It’s funny how time flies, it’s Just like yesterday, the long end of the session holiday is about to be over and It has been a mix of fun, stress and excitement all the way. Fun in the sense that the holiday period is a period for games, play and fun for children and their parents. Also, it is also a time for vacation and bonding for parents whose children are in boarding schools or who studies far from their parent. On the contrary, it is also the most stressful period for parents due to the energy involved in having to ensure children are well behaved.

However, there’s good news to parents and guardians, relief is on the way. Yes, you heard me, School resumes in less than three weeks, YAY! Drums rolls, bells ringing, hands clapping, yes finally we can go back to our normal lives. Well isn’t that how we all feel? The teachers our Super Heroes are about to save the day. I’m sure 80 per cent of parents and guidance, especially the mothers can’t wait for this most important date in the world to come fast, Yeah you heard me, it’s the resumption date. So while we are waiting for schools to resume, It is essential for us to prepare and to avoid the late hour rush. So having back to school checklist is a good way to start preparations for the new academic year. There is no doubt that the next two week will be a busy one as markets and shopping malls will be filled with parents and guardians trying to get school items for the next academic year.

Is this time and you are stuck on what to get? You don’t need to rack your head, we’ve got you covered, So here are the items that you should consider in your back to school checklist to enable you to plan better.

1. Textbooks, notebooks and dictionary – This is one of the most important checklists. Often times, the list of books would be provided by the school so as to get the right recommendation for each subject.
2. Mathematics sets – This tool is needed for day to day school activities.
3. School Bags – This is need keep their books, personal properties etc
4. Water bottle –  Ensure this comes in a very colourful design. children love to have their personal items come with their favourite character or colours)
5. Erasers 
6. Lunch bag and box: In your child’s checklist this might probably come first, so it’s important to get them along when getting this
7. Pencils, pencil cases and coloured pencils.
8. Crayons
9. Cutlery – 
10. Pair of new socks and shoes
11. School uniforms and sport wears
12. White Canvass
13. Toiletries
14. Drawing books and colours 

P. S other items that may be needed in the latter part of the term are mainly for extra curriculum activities such as ;
-Cultural day
-valentine or agape day
-ballet
– swimming
-karate. Etc

Parents should ask for the particular extra curriculum activities the school will be participating in during the term.

Happy resumption!

Helping your children develop entrepreneurial skills is one of the best ways to invest in their future. It’s often true that entrepreneurs are better earners than the average employee. Like the popular saying, entrepreneurs rule the world. It’s therefore important to cultivate these entrepreneurial skills into our kids especially now that they are young so that when they grow up, it becomes second nature. Plus it is always easy to catch them young. 

Developing entrepreneurial skills in your children will not only help them develop entrepreneurial habits, it will also help them in problem-solving, analytical skills, in their academics and competing in life generally. 

Steps to Developing Entrepreneurial Skills in your children

1. Teach them to set goals: make them understand why it is important for every entrepreneur to be excellent with organizing, planning and goal setting. Teach them to set goals and work towards achieving them all, you can use their exams as a starting point. Teach them how to break the goals into smaller achievable goals. For example, they may set a goal to be excellent at ten subjects in school. Work along with them in achieving whatever goal they set, it’s cool for them to be guided at such a young stage. 
2. Teach financial education: let them know the importance of being prudent especially with money. It does not mean they would save all they have, it simply means planning their money well. Encourage them to save part of the money mummy and daddy gives them, this also applied to monies gotten from aunties and uncles. Also make them understand how bank savings and investments work, get them acquainted with financial education at a very tender age. It is important for an entrepreneur to learn the art of financial literacy. Not all money that comes in is meant for consumption purpose, if not business may crumble. 
3. Help them start enterprises as early as possible in life: it could be what they have been showing interest in OR just anything you feel they would be good at. This would help them get familiar with the pros and Cons of entrepreneur and other things such as; handling risks, how to sell themselves, responding to customers, business etiquette and how to make their own money. 
4. Teach them to recognize opportunities: Be sensitive to what they show dissatisfaction in, this might be an opportunity of having a problem they could profer solution to. Ask them questions concerning what they feel about any problem whatsoever, this may build up problem-solving skills in them. They need to understand that a problem isn’t really as bad as we as they think because problems arise for us to find a solution. 
5. Encourage the spirit of teamwork in them:  Make them understand the importance of teamwork as this will be necessary at some point in every individual’s life and business. They will need to work with people at one time or the other, so building team spirit is a great need for every entrepreneur.
6. Communication skill is essential to developing entrepreneurial skills in your children: Communication is an important tool in any business, they would need good communication skills to have a good relationship with their customers, business partners, family, employees etc. Communication is not limited to speaking, it also includes writing. 
7. Mentoring: you could let them choose one or two successful entrepreneurs in their chosen fields as mentors. You may get them books written by these mentors, get them to follow these mentors by reading about them, following them on social media, depending on their age. In all, let them be open to people they can look up to. 
8. Games: there are games that put children in the right position to grow as emerging entrepreneurs, these games help them build entrepreneurial skills, so while they are playing, they are also learning.

Developing entrepreneurial skills in your children is an important task every parent/guardian should give to their children. 

When it comes to overcoming and navigating many life’s challenges, few things are as important to a child’s current and future success. One of those qualities is confidence in themselves and their abilities. To be self-confident is to have faith in one’s self and abilities. It’s an essential ingredient for all aspects of a child’s healthy development and a key ingredient for good school performance. Building a child’s confidence is also very crucial for getting along with their peers and other people in the society.

It also helps them get through many social challenges (such as socializing, sharing, competing, and making new friends), which are some of the days to day events children face in their everyday life. To be unsure of one’s abilities and to be too afraid to explore are early signs of lack of self-confidence. This may come from a variety of sources- our backgrounds, tribe, neighbourhood, past experiences and not measuring up to peers etc. It is very important for parents to train their children to be self-confident.
A child’s sense of confidence is shaped and nurtured (or not) by those who care for him/her. Primary caregivers- parents, relatives, caregivers and teachers have a major role to play in a child’s self-confidence building. Parents can help build confidence in their children through a modelling which can be described as ABC. It needs to be based on some actual abilities, believes in the skills and talents that the kids possess and thereafter modelling this confidence so they can learn from them. Allow your children to play and interact with other kids. Play is how children learn about themselves, other people, and the world around them. Through play, children learn how to interact, solve problems and develop confidence. For example, an infant who successfully presses a button on a toy that produces a pleasant sound to his or her hearing is learning that he/she can make something beautiful happen by the click of a button. Letting a child lead playtime helps build confidence, assertiveness, leadership skills and overall understand life.

Feeling useful and needed makes a child feel important and builds confidence. Responsibilities that are age-appropriate should be given to children to boost their confidence level. Also, helping a child work through problems helps to build confidence in the child. The goal is to guide and support the child in his/her problem-solving efforts in order to create a sense of confidence, mastery and competence. Children also learn by doing. Encouraging a child to try to master tasks he/she is struggling with by breaking down difficult tasks into a step by step procedure. This helps in the child’s problem-solving skills which also reflects in the child confident.
Lastly, children learn mostly by watching, parents and caregivers have a huge role to play here. Children are always keenly watching their parents for clues about what to do or how to feel about different tasks or social interactions.

Possessing self-confidence can give one the wings to flutter and develop a high level of passion, hope and empathy. It gives one the belief that they can confront the world and pave a path for themselves that will lead them to their dreams and aspirations. This describes exactly why building self-confidence is vital. In the end, we can only be positive about a child’s future when he/she is raised to believe in himself and his abilities against all odds.