Learning out of the box

Many parents feel that school is the place where children learn. And to a certain extent that is true. We hand over our children for such a large portion of their lives to qualified teachers who plan programmes that teach them what they are supposed to know.Homework also plays a part in adding to the learning process. However, for some children, this is not enough. Very often, ­homework needs to be measured by the teacher in some way and as such, it is not work that would engage the child’s brain and help him to develop strong ­reasoning and ­creative skills. At times, the work given does not meet the needs of the individual child.Parents can still do a lot at home to aid in their children’s learning process and it’s not as scary and as involved as you may think.If you want your child to be a little more challenged, or to ­develop new skills in areas that may not fall within the conventional areas that school and homework teaches, try these ideas:
- Play time

Research has proven that children who are given more free time to do what they like, develop higher creative thinking skills than those in structured programmes all the time. So, encourage a range of out-of-school activities, although not a different one every day.

- Homework expectations

Each school has slightly different ­expectations of homework and so does each teacher. Homework should be ­something your child can carry out ­relatively unaided. If you need to help them for hours every night, then the expectation is set at too high a level and needs to be lowered.

- Provide helpful materials

For young learners, having materials can help make their learning easier. This may include counters, alphabet charts and word books. Allow them to help measure out ingredients when cooking, and spend time reading notices and signs when you are out and about.