What experiences / skills / lessons do you wish your primary aged children had?

[Orangelimefish]

I am in the fortunate position to work 3 days a week. In my sector the options are only to work 3 days a week or full time. Due to DH working long hours, me working FT just doesn't work.

I have a 3yo and a 4 yo. In September the 4yo will go to school. In a years time the 3 yo will go to school.

I would like to use the non-working time I have to do enriching things with my children. I am really really not interested in hothousing them, but want to be able to look back at their young years and feel that I gave them a range of interesting experiences and skills.
We live in suburban London.

We already:

• do basic cooking and baking
• build dens and explore nature
• do craft sets I buy
• do lots of reading
• football class
• visit farms
• lots of free/unstructured play
• bikes/scooters

In the longer term I would love them to try out scouts/guides, try coding, learn a bit about basic money management, be able to cook a meal independently.

Are there things that you did or wish you had done with your young children which you feel were really enriching?

TIA

Take them on public transport - all forms you can think off - to shops, preferably small ones, or where ever, and let them see you engaging with people.

Also just get them to paint and draw pictures of things they have seen or done e.g. you visit a farm and then you encourage them to paint/draw their favourite animal they saw.

Otherwise you are doing enough until they are in school. Then you can decide whether on what activities and clubs they are going to do. If you are going to do activities/clubs stick more to the creative so dance/drama/art/ music and sports ones rather than stuff like coding. Only because that's would be missing from their mainstream education.

One thing I think most children benefit from and are hugely beneficial is drama school - I don’t mean because of trying to push them to pursue a career in acting/performing but just the skills that can be gained in performing are huge. They can be unfortunately incredibly expensive but if their school is lucky enough to have a drama club do encourage them to join. It’s been life changing for my DC.

If you want them to get into Guiding / Scouts you need to put their names on the waiting lists now (actually best after they are born!) so they will get into Rainbows, Brownies etc. you can do this on the guiding / scouts website.

Mine enjoyed toddler dance sessions. And storytime at the library / just going to the library and learning how to borrow books (and then have a babychino / cake for a treat but not compulsory haha). Soft play centre aren’t my cup of tea but something active to do when quiet term-time. Also toddler gymnastic sessions at local leisure centre. If you’re near Legoland they do an amazing value Adult and preschooler pass for £50 for a whole year.

Def focus on having fun, they will do lots of learning at school :)) Swimming too!

Sorry I should explain "let them see you engaging with people."

Is because I'm listening to a radio phone in on how children who don't see people verbally interact with one another, and are not talked to themselves by their parents/adults around them are more likely to have poor oracy skills by the age of 5.

This is why @KnitMePurlMe suggest of doing drama/stage school stuff is good as well but you can start with the everyday stuff.

@Reugny so true! Were you listening to the thing about oracy? It’s sooooo important - verbal skills and interaction are vital and helping children to develop confidence at a young age lays down building blocks for life. People always comment to me on how easy my teen DC are to engage in conversation and I credit that to drama and lots and lots of encouragement to chat to anyone and everyone when they were little (E.g. ordering their own food in restaurants, engaging in chat with shop workers, bus drivers, gym staff etc rather than always talking for them).

You sound like you’re doing lots of fab stuff 🥰

@KnitMePurlMe It comes from Keir Starmer's article and then speech - https://news.sky.com/story/labour-to-propose-annual-ofsted-inspections-in-education-overhaul-12915563

The presenters and callers on LBC so far today are discussing various aspects of how parents and schools can improve a child's oracy.

I wish mine had the chance to become fluent in another language. I could teach her some vocabulary in French or Spanish, but it would be so much better if she could learn the accent from a native speaker.

Sorry, just noticed you’re looking for things you can do with your children yourself. But at least there will be more children’s language classes in London than where I live.

Thank you for all the replies!

Drama (and exposure to speaking in different situations) to improve oracy and confidence sounds like a great idea.

I have just emailed to ask about getting on a waiting list for Beavers.

I would love my children to have fluency in a second language but, in an English-speaking home, I agree that it would be really hard to achieve beyond vocab.

Other ideas welcome!

@Reugny I’m really excited that this is being out front and centre - it’s so important! 🥰

Put not out!