Coaching could lead to burn out

By Margaret K Lubega IS your P3 or P4 child involved in coaching? Do you find that they are exhausted and you are broken? Some primary school children are doing too much academic work making some of them reluctant to go to school. They resent leaving home in the morning. Introducing children to books at an early age is good but there is a limit to how much of that they can take in. Parents are extraordinarily ambitious for their children because of the myth that if children do not try everything in the classroom they will somehow miss out on good grades. Things do not always have to be this way, however, as children need to enjoy their play time too because this is where there creativity emerges. Studies show that children who are given time to play not only build skills, but they also learn to be part of a team or group and this is important. You can avoid burn out for your child and yourself by: l Avoid pushing too hard because you might end up putting off studying. A subject or two are enough if you want your child to improve their academic performance at such a lower level in primary. l From P5 onwards, you can work hand in hand with teachers in selecting the number of subjects the child is weak in. Concentrating on two subjects a month is quite adequate and will not cause burn out, psychologists. l Take a cue from your child. Observe with keen interest what your child enjoys reading or does is good at school. l Avoid pushing them into subjects that you wanted to do but missed out on or failed. l Allow your children to explore other interests opportunities such as music or learning another language. Encourage them to concentrate on what appeals to them. l In case they lose enthusiasm do not give up on them. Help them relax instead. l Show interest in what appeals to your child and make it special for them. Also discuss new interests with the class teacher. l However, make sure your child is not totally idle during the holidays. By the beginning of the term they should have read at least five story books to improve on their English. The writer is a lecturer at the Institute of Teacher Education Kyambogo (ITEK). Ends.