September 5, 2018 / Ben / 0 Comments
If you have children that like to play on computer games or tablets then you may worry about how much educational value there is in that. Recently more and more games that children play are starting to have a more educational theme to them but this is not true for all. Many games on the app stores such as ITunes or Google Play Store are aimed at children who wish to learn in a fun but educational way. You can find games that will require your child to read, use mathematical skills or use their imagination to progress through the levels. Word games are a great way for your child to practise spelling but often it doesn’t seem like work and they may not even realise the educational value of them.
It is sometimes a good idea to download a selection of educational games for your child to play on their smart device and ask them to play one of more of those games for 15 mins. After this time you may want to give them 10-15 mins on another game of their choice. This ensures that they are getting some educational benefit from playing on the device but also have some downtime from learning to play a game of their choice.
August 29, 2018 / Ben / 0 Comments
In June 2017 an artist called Carry Franklin was outside her front door installing the first book exchange – Little Free Library in Leeds. Over a year later and there are now over 19 little free Library’s all over the city with her hopes of it soon catching on to other areas of the UK.
The idea is that people can bring along books that they wish to exchange, put them in the post box style boxes and then take one out that they want to read.
These types of schemes make it easy for anyone to have access to books, as even if you cannot exchange one you can still borrow it and return it when you have read it.
Some people simply do not have time to go to the library or if for example you are homeless, you may find that you cannot get a library card, so this allows all people access to reading. Some children have been known to stop and use the free book exchange on their way home. The idea of this book exchange service is to bring communities together. These boxes are popping up all over the city and there may be some coming to an area near you very soon.
July 22, 2018 / Ben / 0 Comments
If you have recently been invited to a wedding then you will probably already be planning your outfit. Many people love the opportunity to get dressed up for a wedding but before you purchase your special outfit, you may need to find out a bit more about the big day. If for example, the wedding is going to be outside then you may not want to wear heels. You may have to think about what footwear you are going to be wearing first as some dress etc do not go with flat shoes as well.
Also, think about what time of the year it is going to be. In the UK we can have very unpredictable weather so although you cannot be certain what the weather will be like, you can at least think about if it is summer or winter and dress appropriately.
Find out what the day is going to be like. If it is going to be very relaxed and low key then you may not want or need to go all out of a big hat or fascinator as this may look a bit over the top. If the couple wants to have a colour scheme then they may ask their guests to try and wear something that fits in with this scheme.
June 29, 2018 / Ben / 0 Comments
Some children simply do not like or enjoy reading. It may be that they are very energetic and simply do not like to sit still and read a book. As a parent, it is important to try and help your child read often to improve not only their reading skills but also spelling, writing and even understanding emotions.
Sometimes the books that your child gets sent home with from school may not be all that interesting to them. If this is the case then you need to try and find something they do have an interest in. If for example, they love Dinosaurs then find a simple fact book about dinosaurs. Rather than getting them to read page after page, try and point out a few words and ask them to see if they can work out what it says. You could turn it into a little game, giving them a sticker for each word they get correct.
It may be that you have to disguise the reading a little bit, such as asking them to read a sign on a shop or the words on the front of a cereal box. Reading doesn’t have to just be books, any reading is better than none. You may find that your child is happy to read at school but not at home. Make sure there are no distractions at home, turn off the telly and go somewhere quiet to read with your child.
May 10, 2018 / Ben / 0 Comments
Over the years the way in which children are taught to spell has changed quite a bit. Teachers now use phonics to help pupils understand how words are read and spelt and rather than pronouncing the letter name they pronounce the sound it makes instead. As a parent it can be quite hard to get your head around as often you will have been taught in a totally different way. Many schools offer classes in which parents can go along and be shown how the teachers will be teaching their child and give them advice on what they can do at home.
Most of the new workbooks that you can buy also have adapted the phonics way of learning and these books are often brightly coloured and fun which many children enjoy doing.
If you are really struggling to know how to help your child then why not arrange a meeting with one of the teachers and as them to give you some worksheets that you could do with your child at home. Children are being able to read and write a lot earlier than they used to and you may be shocked at the type of words they have been given to learn. If your child is really struggling then you could even invest in some out of school tutoring to help them catch up.