Help your child to excel

IN a period of less than a year I have hosted close to 500 children, aged between three and 13 years for the Mama Tendo workshops.

 

During the three-day character-building workshops, we discuss various topics like obedience, self-control and attentiveness. We also do dramas and fun activities. 

 

And as these children engage in these activities, I have observed a few issues that we as parents need to pay attention to, to enable our children excel in life. 

 

1Handwriting:  One of the greatest challenges children have is writing neatly and many parents are putting almost no effort in helping them improve. Anyone’s handwriting can improve with practice. However, parents lack the time to do handwriting practice with their children. No teacher will be a 100% devoted to your child’s handwriting, yet it is key in literacy development. As parents you have a role to play in improving your child’s handwriting.  Give the child exercises, buy handwriting books and download free practice materials from the Internet to help your child improve their handwriting.

2Spellings: Many children have poor spellings. The good news is that just as with handwriting, anyone’s spelling can improve with practice. Parents need to help their children spell well because it is crucial in effective communication. Read out words to your child regularly so they can learn to spell better, which is crucial to improving their grades. 

3 Excellence in work: Being excellent at whatever they do should be a goal for every child.

 

I remember a nine-year-old boy who had to make a “thank you card” for his parents. The card was plain yet there were many things the boy would have used to beautify it, but he did not want to go an extra mile. I challenged him to make it outstanding and even made suggestions on how he could do this. Raising youngsters with a desire for excellence should consume us as parents.

 

4 Carelessness: Many children are careless. They do not care where they throw their bags; they lose books, pencils and bags daily. Raising a careless child can be costly. Worse still, carelessness can make them miss a number of opportunities in life. 

 

As parents we are supposed to train our children to be responsible. Childhood carelessness is common. But with commitment of the parent to monitor and supervise the child on any given assignment, a child is able to overcome that level of carelessness.

 

Parents should watch out for work with no dates, no commas or full stops and no systematic presentation in the book. All this needs parental supervision.