Thursday, August 20, 2020

6 Home schooling Tips that every parent should know

 

Parents always get worried when their school going children are at home for holidays or times when there’s a pandemic preventing children from going to school. They always wonder how they would effectively help their children learn. There is nothing to worry about parents! When it comes to homeschooling, the role of the parent is not to teach but to facilitate learning. Remember, you are a parent to your child but not a teacher. There is no need to stress yourself with algebra and the like!

However, there are several tips that a parent can use to facilitate learning at home;

1.      1. Know the capabilities of your child

Children are different. They therefore learn differently. There are the slow learners and the fast learners. There are also those children who learn well when alone while others learn well while in groups. As a parent, you therefore need to know whether your child is lone learner or a group learner. For those who like learning in groups, try to arrange sessions with a classmate or a sibling so as they can learn together. For those who do well alone, your work as a parent is to monitor what the child is learning.

2.      2. Stick to a learning routine

Schools learn smoothly since they operate in routine and schedules. As a parent, make sure you set up a daily routine that the children are supposed to follow as they learn. The routine also includes the learning space as well as the locations. For those who have home compounds, you can set up a routine where the child can learn outside rather than being indoors all the time. The routine makes the children know what they are supposed to do every day hence instilling self-drive in them.

3.      3. Make use of online resources

We are living in a digital world. Although some might think that the internet is not all that good for young children, the good news is, the internet has vast resources that can aid learning at home. For instance, if as a parent you have no idea of making a timetable, the internet can help you with that! Again, the children might not have all the textbooks needed and you might not be in a position to buy them. The internet therefore comes in to help where you can check the curriculum online and then look up for the resources that your child can use to learn that matches the curriculum.

4.      4. Let the child act as the teacher

Here, you are supposed to identify the subject area the child is supposed to study from your home made timetable. Then guide the child in doing all the activities that are related to the subject. Again, present all the resources needed for the learning activities to your child. After the child does all the activities required, then he/she can present to you whatever they have done. Make sure you applaud them for the work they do so as to motivate them and make the learning process fun.

5.      5. Limit the time the child is in front of a screen

As parents, we are most of the times compelled to make our kids spend all their time watching cartoon programs on television or playing video games. We feel this is more comfortable as the child will disturb you less. However, this is not right! You should make sure that you set up rules on when your child is on phone or watching TV programs. This may seem difficult to accomplish but it is for the best interest of your child. The more children spend time on screens, the more they become socially isolated which will have a huge impact on them in future.

6.      6. Facilitate passion projects

Every child has a talent. However, with the strict routine that the normal schooling offer, the children do not have a chance to develop the talents. It is therefore important to take advantage of the time the children are at home and develop their special abilities. Such special abilities could be cooking, singing, dancing, drawing among others. If for instance your child has a talent in cooking, make sure you provide all the ingredients they may need to try out their recipes. You never know! Your Child’s talent might make him/her famous and successful in future!!

 All the best parents as you continue homeschooling your kids!!

 

By Joyce Mwai

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

9 ways to prevent your child from becoming a sociopath

No parent would want to imagine that their child would grow up to enjoy hurting others. This is therefore an area that parents do not like to think of but sociopaths are real in our society and their journey started somewhere. Every parent therefore needs to be on the lookout so as to prevent their child from being a sociopath in future. Here are some tips a parent can use to prevent their child from becoming a sociopath.
1. Keep your child away from any kind of abuse
            Children should not be subjected to abuse of any kind. Abuse accounts to any form of violence. It can either be molesting them or children growing up with violent parents who keep on hurting their child. This kind of an exposure can make a child to grow up to be a sociopath thinking that causing other people harm is acceptable. Again, such children might grow up angry and hateful of people and might end up hurting others in future to take revenge of what happened to them when they were growing up.
2. Be an available parent
            There is nothing as important as a child having a consistent parent or guardian when they are growing up. A parent who is always there for the child gives them direction on how they are supposed to live with others. When a child grows up without a parent available for them, that child might grow up to be a sociopath. This is because no parent was there to monitor their behavior consistently while they were growing up. Children who grow up in foster care, children homes or moving from one relative to another might end up having sociopathic tendencies for they might  be dealing with anger  towards their parents for abandoning them.
3. Encourage play with peers
            This is an issue that parents need to be careful about in this 21st century parenting for we are living in a digital age. Children are exposed to mobile phones and computers as early as after birth. Parents need to be careful not to provide their children with all video games and cartoons that they want so that they don’t get out of the house. This situation deprives a child social skills for the child is always on a screen without real people. Parents should allow their children to play with peers so that they can know how to interact with real people. Children who grow up without having interaction with peers are at a high risk of becoming sociopaths since they never learnt how to co-exist with people.
4. Discover bad behavior and deal with it as soon as you notice it
            Adults who are sociopaths started by trying violence when they were growing up. Some children might enjoy torturing an animal, fighting peers, bullying peers or any other violent act. Such a child can in future become a sociopath. It is therefore important for the parent to be keen and ensure that their child is stopped from such acts of violence immediately they are noticed. If a parent is not able to deal with their child, they can seek professional intervention so as to prevent the child from enjoying hurting others in future.
5. Encourage sibling bonding
            Siblings should be the first friends a child should have while they are growing up. Sibling relation gives an opportunity for a child to learn various social skills like kindness, empathy and protecting each other. If a child cannot relate well with their siblings that child is at a higher risk of engaging in antisocial behaviors. For parents who have large families, they should be careful not to pay attention to some of the children so as the they do not feel as if they are struggling to gain their parents attention. Such children who are less supervised by their parents just because there are younger siblings to take care of, are at a higher risk of becoming sociopaths.
6. Teach your child to differentiate right from wrong
            When a child is growing, they are usually in a road to discovering things about life. With the home being the first place a child gets socialized, the parents should ensure that the child is socialized well. A parent should always make sure they are careful of what their child is doing so that they guide them accordingly. If a child does something wrong, a parent should make sure that the child is aware that they have done something wrong. This way, they will differentiate right from wrong and would refrain from hurting anyone in future.
7. Punish your child when necessary
            There are those times when a child is already aware that doing a certain act is wrong but decides to do it anyway. It is at this point that the parent should bring punishment in the picture. Punishment does not have to cause physical pain but it can also be deprivation of some privileges that a child enjoys for some time. However, parents should be careful not to punish their children without explaining to them why they are doing so for it would be considered abuse and might destroy the child.
8. Do not expose a child to inappropriate acts
            Children are not supposed to see sociopathic acts when they are growing up. Parents should be careful not to be bad examples to their children. For parents who fight or are in toxic relationships, they should be careful not to expose their inappropriate acts to their child for the child might grow up thinking hurting others is okay. Such parents should look for ways the child can be raised up somewhere else or just separate rather than live together and make their child a sociopath in future.
9. Never give up on your child
            There are those children who basically will not follow instructions even when you tell them over and over again. A parent should try and be close to such a child and praise them for the few good deeds they do other than concentrating on what they are doing wrong. This can make a child to always want to do good so as they can be praised. However, if the parent has tried all means with no success,  they should look for professional intervention to help their child.
                                                                                                     ©Joyce Mwai
Writer/ Parenting Coach/ Teenagers Mentor

5 Ways to ensure that your child grows up to be an all-round Citizen.


5 Ways to ensure that your child grows up to be an all-round Citizen.
            Many times we hear grownups saying “I wonder why I even went to school”. This kind of a person might be frustrated with what life is giving them and wonders why the education that they had in school is not solving their situation. I am sure no parent would want their child to regret ever going to school in future. Therefore, raising up an all-round child is important for every parent and I am sure these tips will be of help.  
1.Encourage the child to utilize special abilities.
            As a parent, you should never sit back and claim that your child has no talent or gift. Every person is born with their special talents and gifts which only need to be realized and nurtured. Realization of a child’s talent starts with parents encouraging their children to play different unstructured games. For instance, a parent can encourage singing at home, dancing in the living room or even drawing various images. In the process, a parent can realize that her child is dancing very well but is very poor in drawing. The parent can therefore capitalize on that special talent and encourage the child to do it whenever possible both at home and at school. The talent or the gift would be of help to the child’s later life.
2. Encourage the child to utilize different learning styles.
            There is no universal way of learning. This is something that parents and teachers need to embrace. Every child learns differently in different situations. Therefore, parents and teachers should not force all the children to learn in the same manner over and over again but should try changing styles. For instance, when a child is doing homework, a parent should not always emphasize for a noise free environment! Maybe the child learns better while reciting or counting loudly.
3. Have at least one meal a day together.
            Someone might wonder how eating a meal together would help a child grow to be an all-round citizen. To say the truth, it has a lot to do with the child turning out to be an excellent adult. Every home has a different schedule and therefore the family members know when each one of them is at home. This is the perfect time to have a family meal together with your child whether it is dinner, breakfast or just a snack time. During this meal time, parents can engage their child about how their day was, how their learning was, who their friends are as well as giving their views where the child needs the parents’ advice. This way, the child will learn how to interact with other people hence having perfect social skills to use when outside their home or even in future as adults.
4. Praise any effort made by the child.
            Every person requires to be applauded for good work done and so do children. A child might not be as perfect as you may expect but any trial towards accomplishing a goal is worth an applause. This helps to raise a child’s self-esteem for they feel their parents value them and believe in them. Self-esteem is something that every child requires when growing up. Ones s child believes in themselves, they would be able to cope with different situations in later life even when they are challenging.
5. Give your child a touch as often as possible.
            When a parent gives their child an affectionate touch, the child feels loved and gains a sense of security and belonging. It is therefore wise for a parent to always hug, give a pat in the back or even hold their child’s hand during a conversation. Such a child would grow up without being in any risk of suffering chronic stress which would mean that the child will cope with all life hurdles in future.

Article by  

Joyce Mwai