SCHOOLS RE-OPENING: How can we help our children to succeed?
By, Ado Abdu Bichi, PhD
AREWA AGENDA – The pupils and students of both Public and Private Primary and Secondary Schools in Kano state are set to return back to their classrooms on Monday 9th May, 2022 after a long vacation of 5-weeks (1st April to 8th May, 2022). The children stayed long at home and though going back to school for them require serious parental supports to cope with the demand of learning and desire for success.
Every child has the power to succeed in school and in life, for children to be successful in school, parents and caregivers need to be actively involved in their education. The involvement of parents and caregivers need to be early and consistent throughout the school year. By showing interest in your children’s learning, you can spark enthusiasm in them and lead them to a very vital understanding that, learning can be attractive as well as rewarding. In this regard, everyone can help because it needs no special training.
The reader may like to ask a question; such as how can one help his/her children to succeed in learning? Using common sense and little researches, these are few guides on how best parent and caregivers can assist their children.
1- You are aware that, children tend to imitate their parents and caregivers. Always remember, what you say and do in your daily lives can help your children to develop favourable attitude towards their learning. This will also help them build confidence in themselves. Showing the children that, you value education and you use it in your daily activities can encourage them in developing sound moral ground and greatly contributes to their success in school.
2- As the first and most important teacher of your children, it’s imperative that you keep strong relationship with your children’s school. When you are involved in the children’s schools, the children do better and have healthier feelings about going to school. Similarly, you can help your children to succeed by working with tutors to make sure that, they implement the approved curricula using excellent teaching procedures that are based on strong scientific evidence which works best in helping schoolchildren to learn.
3- At home, inspire your Child to read, helping your child become a reader is the single most essential thing that you can do to help the child to succeed in school and in life. The significance of reading simply can’t be over-elaborated. Reading helps children in all school subjects. More importantly, it is the key to lifelong learning.
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4- Talk with your child: talking and listening play major roles in children’s school success. It’s through hearing parents and family members talk and through responding to that talk a young child begins to pick up the language skills they will need if they are to do well. Example, children who do not hear a lot of talk and who are not encouraged to talk, commonly have problems learning to read, which can lead to other school difficulties. In addition, children who haven’t learned to listen carefully often have trouble following instructions and paying attention in class.
5- Monitor Homework: Let your child know that you think education is important and so homework has to be done. In order to help your children in doing their homework, have a special place for them to study. The homework area doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. A desk in the bedroom is nice. The area should have good lighting and it should be fairly quiet.
6- Monitor TV Viewing and Games: On average children spend more time watching TV or playing games than the time spend on completing homework or other school-related undertakings. Help your children to use TV and video games wisely by limiting the time given to them for watching TV and model good viewing habits, remember that children often imitate some behaviours weather good or otherwise.
7- Encourage Children to Work Independently and be Responsible: Taking responsibility and working independently are important qualities for school success. To help your children in developing these qualities, establish rules. Every home needs reasonable rules that children know and can depend on, then make sure to enforce the set rules consistently without deviation. Then, make it clear to your children that they have to take responsibility for whatever they do, both at home and in school.
8- Encourage Active Learning: Children need active learning as well as quiet learning such as reading and doing homework. Active learning involves “asking and answering questions, solving problems and exploring interests”. Active learning also can take place when your children plays sports, spends time with friends, acts in a school play, plays a musical instrument or visits museums and watch guided movies. To promote active learning, listen to your children’s ideas and respond to them. Let them jump in with any form of questions when you guide them in reading read their books. When you inspire your children to engage in this kind of give-and-take at home, they will partake actively in many activities and develop interest in school-based activities.
Let’s get started immediately!
No child should be left behind!!
Education is important!!!
