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Routines For A Successful Start To A School Year

As early as primary school, children should be taught an efficient and effective routine for a successful school year. This routine should be applied in all their activities at class, primary school student care, enrichment programs and even their extra-curricular activities.

In this article, you will learn how to prep your child to have the best school year ever.

Sleep early and wake up early

First on our list is to get enough hours of sleep as much as possible. Sleep is very important for children’s growth and development. Having proper and the right amount of rest the night before will help them stay alert and active during the day.

Make sure that they don’t stay up late during school nights. They can have all the fun they want on weekends, but weekdays should be considered sacred. If the child protests, make him or her realize how difficult waking up is going to be the next day.

Prepare the night before

This should be a common practice for children to have every night on a weekday. After they have completed their homework, make sure that they put everything in place before they go to sleep. This means all the required books and school materials must be placed inside the bag.

Moreover, they should also prepare their uniforms and shoes, so they don’t have to look for it in the morning. Prepare these items will save you a lot of time the next day. No more cramming and procrastination. Plus, you all get to leave the house early.

Ensure a healthy breakfast

Allowing a child to skip breakfast is a mortal sin. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Since children are still developing physically and mentally, they need the energy from eating a fulfilling and healthy morning meal.

When children skip breakfast, they will end up feeling groggy and tiresome. They will not be able to properly digest all the new information and knowledge that they were exposed to in class. Thus, to kick-off a great school year, children have to be in the best state of mind and body.

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Is Homework Really Necessary?

Homework has always been a part of a student’s routine. Teachers give out assignments to the students to test their knowledge of the day’s lesson and develop learning retention. But recently, parents and teachers alike have questioned its importance. Is homework really necessary?

Students deal with homework in different ways. For instance, teachers at primary school student care centers help young children with their homework. Most enrichment programs and primary school student care centers offer homework supervision as part of their routine-structured activities.

In this article, we will explore the pros and cons of giving homework to children. By discussing both its advantages and disadvantages, we hope to shed some light on this issue.

Disadvantages

Burden for low-income students

For students that come from low-income backgrounds, time spent on homework is a luxury they sometimes can’t afford. Students who have jobs after school would rather spend that time working and earning money. This usually applies to students in high school and college. After a tiring shift at work, they are already mentally and emotionally spent making them less focused and motivated to do their homework.

Source of stress

Children nowadays experience a lot of stress and pressure from school activities to peers to social media. In fact, a survey of students found out that schoolwork is the greatest source of stress. Furthermore, the respondents said that they resorted to cheating and having their parents do the entire work.

Excessive homework leads to sleep deprivation, weight loss and health problems such as headaches and fatigue.

Advantages

Promotes student achievement

With completed and consistent homework, students tend to have improved grades, test scores and overall academic performance. Not just because homework gives added points to grades, but it is also considered a form of studying.

When doing homework, children will remember the lessons and learn to solve problems by themselves. Through this, they learn better and reach a deeper level of understanding of the concepts.

Teaches time management skills

Giving homework to children teaches them the value of time. With all the schoolwork that they have to attend to, time management skills will be put to test. Teach them to allot their time to specific activities such as doing homework, preparing for the next day, getting enough rest and more.

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Parent-Child Activities: Getting Involved at School

Nowadays, primary school student care isn’t just about helping develop a child’s learning progress but also encourages parent involvement in the process. When parents are involved, the child is more likely to perform better in learning. As early as being a primary school student, parents should make it a point to be involved in their child’s education.

Here are parent-child activities for successful parent involvement.

Attend school meetings

The first step to becoming an involved parent is to attend classroom or school-wide meetings. Understandably, some parents are not able to do this because of work and other important engagements. But there are plenty of opportunities to join since there will most likely be multiple meetings in a school year.  

This is also where you, as a parent, can get to know other parents of your child’s classmates and friends. You will also get to talk to their teachers and other school officials. This way, you can ensure that your child is in good hands at school.

Chaperone field trips or holiday programs

Another way to get involved in your child’s educational conquest is to be a chaperone on field trips or holiday programs. This can be time-consuming but as the saying goes, your time is the best gift you can give to a loved one.

These field trips and holiday programs require a supervisor-to-children ratio. Chaperones are very important to make sure that the children are safe. While it aims to teach children the value of independence, adult guidance is still very much required. Through this experience, you can see firsthand how your child interacts with other children.

Tutoring

Aside from helping your child with assignments and projects at home, you can also spend time tutoring other children in the class that needs help. Most students struggle with difficult subjects such as math and science.

By doing this, not only will you be more involved in your child’s classroom community, but you will also set an example. Children will see that the act of helping others must come with no price.

Organize out-of-school gatherings

Lastly, it is also a wonderful idea to organize an out-of-school get together for your child’s friends and their parents. This is a good way to get to know the child’s peers and you can also bond with the adults.

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SCRATCH Programming 101

Coding is one of the most sought after enrichment programs for children. Learning to code poses a lot of benefits for children, such as teaching them problem-solving skills, giving them career opportunities and more.

Coding enrichment programs will be incorporated into the curriculum of primary schools in Singapore by the year 2020.

Coding literacy is best taught through scratch programming. If you haven’t heard about it, fret not. This article is your introduction to all things scratch programming.

What is Scratch Programming?

Scratch programming plays a big role in teaching children how to code. This programming language allows children to code their own interactive stories, games, and animations in a very user-friendly manner.

It is a free visual programming language developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT Media Lab. Scratch aims to provide a simple way of programming that can easily be taught to young children, preferably ages 8 and above.

The programming language was designed to teach children computational thinking skills through the so-called building block approach to software development. This approach highlights problem-solving. Scratch is available on more than 50 languages and is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.

Benefits of Scratch Programming

Using scratch programming as a steppingstone to teaching children how to code has numerous benefits. Some of these are the following:

●     Scratch is widely used by teachers and schools for math and science projects. Thus, learning how to use it will benefit the students’ academic performance.

●     The learning curve is small. So, students learn something new constantly.

●     While using scratch programming, children will develop new skills and enhance existing ones. When working on projects, they will learn how to follow instructions and breaking a task in small sequences. Learning these skills will go a long way as the child grows up.

●     It encourages creativity in children through the creation of stories, games, and animations. Children are very imaginative and curious so using scratch programming will help in developing that aspect of their brain.

●     Children will learn how to work effectively and efficiently with others.

●     Children will develop a love for programming. They may even end up being the best programmers because they started with scratch programming at a young age.

●     Lastly, scratch programming is free for use.

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Understanding Dyslexia and How to Help Children Who Have It

Dyslexia is considered one of the most common learning disabilities. It is a lifelong disease that disables a person’s ability to read. It is common for children to find reading difficult at an early age. But, for children with dyslexia, it is even more difficult because it affects their ability to identify and modify language sounds.

Whether it is in classes, after-school care centers or enrichment programs, it is important to help a dyslexic child feel comfortable in the learning environment and develop self-confidence.

In this article, you will learn about dyslexia and how to properly guide children who have it in school, enrichment programs or other out-of-school learning classes.

Signs of Dyslexia

When unsure, here are the different signs that you should look out for. Children with dyslexia usually have trouble with the following:

●     Rhyming two words

●     Identifying the sound of the beginning of a word

●     Learning new words

●     Matching letters with sounds

●     Speech fluency

●     Following directions

●     Telling left from right

●     Copying notes from the board or any other reading material

●     Spelling different words

Children with dyslexia also often display emotional and social frustrations. They are usually afraid of being called to read aloud in front of the whole class. They also feel frustrated with reading all the time. This results in low self-esteem and isolation from other children.

Helping Children with Dyslexia

Children with dyslexia need extra guidance from their teachers and parents. Here are ways on how to help dyslexic children realize that despite their condition, they are still smart and capable.

Make learning playful

Learning is already stressful enough for children with dyslexia. So, it helps to make the classes fun. Lighten up the mood so they will feel comfortable. When children are at ease, they are more motivated to learn and have higher self-confidence.

Use alternative tools

Aside from reading, teachers and parents can also make use of alternative learning tools. Examples of these tools are audiobooks as an alternative for reading and gadgets such as computers and tablets for writing.

Since technology is already such a huge part of our day to day lives, you might as well take advantage of these devices to enhance different methods of learning.

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Tips on Teaching Children to Save Money

Teaching children how to handle finances at an early age is very important. This will go a long way for them as they grow up. Not only will they learn the value of money early on, but they will also get to understand the importance of saving and having contingency.

Without further ado, here are tips on how to teach your children to save money.

Give them a budget to stick with

First and foremost, children will not learn how to save if they know they can just ask more from their parents anytime. So, give them a budget to work with. For example, give them an allowance for a week. Make sure that it is enough money for food and contingency.

 By giving the child an allowance, they will learn how to budget that money properly in between their classes, enrichment programs, and other activities. At the end of the week, ask them about how they spent the money and what they learned in the process.

Include them in financial decisions

At a young age, it would be good practice to include the children in financial decisions. It can be just simple financial matters such as negotiating how much allowance they will have for the week or if they want to enroll in an enrichment program. This is not just an additional expense to the family but also an extra activity for children on top of their schoolwork.

Discourage impulsive purchases

Children tend to be very impulsive. Do not tolerate this kind of behaviour because this will affect how they handle money as they grow up. Discuss the differences between wants and needs. It is okay to treat yourself once in a while, but the needs should always come first before the wants.

Provide a piggy bank

One of the most effective ways to teach children how to save is to give them a piggy bank. This way, they will literally see their money grow day by day. Encourage them to make it a goal to fill up the piggy bank with bills and coins.

 Along the way, you will definitely see a change in their behaviour. You can also make use of saving jars and other containers. Just make sure to put it in a safe and secure place.

Be an example

Lastly, parents should set an example of saving money. Children tend to copy what adults do. When your child sees that you do not spend money recklessly, they will realize just how important saving is.

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3 Ways Martial Arts Will Help Your Child

At a young age, it is ideal for children to be active in sports. Engaging in different enrichment programs that focus on sports promotes physical, emotional and mental health. One popular sport that poses several benefits for children is martial arts.

Enrichment programs need not be just about studying lessons and subjects for school. It could also be an extracurricular activity that teaches different values to a child that will help him or her excel in school.

Here are 3 ways on how martial arts will aid your child growing up.

Self-Defense

Martial arts primarily focus on self-defense. Children will learn how to kick, punch, block, grapple and more. This may freak you out at first thinking that it is inappropriate for children to learn such things at an early age. But this is all done in good taste.  

In lieu of self-defense, it teaches children to redirect their natural impulses of aggression to strategic, beneficial and controlled movements. The training takes place in a monitored environment with the guidance of professional martial artists so there is absolutely nothing to be worried about. Rest assured that your children are in good hands. The main goal here is that they will learn how to protect themselves when the situation calls for it.

Coordination

Next, martial arts is a great way to help children develop and enhance their coordination skills. Contrary to what most people believe, not everyone is born with good coordination and motor skills. This is strengthened over time as children through sports and other physical activities.

Like learning a foreign language, childhood is the best time to develop coordination. Martial arts involve a lot of leg movements such as kicks. A kick looks enough but it isn’t. A powerful and accurate kick entails the right placement of the head, legs, feet and hip. All these body parts work together to coordinate a kick towards a specific target. Through practice, children will learn a lot more of these coordinated movements.

Determination and Confidence

Since martial arts challenges children in so many ways, they learn to be determined and disciplined. Academies provide a well-rounded program in physical and mental fitness, humility, and respect. Using all these, they will gain the confidence to face scary and violent situations with the right mindset.

Moreover, martial arts traditional utilize a colored belt ranking system. Children will be challenged to pursue each belt which increases according to level of skill and proficiency. To move on from belt to another, the children will undergo a qualifying examination. This ranking system fuels the determination and dedication of the students to work harder and push themselves beyond their limits.