Why Parents Must Get Involved in the Child’s Education

Parents should be actively involved in the education of a child despite the fact that there are already several teachers, administrators and other school personnel to provide them the guidance they need through the school’s rules and regulations, the curriculum, and the learning.

Although it has been shown from studies that the children whose parents are involved in their education by helping them review lessons and study for exams exhibited higher scores in exams and performed better in the overall aspect, this is not how and why they should get involved. If being involved meant teaching and the reason for getting involved was for better grades, then all parents had to be well-educated and good at instruction. Furthermore, it such was the reasoning, then parents will fail to clearly express what the purpose of the education of a child is.

No, being involved could include but is not limited to teaching the child and reviewing him prior to exams. Parents must get involved in the education of a child, NOT his classroom. Also, the reason why parents must involve themselves is not for the child to develop a better academic performance, but to make sure that they are getting the proper learning and experience they would need once they are out in the real world. Remember that teaching your child the day’s lessons, attending parent-teacher meetings, or baking pineapple upside-down cake for their Christmas party are not the things that will determine your progress as an adult, and your success as an individual.

The following are some ways by which parents can get involved in their child’s education. Some of these ways need not even require parents to visit the child’s classroom.

- Regularly talk with the teacher of your child. Check on your child’s progress and ask if there are certain problems your child is experiencing in particular. The teacher can tell you what subjects are difficult for him, so you can teach your child at home or hire a tutor for him.
- At least discuss with your child his homework (if not help him with it).
- Obtain a copy of the school curriculum and get supplementary materials in advance for your child.
- Do not just depend on your child’s teachers; monitor his progress yourself!
- Set up a quiet study area for your child at home. This need not be an entire room. A table and a chair with a desk lamp at the corner of your child’s room would do. See to it that a specific time is set aside for doing homework.
- Always motivate your child! Let him feel how much you support him and that you want to help him get the best education of a child possible.

The Integral Role That Parents Play In the Education of Their Children

Parents, not teachers, should direct their children’s education. No buts, no exceptions. Every once in a while, this direction may mean the involvement of teachers, school administrators, or other professionals as somewhat “advisors” for the children’s educational plan, but they will not be the ones to decide what to and not to do, and determine what should and should not be. It if should have been the other way around, then parents should have been dubbed “second teachers”, and not teachers being dubbed as “second parents”.

It is the parents’ responsibility to make their children learn and understand the most important things and lessons in life; lessons that cannot be explained by the scribbles on a blackboard or the typewritten letters on the pages of a textbook. Some parents enroll their children in prestigious schools and leave it at that, thinking that everything will be taken care of and everything needed to be learned will be taught. Sure, they will learn everything they need to; everything except preparing themselves to become adults. It is very sad to see many parents forgetting that experience is one’s best education. In fact, education without experience is not education at all.

Imagine this; the eldest of your children grows up and only a short while after graduating from high school, he gets married. A year goes by, and you learn that he and his wife decided to get separated. You ask him why and he tells you that you that they always fight about money and work, and that the marriage was not going to work. Now, did the knowledge on husband-wife relationships that he acquired in this school that you entrusted your children’s education to, save their marriage? Were the steps in problem solving helpful? So what if they have the ability to make any desired program function if they cannot make a marriage work?

Any responsible and mature parent would agree that marrying that early was not a very wise decision in the first place. This is not to say it is wrong to marry early, since we all have our own views of what is right and what is wrong. What I am indeed saying is that marrying early is not practical for one who has just graduated, has not saved up much, and has no experience whatsoever on making big decisions. In fact, quarrels over money and work are very shallow reasons for a separation. If both the man and woman are truly mature enough to start a family, then they would not have fought over money and work issues in the first place. Did they not exchange vows to be together “for better or for worse”, “in sickness and in health”, promising that only death will part them? As you can see from this example, school cannot take the place of experience as the vital part of your children’s education. As parents, it is your responsibility to take care that your children grows up exposed to the truths in life and guided by your experience, in order for them to make it on their own once they assume their independence.

Music Education for Children: Why Should Parents Bother?

As parents, you would want to provide only the best education for your child. This is why parents work so hard; they do not mind getting tired everyday as they look forward to that paycheck to provide for their children’s educational needs. In fact, a star stamped on the child’s hand for being “very good” in school today is enough to put a smile the parents’ faces and make them forget how stressful work can be.

Now, what if someone told you that there was a way to improve your child’s learning for free, would you not be interested to listen? You would, probably. And even if it does not come for free, perhaps you still would, as long as it will benefit your child’s education. Fortunately for parents like you, it does come for free!

So what is “it”? Well, it here means music. Singing, playing, and listening to music, all these activities have long been proven to produce positive effects on a child’s academic performance. In fact, even children as young as newborns benefit from music.

Many different studies on music education has shown that it has a lot of benefits, from calming down a child in a bad mood, to helping the child solve mathematical problems easier and faster. On the whole, music education for your child helps him move forward to achieving success as a student.

Many researchers, in fact, believe that music has many other positive effects that are yet to be discovered, which is why studies on music are still being conducted today. To convince you of the importance of music education for your child, here are some of the findings of the studies conducted on the relationship of music education and children’s academic performance.

One of the studies showed that a group of students who had piano training scored higher in math by 27%. Another one showed that the young students who either play or sing in school bands are have less tendency to drink or smoke. It was also proven that exposure to music has a soft of soothing effect as it can change the mood of a child. The schools that implement music education which involves the students constantly being exposed to music reported that the number of cases involving fights and arguments between students was reduced considerably.

Countless surveys have come up with one and the same conclusion that most students find it easier to study when a music class is incorporated in their curriculum. Playing music also serves as the outlet of students, as it becomes their form of self-expression, helping them control their emotions better. Likewise, if your child learns to study music, he can produce the same effects while he is in class, such as the ability to listen and understand lessons easier. Bottomline here is that providing music education for your child will improve his performance and behavior, both in school and at home. Who knows, maybe the next time you see your child when you get home, there will be more than one star stamped on the back of his hand.

A Guide for Parents Seeking Help for Special Children’s Education

Special children’s education can be a touchy subject for parents. Most of the time, parents would be the ones seeking out that needed extra assistance when children begin to show signs of autism. This is not to say that schools are not doing anything to help, when they should. For all we may know, they could be trying to find help but the given circumstances just makes it easier said than done. Reality tells us that the funding for special education is low, its resources are limited, and the waiting lists are long.

This does not mean, however, that all hope is lost. Sometimes, such as in these situations, being squeaky is necessary if it would mean getting the grease. If you are among the parents who are seeking educational help for their special children, here are some advices to get you started:

First, make the first move and start today. Do not rely on your child’s school because, chances are, they will not take in the problem. You might get the attention you want at first, but most often, schools will just dismiss initial concerns at the end of the day. Time is precious here; do not waste it dealing with them. You could complain, and begin your squeaking with them, but what for? It would get you nowhere since the school will not exactly be the one to provide help anyway. Like you, they will just be seeking that help from the higher organizations that focus on special children’s education. Furthermore, unless you know someone on the inside, the school is practically your only means of reaching those organizations. Thus, no matter how frustrating it could be, do not antagonize them. Rather, be friends with them. It could prove to be helpful.

Second, if you can afford to hire professionals to work for your child’s case, being organized is vital. Failure to attend one meeting will already count against you. Be sure to keep every document given to you throughout the entire duration of the case such as notes on meetings, reports and results.

Third, be patient. The testing process will take time so you might need to wait for long. Sadly, many parents who badly need to get the testing over with resort to privately hiring someone to speed up the process. While waiting, do your homework. The more information you can get about the condition of your child, the better it will be for you to get help.

And fourth, know your rights. Do not hesitate to complain to higher authorities if your child’s school is still not doing anything to help your child after you have long communicated your concerns. Special children’s education is not to be taken granted. You have all the right to seek legal assistance so speak up if you have to.

A Child’s Education Should Begin at Birth!

Early child education, or simply “early education”, according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), refers to the phase in the period of childhood characterized by the child beginning to learn through play, spanning the human life from birth up to the age of eight.

Over the years, researchers, teachers, and parents have all recognized the importance of early education on the child’s overall development. Numerous studies have been conducted to establish whether there is a connection between early education and the child’s academic performance and behavioral development patterns. Findings varied in some ways but one thing remained dominant—the findings show that majority of those who did not have early education end up getting arrested or drawn into the use of alcohol, drugs or tobacco. One particular study came up with shocking findings suggesting that students who lacked early education are 70% more likely be to be arrested for a violent crime by age the of 18. This clearly shows how early education is vital for a child’s overall development.

However, many people, especially parents, have this common misconception that early child education simply means enrolling the child at an early age—three years old as the earliest possible. While that could in fact be the earliest age for a child to be eligible to enroll, early education does not necessarily mean learning at school. As how NAEYC defines it, early education begins at birth!

To further emphasize why even infants need to be exposed to stimuli at such an early age, here is a little trivia for parents. An average newborn infant has roughly 12 million neurons. These refer to the cells in the brain. When a child reaches the age of 12, all unused neurons die. Thus, most of the 12 million neurons of a child when he was still an infant die since they were not used. Although a few parents already know this scientific discovery, they do nothing about it.

Your child should be given early brain stimulation as early as a month old to retain most of their neurons. At 10 months, he should be exposed early to math and reading. There are programs on early child education designed even for infants that create learning pathways in the brain, enabling them to understand math and read even before they reach the age of 2.

The Transition Points Every Child Goes Through

Child development and education are two of the most vulnerable yet most significant stages in life. It is during these stages that the child’s first identity is built based on how he first sees himself, how he thinks he should behave, and how he expects others to behave in relation to him. During these stages, also, the child will face different challenges as he goes through many transition points. These challenges include physical changes, social demands, academic pressures, and emotional needs. Some of these can be handled with just a little getting used to but others truly can place much stress and pressure on the child.

This is why parents play an integral role during child development and education. It is crucial that parents are there to provide particular understanding and guidance for the child. They must offer him support, understand what he is going through, and help him cope with these challenges.

Preschool may pose emotional, academic and social challenges for the child. This is the time when a child experiences his first prolonged separation from his parents and could also be the first time when the child is required to stay put at his assigned chair for brief periods of time, and listen and follow instruction. The child also learns how to read, write, and listen, and develops his comprehension and memory skills by learning the alphabet, the names of colors and how they look like. As for social challenges, a child is used to being pampered and being the center of attention but preschool with its group nature, requires him to share colors, books, and other supplies, participate in group games and activities, and ultimately, share the spotlight.

Early elementary years usually involve acquiring new skills and discovering hidden talents, forming new friendships, crying over petty fights, facing bullies, developing a “boy versus girl” mindset, experiencing having crushes (thus marking the start of self-consciousness and insecurity), and going through periods of envy every once in a while.

As one will see, a lot of things happen during child development and education and all of these things will have affect your child in one way or another, making it vital for parents to make sure that he receives the love, understanding, guidance, and fair discipline that he needs.

The Five Foundations of Any Child’s Education

“Is the education of a child important?” This might just be the most ridiculous and obvious question ever asked. Ask any parent this question and for sure, you will get the same answer again and again. However, if the question had asked for the reason behind this importance, there will, without a doubt, be many different answers. One parent may say “So he will be able to easily get a job”. Another may say that it is important so that his child will learn responsibility. Another reason could be that the child’s learning will help him make good decisions. Parents have countless other reasons for a child’s education but ultimately, they mean the same thing—to prepare the child for adulthood.

Some might disagree with this; in fact, many parents do not want to think of adulthood yet, saying they do not want their children to grow up fast. Well nobody said anything about reaching adulthood fast. Rather, it is progressing from childhood and growing up to be adults. You have to bear in mind that in the end, only two things can happen: your child grows up with you, with your guidance, or your child grows up without you, guided by his friends. Which ending do you want for your child?

Surely, you want your child to grow up guided by you. If you are to prepare them to become responsible adults, you must make them learn, understand and live by five essential things. The proper education of a child involves the teaching of values, morals, ethics, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Values are the feelings, thoughts and opinions which your family has determined important. The values of one family may, of course, differ from those of another. A child needs to learn what the things he values are. Morals refer to what things are right and what are wrong. Usually, our morals are shaped by a bigger community’s standards and beliefs. Every child must be able to distinguish right from wrong. Ethics refer to the ideology of how one should behave. These are the principles of conduct and manners. A child will follow what he sees. If parents are not there to show the child how one should rightfully behave, he will then follow those whom he sees; he will pattern the way his peers behave.

Problem solving is the ability to come up with a solution for a particular task or difficulty AND the ability to do everything required to carry it out. Knowing that sand can put out a spreading fire is useless if you do not know where and how to get that sand. A child must be able to determine what must be done with a problem and know to do it. Lastly, decision-making is the ability to make sound decisions that will be for the betterment of all. A good decision is one that is based on the first four essential principles. A child must learn have the ability to make good judgments and sound decisions so that he will be able to determine which direction to follow.

These five elements shape the entire education of a child. Without these five, your child may grow physically and biologically, but he will never grow from being a child to becoming an adult.

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Secrets to a Better Memory and Better Grades Revealed!

Useful Resources Online For Your Toddler – The Learning Process Can Be Fun!

Early child education refers primarily to the stage in life where a child learns through play. Used interchangeably with it are the terms “early learning”, “child education”, “child care”, and “early education”. This period begins from birth and ends at the age of eight according to the National Association of Education for Young Children (NAEYC).

The term has been used widely to describe the education of preschoolers, and even baby programs. Although (as mentioned earlier) this period includes all children ages 8 and below, it is a stage that concentrates more on the years from birth up to the end of preschool (usually at age four).

As a parent, you should be involved in the period of early child education by helping enhance your toddler’s learning. Fortunately, the internet can help you. There is almost nothing that cannot be found on the internet today, and this is true even for educational resources for toddlers. You can find countless educational games, printable activities for toddlers, fun science learning packages, a catalog of toys for toddlers, teaching tools such as blocks, flash cards, math tables for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, planet charts, and a lot more.

There are also many audio-visual games that teach English and the proper pronunciation of words. In addition to that, even French, German, and Spanish pronunciations are included. There are easy-to-use point and click games that test and enhance your toddler’s comprehension memory skills. For example, five apples will be displayed and your toddler’s goal is to correctly choose the number corresponding to the quantity of the items as shown. In this example, the toddler must click “5”. Another similar game focuses, this time, on colors. For example, the computer shows a picture of a banana and your toddler must click on “Yellow” to move on. More games similar to teach on time, the alphabet, animal sounds, etc. are available online.

Perhaps the most important years in a toddler’s life are those during the period of early child education. Thus, you must make sure to provide only the best learning experience during this period. Furthermore, a toddler can only be a toddler once in his lifetime. Why not make his preschool years fun?

The Areas of Development Crucial To The Establishment Of The Child’s Identity

Child development and education are perhaps the most critical phases in one’s life. These stages span the human life from birth up to the end of adolescence. What a child experiences during these years would shape practically his entire identity and determine what his adulthood would be like.

During the early part of these years, a child will first begin to make sense of the world, and determine how he sees himself, how he sees other people, what he thinks the proper way for him to behave should be, and how he expects other people to treat him. These years are characterized primarily by the child’s innocence.

The years that would follow involve experiencing changes in the body, being exposed to the principles of right and wrong, establishing personal values and ethics, discovering talents, building self-esteem, developing self-awareness, forming new friendships, beginning to take notice of the members of the opposite sex, going through periods of insecurity, being confused for a lot of things, starting to assume independence, going through fights between parents, develop decision-making and critical thinking skills, and ideally, a shift from childhood to maturity just before entering adulthood. These are the things that generally will take place during the stages of child development and education.

Speaking of development, the following are the six different areas of development in every child:

1.) Physical development. This involves the development of cognitive abilities and motor skills as the child starts to explore his surroundings.
2.) Intellectual development. This involves making sense of the world and developing his personal perception of the things around him.
3.) Social development. This concentrates on forming of the child’s identity and his ability to establish relationships and attachments that can last, deal with other people, and understand what his place in particular community is.
4.) Creative development. This involves the discovery and improvement of skills and talents.
5.) Emotional development. This involves developing self-confidence, being aware of one’s self, developing insecurities, understanding emotions, and the ability to cope with them.
6.) Spiritual development. This involves the development of faith, prayer and the belief that all things are beyond his control. This developmental domain provides a source of hope and motivation for a child when all else fails.

Child development and education center on the child, but call for the guidance, presence and involvement of the parents and other people.

A Classroom Cannot Substitute The Real World

Like most parents, you are probably thinking that a decent school with high standards of teaching is enough to ensure the proper education for your child. This is not true. A good school may and most likely will provide your child sufficient “academic” knowledge, but education is not limited to subjects like history, language, math and the sciences alone. There is more to education than the ability to summarize the life of Julius Caesar, explain the symbolisms used by Shakespeare, calculate limits at infinity, and recite the names of all the constellations of the night sky. In fact, a background on these things is important but in the end, you and I both know that your child will not survive the real world if these were all he knows. Even if schools teach values education subjects, knowing what is “ideal” is not enough when he finally comes across what is “real”.

Learning achieved in school is not enough once your child’s out there in the real world. What one reads in books, no matter how much your child has memorized them, will not help him if he has not been there firsthand. Real education is achieved through experience. Life requires that a person learns and understands certain things—things that cannot be learned inside a classroom. One must experience something in order to understand it. Likewise, the education for your child if he is to become prepared for adulthood, must involve being exposed to what really happens once you are an adult.

The best real examples from whom he can learn are of course, his parents and immediate family, and the community. A child must observe, learn and understand how adults function in order to survive, how one should balance time and handle money responsibly, and how one should act and speak if somebody lost a loved one. He must also experience failure, so that he would know how to stand up if he fails again. He must know and experience how to apologize, express gratitude, forgive, solve problems, and make decisions. He must know how one should behave in parties, how spouses should give and take, how to raise a child well, and how to respect the opinions of other people. These are some examples of the things that make up the real education for your child.

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