Firstly, a calm relaxing environment is most important for your child if you want them to focus, remain relaxed and most importantly be happy, this is key! We all wish for happiness and success for our child and as a parent of three boys I know there are constant pressures we feel as a parent worrying about many issues such as ‘is school doing enough for my child’, ‘am I supporting them and doing the right thing when preparing them for exams and interviews and if so, am I pushing them too much or not doing enough’?!
My main response would be, don’t look over your shoulder at the next parent and compare…your child is wonderfully unique and different. Trust your instincts. Keep communicating with your child finding times to talk about anything really, it just shows you are there for them should they need you. Listen to them and by that I mean really listen, repeat back to them what they’ve said to reinforce what you’ve heard and don’t speak over them. This way, trust grows and when a child feels trust and that they are being heard they will share so much more.
Don’t forget to have fun and give complements and praise! Please don’t criticize them constantly and try to respond with positives rather than negatives. Things to do over the weekends …
play board games as a family - but make sure it doesn’t become aggressive or too competitive!
have down time for yourself and your child
let them have access to their phone/social media/online games but agree together a time restriction when using any device.
find out what is on locally in the area?
Physical exercise – great for the body and brain….walks, runs…get out and about and try to change the environment/pattern from a normal school day
Bake/paint/draw/create ☺
Finally, if you want your child to work on preparation papers such as BOFA or BOND agree a study schedule that is right for your child, no good copying another family and definitely do not compare another child to yours, purely focus on your child and what is best for his/her needs. Remember, working 9am-3pm might work for one child but not for another. Is he/she better at concentrating in the morning or afternoon and how many hours does a child really need, personally I don’t think many as it’s just an introduction to understanding techniques and staying in the learning zone. A good way to start out is Bonds, Parents Streefree Guide which helps you find your starting point and which topic/subject books you need.
BOFA and BOND papers both on and off line are a great source of guidance, structure and can be done independent of the parent most of the time…a happy child is a confident child 😊
