Homework, you may love it or loathe it but will our children really be better off without it? Of course, that very much depends on their ages, young children should be playing and creating and having fun, absolutely. But, once our children are in older and heading for exams, homework has its place as part…
We’ve discussed the practice of mindfulness for learners on the blog previously and another tool to help children better understand themselves is the mood diary. A mood diary helps to build up a picture of when certain feelings might be triggered. It’s as much about positive feelings as negative. We all see our productivity, concentration,…
Recently, we looked at school trips but with the summer holidays well underway, what about activities and visits with the family? Visual learners love to do new things away from the school environment. Many find the heavy auditory style of school to be hard work. But the freedom to explore a museum, gallery, park, nature…
Parents of visual learners know that art, drama, sports and other creative subjects, are not a separate part of the curriculum but an important part of how a lot of children learn and absorb information. Visual learners like to “see” concepts in illustrations, exhibitions, displays and cartoons. Along with kinaesthetic learners, they learn well through…
Towards the end of the academic year many schools reward and celebrate all the hard work with trips. Whether to the seaside or museum, a day out on the coach or a week-long residential, getting out of the classroom has all sorts of benefits for children of all ages and in lots of different ways….
What better time than the long Summer break to bring the curriculum to life with activities and fun? We’ve put together a load of things to do with the children that will bring a smile to their faces AND help them gain understanding of key parts of the curriculum ready for September. Find out more…
“Getting into the flow” is more than just a saying. It has its grounding in psychology and is a concept pioneered by Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi. Often also referred to as being “in the zone” it is a state of being completely immersed and fully focussed on an activity. When we feel flow we are unaware of…
Walking into your child’s classroom you will see lots of colour, displays, tables grouped together, activity areas and technology. What we understand about learning, education and child development is constantly evolving. If your schooldays were all about rote learning in straight lines of desks it might be hard to grasp. One of the key developments…
Instructions not to slouch conjure up a finishing school image of young women practicing their comportment with a book balanced on the head. But being prodded and poked into a good posture goes beyond looking smart and respectable. “Chin up, shoulders back” advice takes on a “fake it till you make it” quality. Like the…
At this point in a child’s life exams may be the most stressful thing they have experienced. They don’t have the learned skills or the full emotional and intellectual development to handle the pressure. More and more schools and families are invoking mindfulness – the practice of self-awareness – to deal with bad behaviour or…