control their weight more effectively for a start; they will simply be healthier. Exercise also has the effect of making people happier too by boosting mood, it can alleviate things like stress too, which may be important as exam time draws near. Most of all, though, exercise boosts their ability to learn.
Make Academic Subjects Feel Relevent
Some of the problems associated with learning is that children see no relevance of the subject to their everyday lives. Saying that it will help them get a job is probably not going to cut it, as they will simply say something like they will get a job that does not involve it, and so on. So, you need to show, not tell. Perhaps for things like maths, you can see how it is relevant in terms of money. Give them the actual money and coins and make them count out enough for the toy they want, or a game they want or even their bus fare. Maybe they have a computer game that has a maths element. If they are doing geography, take them to places like waterfalls, and show them how to use a map instead of using their phone. Make a game of it. There are so many ways you can turn the seemingly boring into something much more engaging. You never know; you may develop a newfound love for the subject yourself. And that will definitely be a bonus.
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