Month: October 2021

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Fun Tips to Help Children Learn their Spellings

Girl Writing in a book

Fun Tips to Help Children Learn their Spellings

A step by step guide to teaching children how to spell

Teaching children how to spell is not as easy as it sounds. Teaching them how to spell correctly can be a challenge, but it does not have to be. These 5 tips will help you teach your child how to spell with ease whilst having some fun at the same time.

1) Use repetition, repetition, repetition.

2) Ignore minor mistakes-correct them later on.

3) Create a personalised spelling list that they are interested in and that will also help them learn their spellings.

4) Bring spelling into life by linking words with everything around you.

5) Variety is key-spellings are not all the same!

When it comes to learning spellings, it can be like pulling teeth to support our little ones. It doesn’t have to be this way, though. 

Back in the day, your parent would read out the word, perhaps telling you a sentence to give you context, and then you’d be expected to either give each letter of the word or write it down. That approach does not work for many children, so have a go at the following fun ways to practise spellings, and you should encounter less resistance. 

Mnemonics

The word mnemonic itself is tricky to spell. However, the thought behind the strategy will certainly help. Mnemonics help children (and adults) to remember difficult things, including spellings, such as because – big elephants can add up sums easily. Using your child’s spelling list, create some fun mnemonics together and illustrate them, placing them around the house to see them regularly. 

Ransom letters

Forget throwing out the catalogues and leaflets that come through the door daily. Instead, keep them and put them to one side for this fun activity that will have your child engaged. First, tell them the spelling word they need to spell and then, using the printed material, get them to cut out letters, creating the words, resulting in a ransom letter of their spellings. It’s a lot of fun and gets them to think carefully about the order of the letters, too. 

Magnetic letters

There is another use for the magnetic letters than simply leaving insults for your partner. In fact, their intended purpose was for younger children to experiment with creating words and sentences. So, why not tell your child the word and get them to spell it? Even better, ask them to incorporate it into a sentence.

Missing letters

The English language is a peculiar and nonsensical one at times. Many vowel sounds are actually a schwa (almost a grunt of a sound and shorter than a typical short vowel sound). Think of the word ‘chicken’ – it can be difficult to determine that the final vowel is an e because it is a schwa sound. Write down some of the spelling words on a piece of paper or a whiteboard and ask your child to complete it. 

Sticky notes

Choose one of the spelling words and write them down a letter at a time on sticky notes. Then, present them to your child in random order. They should look carefully at the letters and rearrange them into the correct sequence, spelling the desired word. 

Run and grab

For this activity, you will need flashcards with letters A to Z on them. I prefer to have them printed in A4 size, then spread them over the floor in a large area. Next, tell your child one of their spelling words. They should then run, grab the first letter, show you and place it back down, repeating until they have spelled the entire word. This fun, active way of practising spellings is excellent for using up pent-up energy, too.

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How can we Encourage Reluctant Readers and Engage Them in Reading?

Ways to Encourage Reluctant Readers

I always struggled to get my kids to read books I thought it would be great to include some helpful tips for your reluctant reader. There are lots of reasons why your child is finding difficulty reading. They could be dyslexic or they are just bored with the choice of reading material.

A reluctance to read can be for various reasons. However, just because a child does not care for reading material does not mean that we cannot attempt to change their likes and dislikes, encouraging an appreciation for the written word. 

Here are some suggestions of how you could encourage the reluctant reader in your life. 

Read to them

Sometimes a child simply isn’t ready to read, and they must gain enthusiasm for stories and other texts. What better feeling as a parent than leaving them at the end of a chapter desperate to find out what happens next? Audiobooks are another valuable resource, especially useful for long car journeys. 

Vary the material

Often, we are so fixated on children reading the book that has been sent home from school that we neglect their willingness to read other things. Whether it’s a catalogue for a toy store or an instruction manual for their Lego model, a comic book, or a non-fiction book about Space, allow them the freedom to choose their own material on occasions. 

Role reversal

Kids love telling us parents what we’ve done wrong, right? Reversing the typical roles of the parent as the teacher and the child as the student allows your kid to take charge and boss you around. Read their reading book to them in the hope that they will pick up on your mistakes. Pay attention to the sound they have been learning and get them wrong. Then, they are likely to realize you’ve made a mistake and pull you upon it. 

Reduce the formality

How you structure your reading time with your child can make a difference in how well it is received. Forget the table and chairs. Instead, get comfy and cozy, wrap up under a blanket, hideaway in a den, and share a book, encouraging your child to read alternate words, then sentences, and eventually paragraphs and pages. If your kid is used to reading in the same place at the same time every night, perhaps that is why they are reluctant. You could create a spinner with a few different places written on, including the treehouse in the garden or even the bathtub, and get them to spin it each night and see which location is randomly selected. 

Read to soft toys

Parents aren’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to reading. Some children adore reading to their teacher but audibly groan when it’s time to read to Mum. Get them to grab their favourite teddies, arrange them in a circle, and read them a bedtime story. You can still access it on the periphery, but you are not the main focus like you usually would be.

Incorporate games

Is it still reading if you play games that involve sounding out the words? Of course! One of the most enjoyable games for younger children is ‘fastest finger first. After reading a page of their book, get them to wiggle their index finger and give them a word that they must find before you do. This game helps them to remember words and can also be super fun for both them and you. Just don’t let them win every time!

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How to Help Your Child’s Mental Health for World Mental Health Day

How to Help Your Child’s Mental Health for World Mental Health Day

Yesterday was #World Mental Health Day. I decided to write this blog post at a difficult time with my daughter. I wanted to think about how even being the best possible parent a child or young adult can so easily fall through the gaps into poor mental health.

Parenting is hard, but one of the most rewarding things you’ll ever do. We all want to give our kids the best life, but sometimes this means working on their mental health.

One Step at a Time!

Take it One Step at a Time.  If you have just one day left with your child before they leave home- watch them closely and look out for any warning signs that something may be wrong.

Here are some tips to help parents raise children with good mental health.

1. Make sure your child is well-connected to other people, particularly family members and friends. This will increase their self-esteem.

2. Encourage your child to be involved in activities they find enjoyable, both at home and out in the community. This will give them an outlet for building self-control skills while also providing meaningful connections to others who are engaged in the same activity.

3. Emphasize the positive attributes of your child’s personality that they can develop into strengths or hobbies that they can enjoy for a lifetime; this will make them feel more confident about themselves and make them feel good about themselves when they do something well or complete a task successfully, which boosts their self-worth and satisfaction with life

Parenting is one of the toughest jobs you can do. It’s a job that has been taken on by millions of caring adults around the world. But because it’s such a complex task, not everyone knows how to do it right or what to do when things go wrong. To be honest there is no right or wrong because no child or parent is the same.

That’s why we have outlined here some great tips for parents who want to help their kids develop emotional intelligence and become more self-aware.

Know your child inside and out

We know that all children are different and that you can’t treat them all the same way, but there are certain things that they all need from their parents to grow up happy and healthy. Understanding your child will help you know which parenting strategies will work best for them.

As a parent, emotional intelligence is the most important skill that you can teach your child.

Children learn from their parents and emulate the behaviour that they witness. Be mindful of this and maintain your composure in difficult situations. This is one of the most important ways to teach kids how to deal with their emotions and maintain control in difficult moments.

It’s not easy to be a parent and sometimes we feel like we need reinforcements when it comes to parenting advice or coping with our own emotions when we’re dealing with our children’s behaviour. It’s important that we continue to take care of ourselves so that we can be better for our children when they need us most.

Understanding emotional intelligence in children can help with parenting.

Parenting is one of the most difficult jobs that anyone will ever have to do. They are tasked with teaching their child how to behave, how to be a good person, and all the life skills that they will need to live successfully in society. And it is an ever-changing job as their kids grow and learn new things every day. One of the most important things that parents need to teach their kids early on is emotional intelligence.

It’s not just about being able to read other people’s feelings, but also being able to understand your own feelings and how they affect others around you.

As parents, we always want to do our best to keep our children safe and happy. One way of doing this is by understanding them better. This article will provide some parenting tips for kids and emotional intelligence in children.

Talking to your child about mental health and the importance of self-care is a difficult topic. But it’s important to have this conversation because children will grow up and learn more about mental health as they get older. It is their responsibility to know how to take care of themselves and it’s our responsibility as adults to teach them the basics.

If you want your child or teenager to understand mental health, you need to talk about it in a way they can relate to and at a level, they can comprehend. They might not be able to focus on long explanations, so keep it simple and talk with them often instead of only when the topic comes up naturally between you two for example.

Mental health affects everyone differently, which means that we all need different solutions for self-care.

When you’re a parent, it’s your job to teach your children how to survive in the world. You don’t just teach them how to live or what to do when they grow up, you also teach them how they should feel. But there are some things that are more difficult for kids of all ages.

Talking about mental health is one of those things.

It can be hard for parents and educators to know the best way to talk about mental health with their kids. But you are not alone!

Talking to your child about mental health is important. You should do so with sensitivity, understanding, patience, and empathy.

The first step is deciding how you want to approach the conversation with your child. It might be enough for you to reassure them that they are not alone, but if they need more help or support then it’s important that you offer them advice on what they can do next.

The main factors that influence the child’s emotional intelligence are genetics and experiences. So parents need to understand what helps their children develop emotionally intelligent behaviors and try to provide those things in their environment.

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