With the Easter break upon us and the long summer school holidays not far behind, Lyn Fiez-Vandal, Lower School Assistant Principal at ACS International School in Cobham, offers practical ways that parents can support their child’s learning when school is out.
Published
Help your child to develop a growth mindset
Growth mindset is a self-belief that kids can improve their abilities through persistence and practice in any area: academically, socially, and emotionally. Neuroscientists have discovered so much more about the brain in recent years and one of the most compelling findings is that our brains are much more capable of learning throughout our lives when we have a growth mindset.
First step to encouraging a growth mindset is to foster a life-long love for learning. This means understanding that learning is not restricted to the classroom: it can happen anywhere. The ingredients needed are curiosity, a desire to discover and an understanding that making mistakes is part of learning. One way to help facilitate a growth mindset is with language. For instance, you could say: ‘I can’t do this yet’ and ‘I’m still learning how to do this’ rather than ‘I can’t do this’. Help your child change their narrative to develop persistence and perseverance. Engage in puzzles, building and creative tasks with children to give them time to practice these skills.
To becomes confident, caring and effective learners, children need to be active participants in their learning – asking questions, exploring, experimenting and engaging in play.
To becomes confident, caring and effective learners, children need to
be active participants in their learning – asking questions, exploring,
experimenting and engaging in play.
When children make mistakes, celebrate this as a part of learning:
FAIL = First Attempt In Learning. The goal is to facilitate a natural
growth mindset in all activities from eating habits to mathematics.
Develop positive habits and routines at home
Instilling routines at home, such as daily chores, play breaks and
set patterns for morning and evening, will benefit your child all round.
One simple habit to cultivate is reading and it doesn’t need to be
restricted to bedtime. It might be reading together with your child in a
comfortable spot, reading signs around the neighbourhood together or
stopping everything to read for 20 minutes as a whole family each day.
Children of all ages enjoy hearing adults read aloud and this is just as
impactful, if not more so, than listening to a child read. Reading at
home not only helps your child develop a love for reading: importantly,
it also allows for practice of skills that are easily transferable to
the classroom.
Use nature as a classroom
Nature is a vital learning space, and gives children the chance to
explore, make decisions, problem-solve and follow their curiosities.
Encourage your child to observe the natural world, such as insects and
plants or animal tracks. Respond to their questions – offering
on-the-spot answers to things they discover in the natural world, and
following that up by looking at books and online when you’re back at
home.
Spending time with nature creates authentic learning experiences for
children, and helps them to feel more connected to themselves, their
family and the world around them.
Help your children learn about themselves
A break from nursery or school provides your child with the
opportunity to take a breath and reflect. Children have a chance to
learn more about themselves as individuals. Talk with your child and
guide them through the process of reflecting on their strengths and
challenges, learn more about what works for them and consider strategies
to improve.
It's tempting for parents to fill every moment of the holiday time
with activities, outings and structure. However, it’s important to
include some down time. In fact, a crucial part of guiding children
through the process of self-understanding is to allow them to be bored!
Navigating boredom will enhance self-awareness and help children find
things that intrigue and inspire them. It can be annoying as a parent to
hear: ‘I’m bored!’ and it’s tempting to offer an iPad, turn on a movie
or give them a toy. Instead, try: ‘That’s great news! I can’t wait to
see what you decide to do!’ Let them sit with the feeling for a while.
Overcoming boredom does take some time and practice.
Set short-term targets
Create goals together for your week or even for each day. Consider
short term, achievable goals that will set your children up for success.
Ask them what they want to work on doing better over the holiday: this
might be keeping their bedroom tidy or having more patience with a
sibling or reading every day. Tell children what you would like them to
work on too. But do make this achievable! If you have a reluctant
eater, setting a target to eat a whole meal every night for a week is
daunting and unlikely to be successful. The first target might be to eat
two or three bites of every item on their plate. Celebrate their
achievement if and when it happens and move on to the next target.
Praise your child with specifics. Instead of just ‘Well done!’ try, ‘You
ate your meat tonight! That will give you more energy when you’re
playing’. Or ‘You ate more of your dinner tonight. That will help you
grow up big and strong.’ Praising what they did well and why it was so
great is very motivational.
Reaching targets can show tangible progress and instil confidence in
your child that will carry over in everything they do in and out of
school. Achievable goals are a starting point for children to think more
ambitiously and apply the process to other aspects of their life as
they grow.
When we allow children the time, space and tools to find solutions, we support their internal process for problem-solving and communication
Let them work things out
The path to independence is full of twists and turns and throws up an
abundance of problem-solving opportunities. Throw caution to the wind
and give your child space and time to ponder and try out solutions. The
possibilities are endless: sorting out disputes with a sibling; cleaning
up after themselves; figuring out what to do when too much toothpaste
comes out of the tube; working out why some items float and some sink
when thrown into the river; understanding why wellies are the best
choice on soggy fields. . . . . .
We are not here to give our children all the answers: rather, it’s
our place to give them the tools to problem-solve and gain independence.
When we allow children the time, space and tools to find solutions, we
support their internal process for problem-solving and communication –
vital skills to becoming independent, life-long learners in and out of
the classroom.
