Page 4 - WoW_PH_Sampler

To the Parents

Parents are the most significant adults in a child’s life, and they play a pivotal role
in their child’s education. A child’s education begins at home, and parents are
their first teachers. It is, therefore, very important to maintain a balance between
education at home and that at school to mould a child’s actual learning. Wings of
Wonder Parents’ Handbook has been conceived with this very intent. It acts as a
reference guide for parents, suggesting ways and means through which parents
can play an effective role in their child’s educational journey.
Learning is a continuous process and is not confined to the hours a child spends
at school. Therefore, it is imperative that, for reinforcing the concepts the child
has come across in school, the same themes and topics are discussed at home
through activities or games.
Allow the child exposure to the different themes, explain the concepts, and try to
relate these to the everyday life of the child. At this stage, the expectation from
the child should be limited, keeping in mind their age and experience; it should
not be supposed that they would have the correct answers for all your questions;
the focus should be on how responsive they are to your queries. Always ask your
child how their day has been, and what they enjoyed doing the most in school.
While interacting with the child, do not restrict communication to any particular
language. A multilingual approach helps children acquire multiple languages at
a very young age.
Make clear and concise rules as to what the child is expected to do and how they
should behave in certain situations. Use soft words and actions even when you
are disciplining them. Praise them when they show good behaviour.
Try to follow a fixed daily schedule. This would help your child know when they
are expected to do certain activities. Rather than always being told what needs
to be done, a routine would make your child feel confident to go ahead and be
independent.
Learning can also be integrated with different activities during the day, without
disrupting them altogether. For example, meal times could be used to talk about
fruits and vegetables. It could further be extended to teach about likes and dislikes,
hygiene, avoiding wastage of food, etc.
It is important to have an eye on the child’s activity at school and home. Their
general habits are closely linked to how they perform in their studies. So give timely
advice and correct any abnormal behaviour right from the childhood days, and
inspire them to be good citizens. Remember, constructive criticism goes a long
way in shaping their character for life.