Starting the School Year
One of the most important things you can do for your child is to start them from a great footing right from day one of school. By "starting as you mean to go on" you will help to impart a range of skills and attitudes that will serve your child well for the rest of the year. By forming good habits at this time of the year, you are more likely to be able to support your child and help them develop into independent, motivated and happy learners. The skills and attitudes they form will not only be useful this year, but will be with them for life - how great is that!
In eleven years of teaching, I have been able to see what makes a difference at the beginning of the school year and what doesn't. Here are my top five ideas for starting the school year, that as a teacher, are completely invaluable. I recommend them whole-heartedly and believe that they will help your child tremendously.
1. Get To Know Your Child's Teacher
Perhaps the most important tip of all is to get to know your child's teacher. The link between home and school is vital and is hugely under-utilised as a difference-maker in children's learning. It can go a long way to ensuring children can receive support if needed, extension if appropriate or, just as important, valuable information on their social and personal development. The first couple of weeks at school are vital to a teacher in sizing up where children lie on the academic, social and personal development scales. At the time of writing, we have now been back at school one day. In 6 hours of school (less if you take out the breaks), I have now begun to see and assess children's writing levels, how they interact with other children in the class, their confidence at sharing ideas within the class or taking risks with work, and general personality traits. These opinions continue to be formed throughout the whole year and serve to make up aspects of the various assessments we do.
At any point in time, your child's teacher will be able to tell you where their strengths and weaknesses lie, what they struggle with, how they interact socially and most importantly, how you can help them at home. Make a point of coming into school during the first week and introducing yourself to your child's teacher. Then make a point of speaking them on a regular basis about how they are doing and ways you can support their learning at home. Parents who take the time to come into class on a regular basis and see how their child is doing have access to a wealth of information and can then spend tailored time at home helping them where it is needed most, whether it be support or extension. They can also keep track of how they are doing generally in the class. I have often found that when I have children who have difficulty concentrating in the class, keeping in regular contact with their parents goes a long way to helping them focus!
Of course email is fine if you cannot make it in or time is short, as are phone calls but as a teacher there is nothing like a friendly face to face chat.
2. Get Into Good Habits Early
It is vitally important for the rest of the school year that you get into good habits as early as possible with your child. Bad habits are hard to break; we can all attest to the bad habits that may have cropped up our own lives from time to time (that T.V. needs to be turned off!).
Get your child into regular habits for getting up in the morning, getting to school on time, a regular home learning slot after school each day, responsibility for organising books and equipment for the next day, a set bedtime...the list goes on. They say that it only takes 21 days to form a habit. In school days, that's only a month's worth of habit forming hard work to be put in. You will then be able to reap the benefits for another 11 months of the year and if the habits are formed strong enough, the rest of their schooling life. This is even more important if your child has not become independent in managing themselves. Now is the perfect time to be forming these good habits. Your child is likely to have been out of a regular routine throughout the holidays and will need some easing back into school life. As a teacher of Year 6 children, the habits formed by Year 6's are even more important due to the increased level of independence both this year and in their next schooling year in intermediate.
Nowhere is this more important than in children managing their belongings and equipment, a regular bedtime (a good night's sleep goes a long way in learning) and in a regular home learning routine.
3. Eat Well
School requires concentration. And that's just on the teacher's part! Children need a healthy diet to ensure they are able to concentrate and learn at the required level. We have all probably watched the sugar rush after giving children a soft drink, lollipop or other sugary food or food loaded with colourings. I have seen children in my classes unable to concentrate because of a poor diet. The bottom line of this (and I make no excuses for saying this), is that they do not learn at the level they are capable of. In fact each one of them has had enormous potential but because of poor diet, are behind their peers. Give your child a balanced diet of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, and you go along way in helping them just being able to focus in class!
Parents of boys - make sure your boys have enough to eat. During Year 6 many boys will begin to hit the onset of puberty and will therefore find they have a growing, changing body. It is always fascinating to see how much my students have grown when they come back from each of the term holiday breaks. One thing I have observed, and it doesn't seem to matter what age they are, is that boys are hungry beasts! A pantry of food can be devoured in absolute no time. Trust me - my own mum has been on the end of this! Many boys will gobble their lunches at morning tea time with little left for lunchtime. After a full hour of running round at lunchtime, many boys are left tired, lethargic and more interested in a nap than work. Make sure your boys have enough food to last them the whole day. Talk to them about whether the amount of food in their lunchbox is adequate and also about making sure they balance out what they are eating to help them have enough energy for learning. As a general rule, carbs are great for energy and protein should be the brain food in their diet. Make sure they get enough of this. For more on this see the parents page on my website www.brenanderson.wikispaces.comOne of the most important things you can do for your child is to start them from a great footing right from day one of school. By "starting as you mean to go on" you will help to impart a range of skills and attitudes that will serve your child well for the rest of the year. By forming good habits at this time of the year, you are more likely to be able to support your child and help them develop into independent, motivated and happy learners. The skills and attitudes they form will not only be useful this year, but will be with them for life - how great is that!
In eleven years of teaching, I have been able to see what makes a difference at the beginning of the school year and what doesn't. Here are my top five ideas for starting the school year, that as a teacher, are completely invaluable. I recommend them whole-heartedly and believe that they will help your child tremendously.
1. Get To Know Your Child's Teacher
Perhaps the most important tip of all is to get to know your child's teacher. The link between home and school is vital and is hugely under-utilised as a difference-maker in children's learning. It can go a long way to ensuring children can receive support if needed, extension if appropriate or, just as important, valuable information on their social and personal development. The first couple of weeks at school are vital to a teacher in sizing up where children lie on the academic, social and personal development scales. At the time of writing, we have now been back at school one day. In 6 hours of school (less if you take out the breaks), I have now begun to see and assess children's writing levels, how they interact with other children in the class, their confidence at sharing ideas within the class or taking risks with work, and general personality traits. These opinions continue to be formed throughout the whole year and serve to make up aspects of the various assessments we do.
At any point in time, your child's teacher will be able to tell you where their strengths and weaknesses lie, what they struggle with, how they interact socially and most importantly, how you can help them at home. Make a point of coming into school during the first week and introducing yourself to your child's teacher. Then make a point of speaking them on a regular basis about how they are doing and ways you can support their learning at home. Parents who take the time to come into class on a regular basis and see how their child is doing have access to a wealth of information and can then spend tailored time at home helping them where it is needed most, whether it be support or extension. They can also keep track of how they are doing generally in the class. I have often found that when I have children who have difficulty concentrating in the class, keeping in regular contact with their parents goes a long way to helping them focus!
Of course email is fine if you cannot make it in or time is short, as are phone calls but as a teacher there is nothing like a friendly face to face chat.
2. Get Into Good Habits Early
It is vitally important for the rest of the school year that you get into good habits as early as possible with your child. Bad habits are hard to break; we can all attest to the bad habits that may have cropped up our own lives from time to time (that T.V. needs to be turned off!).
Get your child into regular habits for getting up in the morning, getting to school on time, a regular home learning slot after school each day, responsibility for organising books and equipment for the next day, a set bedtime...the list goes on. They say that it only takes 21 days to form a habit. In school days, that's only a month's worth of habit forming hard work to be put in. You will then be able to reap the benefits for another 11 months of the year and if the habits are formed strong enough, the rest of their schooling life. This is even more important if your child has not become independent in managing themselves. Now is the perfect time to be forming these good habits. Your child is likely to have been out of a regular routine throughout the holidays and will need some easing back into school life. As a teacher of Year 6 children, the habits formed by Year 6's are even more important due to the increased level of independence both this year and in their next schooling year in intermediate.
Nowhere is this more important than in children managing their belongings and equipment, a regular bedtime (a good night's sleep goes a long way in learning) and in a regular home learning routine.
3. Eat Well
School requires concentration. And that's just on the teacher's part! Children need a healthy diet to ensure they are able to concentrate and learn at the required level. We have all probably watched the sugar rush after giving children a soft drink, lollipop or other sugary food or food loaded with colourings. I have seen children in my classes unable to concentrate because of a poor diet. The bottom line of this (and I make no excuses for saying this), is that they do not learn at the level they are capable of. In fact each one of them has had enormous potential but because of poor diet, are behind their peers. Give your child a balanced diet of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, and you go along way in helping them just being able to focus in class!
4. Be Organised and Prepared
Teach your child to be organised and prepared right from day one of school. It can be as simple as preparing them by making sure they have the right equipment for the next school day. Do they need their togs? Do they need their home learning or spelling book? Once again, get them into good habits and they will have them for life. They should be preparing their bags for the next day the night before, or in the morning of school. Teach them to write reminder notes in a notebook or on a chart for what they need to bring. I have seen the most disorganised children become organised through various forms of diary systems. And yes...it took hard work, but they got there. Many of the most successful children in my classes over the years have been the most organised, independent and prepared. By teaching them to think ahead about the resources they might need, you are building skills that will help them through future studies or jobs. Make it a regular routine with them to go through what they need for the next day or the next week.
And a note to you...if you are continually disorganised or running late yourself, I bet your child is too. The new school year is a great way to work on as well as helping your child master this important lifelong skill. And during very busy and stressful periods, teach them that life can sometimes get like that and maintaining a schedule can sometimes be the difference maker.
5. Make It Fun
Watch a group of children and what do you see? Fun. It seems to be the universal characteristic with children of all nationalities. Children know how to party, it's a fact! They love fun. Whatever you do with your child with their learning, make it fun. Not only will they want to do it, they will learn to love it. This applies especially to their home learning. Try and include elements of fun in it and the organisation and habits will come. Include an element of fun and they will form good habits more easily. You can check out fun home learning activities by going to my web page (address above) and seeing the games and activities listed under the Kids Home Learning page.
So that's my top five tips for beginning the school year. Start the school year in a positive, constructive way and you will find your child will grow academically, socially and in their own personality. Most importantly...they will be happy.
If you would like any questions answered related to children's learning please email me or join this blog and I'll do my best to answer them.
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