Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Exam season is always a stressful time for all involved, including students, parents and teachers. Whilst many students find the initial examination process daunting, it is important to understand that each stage of learning is different, with GCSEs marking the first time a student will sit exams that play a vital role in their future of academics. As a parent, you will always want the best for your child, especially when it comes to academic success and their future. GCSEs are definitely a crucial milestone in their journey, with your added support having a significant impact on their success. Continue reading for some advice from this private school in London, on how to support your child with their GCSEs.
Encourage a balanced routine
GCSEs will come with an abundance of studies that need completing on top of other school tasks, which is why it is important your child has a balanced routine in place to ensure they get everything done without feeling burnt out. Encourage them to create a study timetable that includes designated time slots for each subject. You can actually sit with them whilst they create it as it may give them the push they need. This structured approach is great as it will help them manage their time effectively and avoid feeling overwhelmed. Make sure they include breaks in between study sessions to relax and recharge. Show them how to prioritise their tasks and to avoid last minute cramming by planning everything well in advance. By establishing a routine early on, your child will be able to develop good study habits that will ensure productivity in the long run.
Provide an appropriate study environment
The space your child studies in plays a huge part in how effective their study sessions are. Create a quiet and comfortable study environment at home as your child will need a space where they can concentrate and focus without distractions. Take some time to find a workspace that is well lit and comfortable to studying. Gather the necessary study materials such as stationary, textbooks, and notebooks, and keeping them within easy reach will ensure they avoid distraction. Treat their study time like a job, and ensure the house is quiet to minimise disruptions, as this optimises their concentration and productivity.
Supporting your child during their GCSEs is crucial for their academic success as well their wellbeing. By implementing the strategies above, you can help your child navigate through this challenging and daunting time with nothing but confidence. Best of luck!
A child’s development is the most important thing to them. Through this they are able to learn how to move, think and communicate with those around them. There are many ways that a child can progress quickly, through things like playgroups and school.
However, parents are recommended to ensure their little one is playing regularly, as different toys are designed for different areas of development. This is why it is quite common for parents with little ones to spend time completing different activities and helping their child work on different skills.
Whilst structured play is great, unstructured play is known to be even better. In fact, research has shown that parents should encourage twice as much unstructured play than structured play. Continue reading for some advice from this nursery in Holland Park, on the benefits of unstructured play for toddlers.
Boosts imagination and creativity
Unstructured play is the perfect way to provide toddlers with the freedom to explore their imagination and unleash their creativity. When given the opportunity to explore their surroundings without any strict guidelines or rules, little ones are able to engage in pretend play, through the act of creating imaginary worlds and scenarios. This simple imaginative play helps develop their cognitive skills, problem solving, and also enhances their ability to think outside the box. It fosters creativity and also encourages them to invent their own games, stories and solutions, which helps to fuel their curiosity and love for learning.
Develops motor skills
Unstructured play involves physical activities that allow toddlers to enhance both their gross and fine motor skills. Whether it is running, jumping, climbing or playing with specific objects, these simple but effective unstructured movements help toddlers to improve their balance, coordination, and muscle strength. Through activities like building with blocks, drawing, or moving objects, they also perfect their hand-eye coordination and other skills. These physical skills are crucial for the development of their motor skills, which will lay the foundation for future physical activities and day to day tasks.
Encourages independence
Toddlers are capable of a lot more than we give them credit for. This is why it is so important that they spend time on their own playing, as it allows for them to figure things out independently, without an adult controlling their every move. This activity alone can help boost their self-esteem, which will encourage them to do more in time.
Unstructured play is a valuable experience for toddlers as it stimulates their imagination, develops their motor skills and encourages independence. By providing endless opportunities for this type of play, you can support your child’s overall development.
Music and drama are both very beneficial subjects for children to explore at a young age. They are able to develop a range of skills through performing arts that will support them in other areas of life. In this guide we explore some of the main advantages of music and drama lessons for children.
Music & Drama Lessons Enhance a Child’s Confidence
In music and drama lessons, there are lots of opportunities for your child to try out singing, playing an instrument, or performing in a theatre production in front of a large group of people. All of these activities give your child the opportunity to overcome their fears and anxieties to show what they are capable of. The sense of pride and achievement that comes from performing in front of an audience will show them how far they have come, as well as giving them a huge surge of confidence. This then transpires into other areas of life.
Music Provides an Opportunity to Explore Different Instruments
A large part of music development is the ability to try instruments or pick them up as lessons. The Best Independent School in London, for example, provides a wide range of instrument lessons for children to explore, as well as choir rehearsals, musical ensembles, and theatre productions.
Provided your child’s school has a myriad of options for children to help them with their musical development, your child will be able to pick up instruments that they have a keen interest in. Pursuing lessons in a particular instrument is known to have many benefits for children, including improved coordination, enhanced memory and more.
Music & Drama Teaches Your Child About Accountability
A lot of accountability is held on students, and even adults, when it comes to doing anything within the music and drama sector. For example, if your child is in an upcoming drama production at school, they will need to get themselves organised. Each member of the production has a responsibility to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. It therefore gives children an opportunity to practice communication, solve problems as they occur, and how to find common ground among other students and teachers helping the production.
No matter your child’s age there will always be opportunities for them to explore music and drama. They could even turn into serious passions. Encourage your child to try out an instrument, or enter drama lessons, to see what could be the right path for them.
There are a host of activities you could try out with your child this summer to break up these few weeks off they receive each year. Here are 5 recommendations that this private girls school in London shares with us.
1. Try out an outdoor activity centre
Lots of outdoor activities can be explored now that it’s drier in the summer months. You could both head down to an activity centre in the forest or a national park in your local area. Or your child could try something more extreme like heading down on a zipwire or a trapeze in the woods. So long as these activities are age appropriate for your child they will have a fun time learning about what fun they can have.
2. Head to the beach
If you are lucky to have a sunny day in the UK you can easily head to the beach to improve your child’s exploration skills. Bring the bucket, spade and towels so that they can enjoy heading into the sea, making sandcastles and collecting seashells. A childhood experience is not complete without a trip to the seaside.
3. Go on a hike
Heading up a nearby mountain or getting a long walk in to find a vantage point can teach your child about how to enjoy what’s around them in their local area. With so many beautiful hikes and walks to discover with your child it’s also a huge learning opportunity for them. You can head out together to talk about life, difficulties they might be having in school, or nerves for the upcoming school year and reassure them.
4. Make a boat to push downstream
Have a look at some of the rubbish and recycled materials you have in the home and cut them up to make a boat. Your child can help you pick out the materials and stick everything together. If you want you can encourage your child to decorate the boat before pushing down a river. Remember to place this boat in an area you or your child can pick back up easily.
5. Set up a tent and go camping
Camping could be another option you could explore, even if you set up the tent in your garden. This will help your child learn more about the wilderness and learn how to handle themselves in a safe environment. Camping in any capacity is also such a rewarding experience that can teach children about adversity.
So there are many activities you could explore with your child, and they don’t have to be expensive to organise either. Have fun, and enjoy your summer break!
If you are wondering how your child can continue to improve their social skills then there are many approaches you could explore that will help them continually develop their confidence. Here are some top tips.
Talk to your child often
Just having general conversations will get your child talking and learning to be sociable in a safe environment. That helps your child a lot with their understanding of how to make their own choices, develop their own opinions and use critical thinking to come up with good responses. Over time this will improve exponentially and you will be able to see it in how your child develops their confidence.
Get them involved in team activities
A lot of team and group activities will revolve around how your child communicates and makes effective decisions for the team. It also means that your child has a chance to offer their own viewpoints - in a lot of scenarios your child’s opinion might actually be the deciding factor in helping a team.
Lots of team activities can be found in your child’s school. This private school in Plymouth has a lot of extra-curricular activities that children can pursue at any time. These can vary from football or hockey - predominantly team-based sports - to art societies, school choirs or debating clubs.
Help your child find their passion
When you are able to talk about what interests you the most you will find that your child is a lot more relaxed and happy to talk about what makes them happy. This is where developing your child’s passions can make them feel more comfortable in themselves and boost their self-esteem. Finding a child’s passion can help them get out of their shell and talk to other people that also enjoy the same things as them. This is a sure-fire way for them to make new friends as well, and form strong relationships with others.
So there are many ways you can help your child learn to be social and explore themselves. But there will always be opportunities for them to develop their communication skills even further as they get out of their comfort zone and find hobbies and activities to enjoy. You’d be surprised what your child will learn about themselves through regular socialising
We explore the many benefits journaling has for children and how it will become a huge part of many skills they hope to develop.
Helps your child with their literacy development
A lot of your child’s confidence in writing in a diary every day, or at least every week, will give them a lot of opportunities to improve their writing and reading. Their grammar is likely to naturally develop over time, and they have more time to pinpoint their mistakes. With time for children to just write freely they get to explore new words, how to put together sentences and improve their language skills.
Improves your child’s mental health
With a private outlet to express their feelings they will often turn to their journal to write out how their day went and what they could have done differently. In a lot of ways, writing about your experiences can help you put things into perspective and it makes a lot of difference when you write things out - regardless of age.
If you encourage your child to write in a journal they will have the chance to think about what they will learn from confrontations, relationships and solving problems in the real world. They can break down the issues they are having and see things in a new way, making them feel happier and more comfortable.
Journaling has many important benefits and can be used by schools to help children feel comfortable in learning new vocabulary, grammar skills and pronunciation. The best private primary schools in East London recommend that children continually improve their reading and writing skills, which will slowly improve when they keep a diary or at least write every day.
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