As a parent, you would think to allow your children to attend summer schools after the close of the school session is the best decision any parent could make. If you are confused let me help you to clear your doubt, “Yes maybe” but the big question now is, do you want to be a parent-full parent or a thoughtful, smart and lovely one?

My point is, don’t bore your children or make their holiday an uninteresting one, not different from when school was in session. I mean, give them a break and let them have fun, learn something new that would impact their future.

There are skills children can acquire during the holiday that will give them an assured future and even be of help to you as their mother. My cousin started practicing horticulture in their house when she was 10 years old; she would plant 5 seeds a day to form flowers all around the house. At first, when she started, it caused a fuss. Everyone one thought she just loved playing with dirt. She said she said she loves flowers and would love to be a horticulturist when she grows up and this caused everyone to panic even more. But when the flowers started growing and every passerby started to admire her parents’ beautiful garden, we thanked her and anticipate the result of every of her move after that.

Most parents care a lot about their kids, also you should not be harsh on them, let your children acquire a skill during the holiday. What is the worst that can happen? He/she won’t want to be a Doctor anymore? Let us give them a chance to become whatever they want to be.

Here are the skills children can acquire during the holiday 

  Check these ones out:

• How to make Confectioneries: Confectioneries like; baking of cakes and cookies, making sandwiches and pancakes. This will help them improve their baking and cooking skills. It will also teach them to take up responsibilities  like home cleaning and basic cooking.
• How to use a sewing machine to mend clothes. Mostly all girls are to know this but why should they care when Mummy is going to do it for them. Let them at least know how to join their torn clothes together and then go further to make a handkerchief and pillow case.
• Computer training. No doubt they teach children Computer system in Schools but let them really know how to setup computer components, plus using it to type and use basic Microsoft packages.
• Horticulture. Let them start like that my cousin; make the compound their little garden. They need to know how to plant a seed and then transfer the plants from nursery to the garden.
• Use Simple tools. Let them know how to put pieces of furniture together. This is why they have those house building puzzles to play with, in their toddler days, right? You could teach them to build a little pen house for themselves.
• Sports. They are obviously taught in schools too but let them have a team too outside School. It will increase their improvement in the School games and then open their eyes to wide chances. Get a very good coach to teach them sports like; football and tennis, swimming and surfing. Don’t leave the girls out of this too.
• Art: Arts and drawing is a way to help increase a child’s creativity.  Don’t you feel like you should know your child’s drawing ability? You can take them to a natural reserve , a garden and let them draw the scene. 

It’s time to make their holidays an exciting and interesting one while they are having fun and learning new skills. 

I know those skills sound like fun, but, hey watch out, it just might be you helping them find their passion by making use of these tips about skills children can acquire during the holiday.

  Good luck!

A wise man once said education is not the true test of knowledge but it has become a basic knowledge determinant in our present-day world. Over the years examinations have become more competitive that it affects the overall well being of the child. The fear of examination could lead to anxiety and stress in children. Many children generally get cold feet during examination periods. Therefore, it is your duty as a parent to help your child overcome anxiety and be more confident during exams.

Here are some Symptoms/effects of examination anxiety:

• Heart beating fast
• Lack of sleep
• Extreme sweating during or before exams 
• Falling ill during exam period
• Sudden poor eating habits
• Depression
• Frustration or anger
• Low confidence in themselves

How to Help Your Child overcome examination Anxiety

1. encourage them to study and prepare well for the exams
2. Support them and provide everything they would need to become successful
3. Encourage them and say positive words
4. Get them to believe in themselves
5. Do not pressure them to success
6. Get them to eat before exams and avoid foods that could run their stomach
7. Make learning fun for them
8. get them to take a little break
9. Encourage them always
10. Help your kid relax

You must have heard the saying spare the rod and spoil the child. In as much as this is often true, caution must be taken when correcting a child. Here comes the big question,  how does one correct a child without being too strict or abusive and still be able to convey the message to them. Children can often be naughty and thereby need to be disciplined so they don’t go wayward.

Disciplining a child is different from assaulting or abusing them. Discipline has to be done with lots of love and care. 

Here are the things a parent should know and do when correcting or disciplining their children?

1. Be Calm: Sometimes the child needs to understand what they have done wrong and why they shouldn’t do what they have done, this can only be done when you do it calmly. When a child does something wrong, we need to be calm when correcting them else you might be teaching them to be more violent when you shout or scream at them.
2. Be In Control:  It is very important when you are correcting a child, you need to be in control. The child may have done something very bad and even while correcting them they tend to defend themselves and talk back. Make sure they only talk when you ask them to talk, don’t let the child take over the conversation. Also, ensure you give them the opportunity to air their views.
3. Punish Bad behaviour: It is important for them to understand that bad behaviour would not go unpunished. You may have a little code of conduct which you both agree on. For example, you will get this,  get them to sign it and anytine they err, refer back to the code of conduct. That way they understand that they are being punished for what they did wrong. 
4. Create rules and also tell them the consequence: when a child continuously displays a certain attitude, it is logical for parents to set rules, boundaries and consequences if they are broken. The children are then aware that they mustn’t break the rules and if they do there would be a lot of consequences.
5. Reward Good Behavior: When your child behaves well, always reward them for good behaviour, give them gifts or treat them to their special or best delicacies. This will teach them that being a good person attract positive rewards while bad behaviours attract negative rewards.
6. Tell your children you love them after disciplining them: Some children can translate being disciplined as their parents not loving them, it will be wise for parents to explain to them why they are being punished. Make them understand the reason why they are being punished. After which you tell and show them how much you love them, children would always trust and relate with parents who always do this even though they feel bad for being punished.

Parents should know that a child needs to be disciplined when they do something wrong, there is no crime in punishing a bad behaviour if it is done right and in a loving way.

The second most important decision you will make as a parent — apart from deciding to have the kid in the first place — is deciding which school for them to enrol in. Make the right decision and you could put them on a path toward lifelong excellence and a successful career. Choose wrong, and well, you get the idea. Talk about pressure! The good news is that there are many options in education today beyond the public school down the street.

The bad news is that the abundance of options often leaves parents in a dilemma over how to choose the best environment for their children. It is therefore really important to know what qualities to look out for when choosing a school for your child. Sometimes, the perfect school might indeed be that public school down the street. Some other times, it is not that easy. We will, however, guide you through how to make that choice without breaking a sweat.

Factors To Lookout For When Choosing A Good school 

• Look out for the perfect fit for your child’s interests, needs and competencies.

The perfect school is not just perfect in itself. It must be perfect for your child, perfectly suited for their interests, needs and competencies. To know which school is right, you would have to understand completely what your child needs, what their interests are and what they are really good at. Does your child need a more structured environment or less structured environment? , Perhaps Does your child need more challenging work? Does your child need more individual attention? Does your child have any special learning needs? Does your child need an environment that fosters creativity? What is your child’s learning style? Does your child like to learn through physical activity? Is your child logical or mathematical? Is your child musical or artistic?

You must answer these questions and more if you are going to get the perfect school for your child. Once you do, look out for a school that is an answer to your child’s needs.

• Consider the school’s values

Like it or not, schools have a direct influence on your children as they would be spending a whole lot of time there. It is therefore highly important to consider the school values and ensure that they are tailored to yours. You should look out for schools that emphasize discipline, diligence, creativity, innovation, character, teamwork etc. It is important for your children to be taught core values like these in schools so as to help launch them on the path of excellence and success.

• Look out for the school’s academic performance

Before proceeding to choose a school for your child, you must be sure of the school’s academic track record. You need to be sure that your child will benefit greatly academically. As such, academic standards and 21st Century skills are key variables to look out for while searching for a good school. The primary goal of sending the child to school is for the development of knowledge and skills, the academic standing of the school will largely play a role in meeting this goal. If a school is well rated academically and the products are known to excel in school and public examinations, parents would be encouraged to select such a school.

You should do well to check how the school’s test scores compare to those of other schools, whether in the past few years, test scores have risen or declined, how students moving on to the next stage of schooling perform in their new schools, what special achievements or recognition the school has received and so on.

• Consider the school’s safety standards

Saying goodbye to your child on the first day of school is enough heartache. Knowing that your child will be perfectly safe in school will help ease your fears to a very large extent. As such, when you are choosing a school for your child, you have to ensure that the school upholds safety standards on all levels. This includes understanding how the school deals with and prevents problems with drugs, alcohol and tobacco, how the school prevents bullying, violence, harassment and other forms of abusive behaviour. Does the school have emergency plans for local and national emergencies? Are there security officers on duty in the school? Ultimately, your child’s safety is paramount so you have to ensure that they would be completely safe in school.

• Consider the school’s location

The location of the school is quite important in making your choice. While it may be much easier for your child to go to a school that is just around the corner, sometimes, it might be a better idea for them to experience a different environment. If you would prefer the latter, you need to consider the location of the school you have in mind. You also need to consider how far away you would be comfortable allowing your child to go. Is the place where the school is located safe? Would you drive the child to school or would the child take the bus? Are there other children within your neighbourhood that would be going there as well? These are important considerations in choosing a school.

• Consider the school’s facilities and services

A school is just as important as its facilities. Children learn better in a highly conducive environment with safe and good facilities. The classrooms do not be too sophisticated. They, however, should be perfectly suited for learning and communication. Good lighting and clean bathrooms are sometimes underrated but are really important. You also need to make sure the school has a well-stocked and functional library, computer room with internet facilities, a clinic with a standby nurse etc. You also need to confirm that services such as Counseling and school transportation are available.

In the end, your child will benefit tremendously from your active concern and involvement with his or her education. By collecting information, talking to other parents, visiting schools, and exercising your right to choose, you can make sure your son or daughter gets the best possible education. However, this is only the beginning. Stay involved in your child’s education by encouraging them to work hard and providing additional opportunities to learn at home and in the community.

Do you have a child who’s scared of the dark? Has an irrational fear of water? Totally loses it when a dog comes within ten meters? Believes there are boogey monsters under the bed? Screams at the sight of a bug on the floor? Fear is very common with children (and pretty much everyone else). Your child might be scared when an unfamiliar situation, an active imagination, or revisiting a previous bad experience rocks their fragile sense of safety.

Damage is also done by the harshness, threats, and violence commonly found in movies, cartoons, and fairy tales. It is very important to diffuse these fears early enough. Here’s how to help your kids overcome fear.

• Listen to your child

By listening to your child, you see the world through their eyes. Young children are still discovering the world that they live in. Their imagination is developing and hence whatever they see/ hear in life can result in the formation of scary mental images. You may consider their fears irrational but the child obviously doesn’t. Do not ignore your child’s fears or make fun of them. Listen to your child and understand exactly where their fears originated from. Sometimes, that might be all the child needs. Rather than shutting the child up or asking them not to speak about their fears, listen to them speak (or babble) about what exactly they are afraid of.

How to Help Your Child Overcome Fear

• Talk with your child

Notice how listening to your child comes before talking with them? It is important to understand exactly what your child’s fear is by giving them a chance to explain themselves before you try talking to them about it. Don’t send wrong messages to your child by saying things like: “Stop being a baby”, “Don’t be scared”, “See, your friend is not scared”, etc. This makes the child believe that it is wrong to be scared and they will stop sharing their fears with you. Tell your child that it’s all right to be afraid. Also, explain to him that it is okay to share his fear and to ask for help. By talking to them you should help them feel safe. You can tell them “I’m right here and I won’t go away. Everything’s OK.” or, “I see how hard this is, and I’m watching you every minute. I’m keeping you safe.” This will help reassure them and encourage them to overcome the fear. You also don’t want to overindulge the fear, which may work to validate it into something more concrete. Instead, talk them through the emotion they’re feeling in a calm and comforting manner. Learn to also praise their efforts to help them build confidence as they overcome their fears bit by bit. You can also encourage your kids to ask you questions about their fears.

• Focus on fun

Playful approaches can go a long way toward reducing anxieties. If your child is afraid of the dark, read bedtime stories by flashlight, or buy glow-in-the-dark toys and devise a scavenger hunt. If she’s worried about a monster under her bed, ask her or him to draw the creature making a silly face or wearing silly clothes. You can also play on your child’s empathy for it. This will humanize the image of the monster and make him more likeable and less scary. Children’s fears will release as they laugh and have fun.

• Do not push your child to do something they are scared of

You need to be careful when asking your kids to confront their fears. Forcing the child is likely to worsen his or her fear. Instead, help your child get used to a scary situation in increments. You can help your child conquer their fear by gentle exposure to that fear, which gradually increases with time and practice. You can do this in consultation with your child. Allow your child to take his or her own time to adjust and overcome the fears while supporting your child with all the love and care that you can.

• Allow your kids to take control

Having your kids take control of not-so-frightening situations can help boost their confidence even in frightening situations. Allow them to make certain decisions themselves or take the lead when you play. You can pretend to be defeated when you play with them. Giving your child an element of control in the management of their fear will also go a long way towards making them feel safe. For example, If they are afraid of intruders in the night, make shutting and locking their bedroom window one of their night-time responsibilities.

After all said and done, your children’s response to fear will depend largely on you. Children very often model what they see their parents and other adults do. So put on a brave face and walk your children through their fears and watch as they overcome them.