Dear Parent,
Greetings!
Hope you are all doing great!
We are facing an unprecedented crisis globally, and our response towards the Pandemic COVID 19, will very much determine the future of our society. These testing times will call for our resilient efforts.
As we are all going through the crisis of the century, amidst lockdown, it has given us the time to introspect.
In this testing times, keeping children active and engaging is a tough task but this is also the perfect time to help your little ones get into a good routine and here are top tips to help you on your way.
1. Create a Routine
Find a routine that works for your child. Routine can seem like a scary word but if anyone is like me I secretly, or not so secretly, love routines. For a child, routines can really help remove anxieties, set positive boundaries and expectations and boost confidence. Each child is different though, so try to work out a routine which importantly works for your child.
An example of a fairly standard routine is – Snack/relax (20 mins), reading (10 mins), spelling (10 mins), Times Tables (10 mins), homework/Prep (if set), tea, TV time, bath, reading, bed.
Note: Not every day is the same, no day is perfect and some days children are exhausted or fighting not to do homework. As I say you’ve got to find a routine that works for your child and try to be as firm with it as possible. Once in a routine children know what to do and what’s expected when they come home.
2. Talk Time
It’s hungry work learning all day. A snack and a drink after play tends to be pretty essential! This also gives you the perfect opportunity to find out what your child has done during their day (although don’t be afraid if all they come out with is ‘I did lots of playing’…it happens all the time!). Asking them questions
such as ‘What one favourite thing can you tell me about your day?’
or
‘What are you really excited about tomorrow?’ helps get the conversation going.
3. Learning through play
Learning happens in all sorts of ways! I find games can really support children’s learning and help with their confidence too. Need to practice phonics, spelling and high frequency words with your child? A game of ‘High Frequency Snap’ or ‘Splat The Answer’ are a couple of ways to support your child in their learning whilst having fun! Making learning fun also makes learning engaging. Let’s foster that love of learning. We have the power to make it as boring or as exciting as we wish!
4. Little Explorer
Sometimes it’s good to stray from the path! Go with your child’s questions and interests and see where it takes you. Learning is everywhere and in everything! Open ended investigations and questions link to this idea of a ‘growth mindset’. These are the habits which will be cultivated over the period, one can’t school them in few days or months. Not everything has one answer and quite often there are lots of ways to get to that answer!
5. Be more bookworm!
The importance of reading…where do I begin? Ten minutes of daily reading can make all the difference. Read different books, different genres, different themes, interesting pictures, no pictures…the list goes on. Find something that your child enjoys and read about it. For a reluctant or struggling reader, who has yet to find their inner bookworm, try going back to slightly easier texts, stay positive (learning is not a race), and appreciate their little efforts!
Children won’t read if they are finding a book too difficult and there is no point forcing the matter! Stay positive, reading is supposed to be fun…make up silly voices for characters, act out stories, ask questions about pictures, pretend, play and have fun yourself!
6. Building positive relationships.
Keeping in regular contact with your child’s facilitator can help you understand how your child is doing in school and can highlight where they need a little more support. Education is all about teamwork.
It’s as much about what is happening at school as well as what’s happening at home and if you can get 30-40mins of ‘at home learning’ going on then a child’s confidence and potential can really soar!
7. Rest….Let them breathe
If your child is tired, if you think they’ve had a busy week or they’ve been round a friends to play and have tea, let them have the time to themselves. There will be times where they just need to kick back and relax and that is totally ok!
And finally, let’s talk the things parents must do at home…as I’ve said, each child is different, but their routine can be as following.
- 10 minutes (Physical Routine Yoga/Zumba Dance)
- 10 minutes reading/listening daily
- 5-10 minutes of Maths (numbers/shapes/counting)
- 10 minutes Literacy (alphabets identification/high frequency words/spelling practice
Keep it up 40-45 minutes, 3-4 times per week.
Reference AV (Kids love this routine and they are all aware about routine).
Work on those areas that they need that extra support and use games and different methods as much as possible to make homework as fun as possible! A positive post school/homework routine for young children is all about putting in place positive and solid foundations. As they get older they can then build on those foundations, tackling the trickier stuff with confidence!
Feel free to contact us for any query, you can reach us at Playshaala number 9723975522 or for further help you can communicate with their class facilitators from 10 to 12:00 on working days. Thank you.
