Working With Your Child
As your child starts in the education system, you will soon realise that some aspects of teaching and school organisation have changed a great deal since you were at school.
The more you know about your child’s school and their education, the more you will be able to support them. It is important to get a good start, and the key is a good relationship between you and your child’s teacher.
Your child’s progress
Your child’s teacher is your main point of contact. Teachers are always happy to discuss your child’s progress at a convenient time; you can also come into the classroom to look at their written or creative work. Take time to do this occasionally; it is much appreciated by children and teachers!
Homework for younger students is usually reading with occasional worksheets. Your child’s teacher will help pinpoint weak spots in your child’s letter and number work if you’d like to do more with them at home.
Homework for juniors can include small projects, stories and so on. You should take a supportive and almost supervisory role as they start off with homework. Children find it hard to organise their time and are easily distracted. They need help to settle down quietly to homework, before they get too tired.
Getting involved
It is always worthwhile getting involved when your child is at primary school because you will gain a good insight into their daily lives.
You might be able to help the teacher with reading practice, outdoor lessons or school trips.
Schools are busy places; so turning up without notifying the school in advance can cause problems
Helping your child
You can always help learning at any age by offering a slightly different approach to what’s in the curriculum.
It could be something as simple as taking your child on a trip to the local library or museum, or a visit to a farm.
You can practise number and letter recognition on car registrations and front doors; reading on road signs and in shops; arithmetic when buying sweets; fractions when cutting cakes; science in the bath and so on.