Today there never seems to be enough time to get everything done. Parents may really want to engage their child in learning, but, it seems almost impossible to find time to think of new challenging activities or books they can learn from. I suggest that all parents take a deep breath, children learn everyday, in everything they do. Here are some suggestions that might help and not require any, or little, additional time for you as a parent.
Before children are at an age when they can read, give them a set of measuring cups. When you are making dinner, ask them to measure out some of the ingredients. While they are measuring it is a great time to ask them some questions, such as, why is it important to measure? If we put one cup of water and one cup of milk in the mix, how many cups are we putting in? Something as simple as making hot dogs on the BBQ – if we are going to give everyone in the family one hot dog, how many hotdogs do we need? If we have a bun for every hot dog, how many things do we have all together? If we put a knife and fork out for every person in the family, how many utensils are we putting on the table? These questions help them develop simple math skills and teach the concept of adding.
While you are working in the backyard, tell your child a story about your own childhood. Ask them to repeat the story back to you – this helps them listen and exercise their memory (you might be surprised at how their version comes out).
If you are about to tackle a task, ask your child how they think you should do it. You might be surprised at what a useful suggestion can come out of a 4-6 year old.
As your child is discovering reading they love to impress you with their new found knowledge.
When you receive flyers in the mail ask them what words they can read. Guide them by telling them to look at some of the pictures to see what they might tell them about what that flyer is about.
When you receive a letter or bill, ask your child if they could read you the address on the front as a way to teach them where they live so they can repeat it if they are ever lost or need help.
When you sit outside or go for a walk and someone walks by with a pet, ask your child how to spell “cat” or “dog”. Ask them questions about the animal to see the world through their eyes i.e. Why do you think that dogs have all that fur? I am sure that they wonder why dogs and cats don’t need clothes when we do. It is also a great time to talk about how nature has made these animals to have heavier coats in the winter and lighter coats in the summer. What is it called when their winter fur starts falling out? Why do you think a dog barks if you come near it? is is a great lesson about the affect of strangers. Since an animal will generally bark or even scream out when a stranger approaches it, especially if it is alone, explain to your child that they do this to protect themselves, hoping to ward of people from coming too close. is a great opportunity to talk about stranger safety.
As their math skills progress there are even more opportunities in everyday life to engage them.
If you need a greeting card for a family or friend’s birthday, take you child with you to the store. Ask them to read a few aloud to you so you can pick your favourite. You can really make them feel important if you tell them they can pick the card they think would be best after they read several to you.
If you are buying a toy with an age recommendation, ask your child to read it to you and take it further by asking why they think a child must be a certain age to use the toy. ese lessons can be really helpful if you have younger children because it creates an understanding of why they cannot play with the toy and the older child might take the responsibility to be sure the younger children do not play with it.
If you are about to tackle a task, ask your child how they think you should do it.
When you’re shopping for groceries there are many opportunities to learn. Have them weigh the produce for you so they learn the concept of weight measurement and the effect that has on how much something costs.
When children get to the point of having steady hands and less impulsive actions it is great to involve them further in cooking and kitchen duties. Simple things like letting them measure and mix the ingredients in a recipe. Maybe the recipe was handed down from another generation of your family and this is a great opportunity to talk about them with your child and what the world was like when they were young.
Buy blank cards and have your child write the message to the recipient for a special occasion. Have them ask the whole family what their favourite character or actor is and request that they write a story to read to everyone at dinner which includes these people.
If they are playing video games, sit with them and ask them to teach you how they strategize different scenarios in order to move on, how many times have they tried that particular level and congratulate them on their perseverance and their desire to be successful. Encourage them to think about how great it would be if they transfer these skills to their academic learning.
Every walk or outside experience opens an abundance of subjects to engage your child. Have them pick up a leaf or two and ask what they know about it. Suggest that they go back and research more information about the tree that this leaf comes from and before they go to bed to tell you all that they learned. is is something you can do as you get the yard work done or walk the dog.
At this age the environment is a fascinating topic for children they likely know more than you might about how clouds are formed, and why there are rainbows. At school they learn about the need to recycle, sort garbage and the benefit of composting – they can now be your teacher!
ENGAGE WITH YOUR CHILD AND THEIR SCHOOL – IT IS ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE WAYS TO SPEND YOUR TIME.
ENGAGING WITH YOU CHILD AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL
The challenge at the secondary level is that often your child does not want to engage. They see every question you ask as interference in their lives. Often, they start to believe that their parents really don’t know anything, they don’t care about them and sadly that they are old enough to do everything they need on their own.
It is easy at this time for parents to start separating themselves from their children’s education. We comfort ourselves with the idea that we got them that far and now they should be able to get themselves through school.They don’t want you involved and you might believe that is actually a relief.
I have always held the opinion that the opposite is true. I believe that our children need us more than ever as they enter their teens and high school.
Apart from the academic struggles they face, often high school is when peer pressure and bullying can increase mental health issues. If we are not engaged with our children’s education and school at this stage they may feel that we think they have got it handled and feel less like involving their parents. If education is not an ongoing discussion in your household, they may hesitate to tell you they are struggling with a certain subject, teacher or other issues.
Perhaps starting a discussion with a problem you might have had in school and asking if they have ever had the same issue might inspire them to open up and discuss it.
Find out their specific interests. It may be that you have a budding artist, poet or rock star in your midst. Ask them why they are interested in that area and how they think they can build that talent into their future goals. Don’t discourage your future rock star, but, maybe you can impress on them that talent isn’t all they need. They need to understanding marketing, legal contracts, accounting etc., so education still remains a high priority. Even if they think they can hire people to do that, ask them how they would know if the person has their best interest in mind if they don’t understand those things themselves.This is a great way to set a high academic standard for them to achieve without belittling their dreams.
VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE
These are just a few strategies that I have used to keep engaged in my children’s education. This article is meant to be a starting point to the hundreds of way parents can engage and make learning part of their children’s lives everyday whether it’s a school day or not.
When presented with a variety of ways they can learn, they might not catch on that they are actually being educated!!
SUMMING UP PARENT ENGAGEMENT
Parent engagement can mean many things in a child’s academic career. From working at the kitchen table, to helping with homework, to everyday activities like those above, to helping out in the classroom, to sitting as a partner with the principal to elevate the academic experience for all children in the school; anything, big or small, will benefit your child’s future.
The research states that parent engagement results in the following:
- Higher academic achievement
- Better attendance at school
- Better social skills i.e. Less behaviour issues
- Higher graduation rates
- Higher chance a student will move on to post-secondary school
- Students are more confident
For as challenging as lack of time can be for all of us, the reality is that children seem to grow up very fast and the things we put off until tomorrow can affect their academic achievement in long run.
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