What things do you do to support your child's education?

[BigFishontheTelly]

I wasn't well supported at home, growing up.

I am determined to help my child in any way I can. We read everyday, talk about current affairs, do a bit of maths and spellings. Dh is showing him how to play the piano.

I am quite interested in education (as a lay person. I don't have any expertise!). I just wondered how other people support their child's learning.

Go to related places when doing topics - e.g. Fishbourne Roman palace when doing Romans, British Museum when doing Egyptians.
Help as needed with schoolwork.
Have GCSE revision guides & help plan revision for disorganised dyspraxic child.
Be interested in what tests are happening and how they went.
Not ho on holiday in term time.

Take an interest
Make sure they get enough sleep and attend well, with clean uniform and the equipment they need
read and support reading
limit computer games and screen time and do interesting things
value their education
notice what they are interested in and find enriching activities that support this

When DD was little I listened to her reading, did times tables with her and made sure she learned her spellings.

At secondary school I helped her if she didn't understand anything and provided the right tools to do her homework - pens, laptop, memo pads. In 6th form I redecorated her bedroom and got her a chair and desk from Ikea.

At university I paid her rent!

On a more general level I joined the PTA at primary school and helped fund raise for the school, and at secondary school I was a parent governor and (hopefully) helped to improve some aspects of the school.

Indulge their interests. Anything they are really into we will go all out with it.

Thanks for these replies.

Talk to them. Talk about everything and anything (age appropriate obvs). Make sure they understand a wide vocabulary, can explain their ideas and discuss an opposing view without taking it personally. Again all as age/stage appropriate.
I can spot children who have had conversations and those who have not. By the end of key stage two, their reasoning, reading and writing abilities are very different.

How old are they?

Number 1 is reading without a doubt. Then a good dictionary to look up unfamiliar words and encourage use of it.

It's much harder to read as there are so many distractions where as in the 80s it was a book or TV. It's easy to a lot the pupils who read and can therefore write well, both in English and other subjects

Second is get organised and help them get organised. I'm not a massive homework fan but revision is crucial. Talk to them about what they have learnt and what went well and what was boring and what they are proud of and what then need to do to prepare for tomorrow. Have a timetable in the fridge. Don't micromanage. Some where to do homework, a laptop and a printer are really helpful. Supply equipment.

Ds is 8 years old and in Year 4.

So reading and those workbook things from home bargains or what ever.

Maths, English, hand writing, verbal reasoning, and non verbal reasoning.

I loved doing them as a kid and had to steal my cousins who was doing the 11+. I didn't do it as wasnt in a grammar school area.

Reward chart. Don't fight if they don't want to do it. Preserve you family life too. I hate it when parents conflict with children over school.

Build in fun times. Theatre visits, sporting events, trips on the train buying things, cooking and all that contributes.

I'm a teacher in secondary.

Be flexible with the child, supply book's, magazines help them follow an interest but... don't push thing's.

The boring learning is for school... light the flame at home.
However one DC may need more help and one less.
I know people with Very clever DC and yet they stand over them and make life miserable.
A bright engaged child may not need constant hovering etc.

Words, meaning, erx

You're already doing so much that is good. Keep talking, keep reading and by this I also mean you model the worth of reading by doing it yourself.

Watch TV programmes together and talk about them. Keep screens out of the bedroom and in shared spaces long as possible.

Be interested in what they do, but be prepared for this:

YOU: How was school today?
DC: Fine
YOU: What did you do?
DC: Stuff

For years.

In practical terms, a place to do homework, keep a copy of DC's timetable. Check the school's emails to you. Never do your child's homework for them.

Read.
Subscribe to a kids newspaper and do the crossword every week
Read myself and let them see it
Create an environment that's good for work. No screens Mon - Thurs and make sure they have space to do their homework
They know I'll always buy them books or take them to the library
Lots of theatre/museum trips. Loads of the latter are free and offer brilliant stuff for kids.
Ferry them about to music school and sports practice

Encourage and support whatever they are interested in within your budget.

Over the years for us that has meant travelling to Rubiks Cube competitions,
Paying for chess apps and supporting attendance at a chess club (free),
Paying for language learning apps (because they were wanted)
Paying for piano learning app, lessons and then the purchase of lots of musical equipment (lots second hand) and driving to and supporting practice.

Emphasising the importance of a rounded life and skills and not too much brain rotting TicToc etc.

My son goes to Scouts and I remind him that the fun times of camps, water fights, campfires etc come with the responsibilities of parades, litter picks etc.

My son is secondary and I talk to him regularly about classroom behaviour (his behaviour is good). I remind him how it is important not to laugh or join in if the someone is rude to the teacher. How teachers have feelings too!

He is doing well academically but if anything he worries too much so I always tell him I don't care what grade he gets if he is a good kind person who does his best - which is true. I think a rounded confident person with decent grades will do better in life than an anxious wreck with straight As. Grades are not everything. Great if they can do their best.

Talk about our own education and degrees and what we enjoyed about further education often so they know we value education, but also its fine not to go to Uni and many don't so we Talk about other paths.
Read a lot with them especially when young and be seen reading in my own free time. Talk about our books and what we like to read. Both are mad into books now mid teens.
Clean uniform and the right equipment so ready for the day.
Praise for trying and hard work.
Help if asked DH was a Chemistry teacher so he can be useful, I'm more the humanities/Eng Lit.
Ensuring they know we are proud of them no matter what as long as they try and that mental health is more important than A** or whatever.
Not pushing what we like or hope they study on them.

Take ds to places that link in to his class work - such as Bletchley Park and to a waterfall in the Grampians.

Give him an endless supply of books (Waterstones and library).

Cook with him, cycle with him, ski with him, swim with him. Try to answer his questions and help him understand the world.

And endless suduku 😊

Be child led. Follow their interests and feed them. Pay attention to how they learn best, and accommodate that, even if it's not what you expect or ideally want. Eg my august born son has gone down a year and we paid for private education so he's now thriving, my other child goes to an alternative home education group due to SEN. They are both equally successful and driven in their worlds.

My DD had The Week Junior on subscription at that age and she was amazing on a quiz team at school, whatever team she was on always won.
It's a brilliant magazine for current affairs and facts

Read read read. I read to DS at bedtime every day without fail and have done since he was a baby. This alone has given him a noticeably wider vocabulary than many of his friends. He reads to us in the mornings, probably 6 days out of 7. Take him to the library regularly and buy him lots of books too.

Taught him chess and play with him regularly to improve his game.

Encourage an interest in music (he has piano lessons, encourage him to practice, take him to concerts to hear orchestras etc)

Buy him puzzle books and workbooks. When we go to restaurants he brings one of these to entertain himself instead of sitting gormlessly staring at an iPad.

On car journeys and at the dinner table we do quizzes or games. I-spy, alphabet game (pick a theme and then have to think of something fitting the theme beginning with every letter), maths quizzes, dinosaur quizzes, anything he’s currently interested in really.

Can I ask which piano learning app you have used? I can't decide which one for my child! Beginner at the moment ..

Watch news round with them and talk about what’s happening in the world. Then read the papers with them when they get a bit older and discuss content. It Instills an Outward looking, inquisitive growth mindset and shows them other perspectives, views and challenges.

Mine are younger but we quite often do fun educational things when we're driving in the car. I spy, adding, subtracting, things like that. They're usually asking to do it and it also helps them learn to take turns.

Always a story or two at bedtime and usually during the day as well if there's time.

I try to limit time on the tablet but they do enjoy some of the educational games so I don't mind them spending some time doing that.

I think just being interested in what they're doing and taking the time to sit down with them and go over what they've learnt at school helps. I've bought a little notebook for them each to keep at home and they enjoy making a few notes on what they've learnt that day, sometimes they just write a word or two or maybe draw a picture, but I they're usually quite proud of being able to show me something they've been doing.

Be interested in everything they do, including the extracurricular stuff.
I always used to marvel at the parents who expected their kids to get good grades and take part in school activities, but couldn't be bothered to remember the dates of parents evenings or school plays. If you demonstrate to kids that their education isn't a priority to you, then it won't be a priority to them.

I came on to recommend The Week Junior. We have had it for a few years and I think it’s an amazing resource for them to read about current affairs in an age appropriate way. We discuss what they’ve read and as a result I’d say (biased) their general knowledge is very good.

Get to know the teachers, know who the head of year is, go to school events and walk up to staff and say “hi I’m little pickles mum”.

books books books - reading every day and on holidays. Talk about things constantly.

ask open ended questions that can’t be answered with one word answers eg;

what was the best thing about your day today?

who would you most like to sit next to at lunch and why?

what are you looking forward to at school?