Your child will meet a range of people from all different walks of life. They may have differing views of them and can teach them many things. Knowing how to respect others is a big part of socializing and raising your child to be respectful of all should be a part of this. Below is some guidance from a prep school in Buckinghamshire on how to teach your child to respect other cultures.

Use a Map

The world is very big and diverse. There are 195 countries around the world, all with their own identity. This is a great place to start and can help your child to develop a broad understanding of where different people are from.

Treating Everyone as Equals

We are all equals that deserve respect and to be treated kindly. This is a message that you can send to your child by doing so in your interactions with others. 

School trips give children the opportunity to explore the world around them and put what they’ve learned into practice. They can gain new, unique experiences and create lasting memories with their friends. There’s much more to school trips too. For example, they teach children how to present themselves when outside of their school environment. A nursery in Amersham has shared more on the benefits of school trips for children with us below.

Taking Responsibility

When on a school trip, children go out and represent their school. It’s their duty to uphold a positive image and not misrepresent themselves and their peers. This can teach them about responsibility and to be mindful of their behaviour. 

Open-Mindedness

There’s so much that you can learn by being surrounded by the same people in the same environment. Travelling opens children to new ideas and ways of thinking that are different to their own. At the same time, they can develop respect for others’ ideas and their cultures.

After their GCSEs, your child will have a whole new set of choices to make about what they want to pursue at college. That might be purely A Levels, vocational courses, or a mix of both. To help you support your child with their choices, we have teamed up with a private college in Somerset to create a parents’ guide to A levels.

What are A-Levels?

A-level courses are in-depth courses designed to help and prepare children for the next stage in their careers. That includes both formal employment and further education. Unlike GCSEs, they require more commitment. Your child will have fewer scheduled study sessions but will be required to carry out more independent study by reading around their subject to enrich their learning. 

 
How Are A-Levels Graded?

A levels follow the old grading style that GCSEs once had and are awarded grades between an E and an A*. 

Free Periods

As briefly touched on earlier, there are fewer contact hours with A levels. Instead, your child may have “free periods” or study sessions where they are advised to spend time in the library revising and going over their notes. By spending their time wisely in this way, your child will have less work to do when at home which will make it more manageable and easier to remember. This is especially key as A-Levels cover much more content than GCSEs.

How Are A-Levels Examined? 

Most A levels have an exam element and others are complimented by coursework. 

When Do A-Level Exams Take Place? 

Exams usually take place in May which makes Easter the ideal time to revise, although it’s better to start sooner.

How Can I Help My Child Pick the Right A-Levels?

As A-Levels are huge commitments, it's important for your child to pick the subjects that they feel comfortable with and are genuinely interested by. Your child’s teachers will also be able to tell you whether they’re capable of continuing on to an A level.

**Image from Pexels.com

Being a mother can be rewarding but also very stressful. There are so many new things to learn and take care of, and it can feel like there's not enough time in the day to take care of your needs. But making sure you're happy and healthy is a vital part of being a good parent for your child.

1. Get Enough Sleep

Many mothers find it difficult to get enough sleep with a new baby in the house, but lack of sleep can lead to health problems like depression and anxiety. Make sure you're getting at least six hours or more if possible. Taking naps when your child does can help you feel well-rested throughout the day.

2. Eat Healthy Foods

Having a child adds so many expenses to your life, so making sure you eat properly is very important for maintaining both mental and physical health. Ensure that most of your meals are balanced, and don't worry about depriving yourself of certain "treat" items every once in a while! Eating healthily will also make it easier for you to lose any extra weight you may have gained while pregnant.

Your child may want to undertake A Levels but may not wish to remain at their school to do so. This is fine – for many young adults, this is a healthy decision and a way to make changes in their life.

Meeting new friends, having a new routine and journey to school can be very refreshing for children and if your child would like to choose a new school or college for sixth form, it’s important that you take their request seriously.

Visits are vital

Make sure to find out when the sixth form has open days for parents and pupils. Book a spot and attend with your child. This senior school in Middlesex takes these open days very seriously and it’s a chance for parents and pupils alike to see the environment and meet the staff.

This first look is important as it will give you both a chance to assess the school and the amenities.

Your child might have a strong reaction to one school and not to another so it’s important to book a few visits.

Arts & crafts are a vital part of a child’s education. Some children take to arts more easily than others but all can enjoy the various activities when they’re presented in a fun way.

Arts & crafts support children’s cognitive learning and their hand-eye coordination in addition to developing creativity. For children who tend towards highly-strung, arts & crafts offer a great way for them to relax.

There are many activities which you can do with your child at home to support their skills and enjoyment in this area. Here are some ideas for preschoolers.

• Finger painting – let them go wild; kids love the sensory feeling of dipping their hands into paint and if you give them permission to do it, they’ll participate with gusto. Just put down a plastic sheet and ensure your child is wearing old clothes!

• Sticking – it doesn’t matter what they’re sticking to so much as they have a chance to do it. You can use a glue stick to avoid too much mess! Let your child cut out some pictures from an old magazine and make a collage or let them stick bits and bobs from your sewing box onto an old tissue box to make a treasure chest. Good items for sticking include lace, buttons, sequins and trims.

• Model making – whether you use clay, papier-mache, or just old boxes, there’s a real joy for children to be found in making a model. They can make robots fairly easily out of boxes, houses or cars also make a good choice. Help them make a model of their favourite animal from old newspaper and paste or for simplicities sake, make snakes from air-drying clay and paint them after they’re dry!

As your child grows, explore different mediums with them. Older children might enjoy crochet, patchwork, woodwork, and embroidery in addition to watercolour painting or sketching.

Your child’s school will usually have a robust arts curriculum – like this independent girls’ school in Surrey. At schools like this, the arts are seen as vital to children’s development.

The big day is almost upon you and you can scarcely believe it but your child is due to start school! This is a momentous occasion and both you and your child might feel nervous about the changes. That’s natural – what’s important is that you don’t show nerves to your child.

It’s also important not to build things up too much – don’t make a big fuss about it or your child will worry that it’s going to be a big shock. Discuss the changes with your child and what they can expect but keep the conversation light.

Common issues

There are many common issues that small children find tricky about the transition to big school, here are just a few.

• Toilets – will they be big or scary? Can your child manage alone?

• Lunchtime – if your child is a fussy eater or doesn’t like to sit still, it’s important to discuss lunchtime expectations with them. Slow eaters should be given packed lunches which are easily managed – for example, don’t pack a whole apple because it will take your child too long to eat, instead, cut it up for them and add a little lemon juice to keep it fresh.

• Staying hydrated – ensure your child knows what their water bottle looks like and where to find it.

• Missing you – this is the hardest one of all and there are a number of ways in which to tackle it. Reassure your child that you will be there or their caregiver will be there at the end of the day. Give them a handkerchief with your perfume on it.

The transition to big school can be a lot of fun but there will be natural challenges along the way.

Good schools like this day nursery in Kensington have a strong pastoral care team who are well used to dealing with the common issues which may arise and they will support your child all the way.

Social skills are just like the other skills which children need to learn such as reading, writing, running, speaking and so forth.

Some children are naturally good at socialising and others aren’t. For some children, social skills just develop slower than other children’s and you needn’t worry or stress about it because it often ‘rights itself’ as the child gets older. Here are some top tips for helping your child to develop their social skills:

• Ensure they have plenty of interaction with other children, this might be through clubs and playgroups or playdates with friends.

• Encourage good manners in day-to-day life, no pushing, no grabbing and always please and thank you.

• Encourage good listening skills; for children to succeed on the playground they must be able to hear others’ wishes and worries or they won’t be seen as a good playmat.

• Good sportsmanship is vital and that means no tears upon losing a board game! Help your child to understand that you win some, you lose some! A good way around this is to stop letting them win at every board game because that’s not a natural state of affairs.

If your child’s teacher has mentioned that your child isn’t slotting in very well, it’s important that your child is supported to gain the correct skills to enable them to make friends. This independent school in Surrey has a robust pastoral care system so that children who might struggle, don’t for long!

Speak with your child’s teacher to gain insight into where your child needs more support. It might be that they’re shy or that they’re a little bossy – ask the teacher for tips on supporting your child’s development in these areas. Most teachers are well-versed in this and will gladly help you.

Music is a part of our culture and can be enjoyed by all ages. But as children grow up, they often stop playing an instrument or singing in the choir because of the time commitment required to learn new skills. Online violin lessons are available for students to continue their music education from the comfort of home!

What Are the Benefits of Music Lessons for Kids?

Music lessons are beneficial for every child, regardless of age or skill level. Some benefits include:

• Improved concentration and focus

• Self-confidence in public speaking opportunities

• Developmental skills that can lead to other academic success down the road (fostering creativity & problem solving)

How Do I Find a Good Instructor?

The best way to find an excellent instructor is through online reviews and recommendations from friends, family members, or colleagues. You’ll want to find somewhere that has a staff of highly qualified music teachers with years of teaching experience.

What Types of Instruments Are Most Popular With Kids?

The most popular instruments vary depending on the child’s age and interests. However, some general trends include:

• Piano & keyboard lessons for young children

• Violin lessons for elementary school-age children

• Vocals for high school students and adult

Being a part of a community can be a source of empowerment for a child. Allowing them to feel a sense of belonging and love. It's important to exercise an active community involvement with your child from an early age to forge connections and help them in developing their own identity.

A nursery in Shoreditch shares more on the importance of community involvement for children.

Fine motor skills are responsible for many of our everyday activities from enjoying our favourite pasta to catching up with our friends over social media. To help your child develop the small muscles found in their hands and feet, there are many activities that you can do together. 

We have partnered with a pre-prep school in Hertfordshire to share a list of activities that you can do with your child to strengthen their fine motor skills.

Learning a new language can help your child to seek new opportunities, make an impression and even improve brain function. However, it can be quite a challenge. We have teamed up with an upper school in Hampstead to share our top tips for helping your child to learn a new language.

Communication skills are perhaps some of the most vital skills for your child to develop. They allow for full integration into society in forming friendship groups and excelling in the world of work. We have joined a literacy consultancy firm to share how you can help your child with their communication skills.

A lot of people struggle to get up early in the morning; this can especially be the case if you’re a mom, thanks to the exhaustive days and late nights. That being said, there is no getting around the fact that early mornings are part of the package when it comes to being a mom. One of the best ways that you can start your day right is by having a solid morning routine.

Let’s be real; moms everywhere know how it feels to be woken from a night of deep sleep to see your child at the side of your bed. Such a rough awakening means you’re already starting your day off on the back foot, so having a routine you can jump straight into, allows you to get your day back on track.

So, what should your routine involve? Of course, it will vary depending on whose routine it is; however, this list will talk about some of the best things you should include.

We all want our children to be able to tackle challenges head-on and bounce back from setbacks, but resilience is something that has to be learned rather than something we’re born with. Your child will inevitably face many obstacles to reaching their goals or getting things they want, and as parents it’s our responsibility to teach our children how to respond in the face of adversity. Read on for some tips from an independent school in Edgbaston on how you can work to raise a resilient child. 

Aside from keeping children physically healthy, taking part in sports has many other benefits. Participating in sports from a young age can help children develop a number of important skills while enabling them to explore their capabilities and interests. It’s important for children to participate in activities they enjoy to get the most out of them. Here a prep school in the West Midlands explores some of the important benefits children get from getting involved in sports at school. 

Maths can be a tricky subject for children, but the good news is that maths ability is not set in stone and there are ways you can help your child improve. A lot of it comes down to confidence, so it’s important to work on boosting your child’s self-esteem as much as developing their cognitive skills. Here’s some advice from a senior school in Kent on how you can support your child with their mathematical learning.