tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/childs-learning-9603/articleschild's learning – The Conversation2019-09-04T19:52:19Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1192412019-09-04T19:52:19Z2019-09-04T19:52:19ZKids learn valuable life skills through rough-and-tumble play with their dads<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/290841/original/file-20190904-175682-9s8rj9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=432%2C0%2C3521%2C2323&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Dads tend to engage in more active, physical play activities with their young children.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/pyrozhenka</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Play is an important way for children to <a href="https://www.health.qld.gov.au/news-alerts/news/why-is-play-important-health-development-children-babies">learn about the world</a> around them.</p>
<p>Through <a href="https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/119/1/182" title="The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds">play</a>, they learn cultural norms, socialisation guidelines and experiment with different ways to interact with their environment.</p>
<p>But play between a father and their child or children can offer a different type of play. It’s often boisterous, physical and competitive, and this all has an equally important role to play in a child’s development.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/let-them-play-kids-need-freedom-from-play-restrictions-to-develop-117586">Let them play! Kids need freedom from play restrictions to develop</a>
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<h2>The rough-and-tumble play</h2>
<p>Dads tend to engage in more active, physical play activities with their young children – rough-and-tumble play.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">A bit of rough-and-tumble play, looks like fun for dad and the kids!</span></figcaption>
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<p>Dads often engage in activities such as play wrestling and throwing their child into the air.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Up in the air!</span></figcaption>
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<p>This type of play is full of excitement and challenge, and if it weren’t for the clear enjoyment of both parties, it might sometimes seem a little aggressive to an outsider.</p>
<p>But this play isn’t just fun. Research has shown it’s also important for healthy child development.</p>
<p>Of course, rough-and-tumble play doesn’t have to be exclusive to dads. Mums can also engage in such play with their kids and, although that’s not been the subject of research to date, there’s no reason the results can’t be just the same.</p>
<h2>Rough-and-tumble play improves social skills</h2>
<p>In one <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03004430.2012.723439" title="Rough and tumble play quality: theoretical foundations for a new measure of father–child interaction">study</a> we looked at the quality of father-child rough-and-tumble play, and children’s emotional and behavioural problems.</p>
<p>High-quality rough-and-tumble play was defined as being warm and sensitive, dominance-sharing and playful in nature.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Smashing dad!</span></figcaption>
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<p>We found high-quality play was related to higher levels of what’s termed <a href="http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/prosocial-behaviour">prosocial behaviour</a>. Prosocial behaviour includes things like being considerate of other people’s feelings and sharing well with others.</p>
<p>In other words, high-quality rough-and-tumble play is linked to nice children who are probably going to have an easier time making friends with their peers.</p>
<h2>Rough-and-tumble play improves emotion regulation</h2>
<p>Play that’s active, physical and competitive has also been <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/imhj.21676" title="Measurement of father–child rough‐and‐tumble play and its relations to child behavior">linked</a> to better emotion regulation.</p>
<p>Dads have a tendency to push their kids to the limit, to set goals that are just a bit beyond their reach, and to rough-and-tumble play in a way that gets the kids worked up. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Cushion fight!</span></figcaption>
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<p>Good rough-and-tumble play is play where the kids don’t just get worked up and potentially frustrated, but where the child learns how to handle these emotions – how to regulate them.</p>
<p>This is important as better emotion regulation allows children to understand and manage their own behaviour and reactions.</p>
<h2>Rough-and-tumble play reduces injury risk</h2>
<p>Now this one might seem a bit counter-intuitive.</p>
<p>In one of the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03004430.2014.1000888" title="Father–child interactions and children's risk of injury">studies</a> we conducted, we looked at the relationship between father-child rough-and-tumble play and childhood injury rates in 46 families.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Tackling dad, three on one!</span></figcaption>
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<p>What we found was the more dads engaged in rough-and-tumble play with their kids, the fewer injuries those kids sustained.</p>
<p>We think the rough-and-tumble play is teaching kids about their limits – how far they can physically push themselves. </p>
<h2>Winners and losers</h2>
<p>One of the important lessons from any rough-and-tumble play, though, is about the balance between winning and losing. It’s important parents don’t dominate. </p>
<p>One of my favourite rough-and-tumble games is the sock wrestle. Each player puts on just one sock. The aim of the game is to get your opponent’s sock off their foot. Give it a try. It’s simple, but a lot of fun! </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Give me that sock!</span></figcaption>
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<p>When you’re playing this with your kid (or kids if you want an extra challenge!), make sure you share the winning and losing.</p>
<p>It’s important for your child to both win and lose, as without the losing and the frustration that comes with that, you’re not helping to teach them how to regulate their emotions.</p>
<p>So it seems as though the rough-and-tumble play with kids isn’t just enjoyable, it’s also an important part of a child’s development.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/let-them-play-kids-need-freedom-from-play-restrictions-to-develop-117586">Let them play! Kids need freedom from play restrictions to develop</a>
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<p>It’s teaching children how to regulate their emotions, how to safely push and extend their limits, how to assess risky situations, and how to get along well with others. </p>
<p>Not only that, but physical activity has multiple health benefits too. Rough-and-tumble play is the sort of thing we should be encouraging parents to do regularly.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/119241/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emily Freeman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>When dads engage in active play with their kids they actually help them cope better with some of the challenges they’ll face in life. And no reason why mums can’t join in the fun as well.Emily Freeman, Lecturer in Psychology, University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/827562017-08-27T20:08:13Z2017-08-27T20:08:13ZResearch shows the importance of parents reading with children – even after children can read<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/183227/original/file-20170823-6579-1raouj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Research has typically found that shared reading experiences are highly beneficial for young people.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/Alfira</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many of us will be able to recall the enjoyment of shared reading: being read to and sharing reading with our parents. However, <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/Wm6JKfkqU9FfTNhgRQ7z/full">my research</a> has found that of the 997 Year 4 and Year 6 respondents at 24 schools who took part in the 2016 Western Australian Study in Children’s Book Reading, nearly three-fifths reported that they were not being read to at home. </p>
<p>A sample of these children also participated in interviews, where I asked them how they felt about shared reading. While a few children did not mind no longer being read to, others were disappointed when it stopped. For example, when I asked Jason about his experience of being read to by his parents, he explained:</p>
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<p>… they kind of stopped when I knew how to read. I knew how to read, but I just still liked my mum reading it to me. </p>
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<p>His experience is common, with other recent research suggesting that more than one-third of Australian respondents <a href="http://www.scholastic.com.au/readingreport">aged six to 11</a> whose parents had stopped reading to them wanted it to continue.</p>
<p>But why is it so important for us to keep reading with our children for as long as possible? </p>
<p>Research has typically found that shared reading experiences are highly beneficial for young people. Benefits of shared reading include facilitating enriched language exposure, fostering the development of <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8624.00417/full">listening skills</a>, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Suzanne_Mol/publication/49740676_To_Read_or_Not_to_Read_A_Meta-Analysis_of_Print_Exposure_From_Infancy_to_Early_Adulthood/links/574eb19208aefc38ba1119bc.pdf">spelling</a>, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Suzanne_Mol/publication/49740676_To_Read_or_Not_to_Read_A_Meta-Analysis_of_Print_Exposure_From_Infancy_to_Early_Adulthood/links/574eb19208aefc38ba1119bc.pdf">reading comprehension</a> and <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0142723711422626">vocabulary</a>, and establishing <a href="http://adc.bmj.com/content/93/7/554.short">essential foundational literacy skills</a>. They are also valued as a shared social opportunity between parents and their children to foster <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19388071003731554">positive attitudes</a> toward reading. </p>
<p>When we read aloud to children it is also beneficial for their <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272775714000156">cognitive development</a>, with parent-child reading activating brain areas related to <a href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2015/08/05/peds.2015-0359">narrative comprehension and mental imagery</a>. While most of the research in this area focuses on young children, this does not mean that these benefits somehow disappear as children age.</p>
<p>As young people’s attitudes towards reading reflect their experiences of reading at home and at school in <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15326985ep3202_2">childhood</a> and <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eie.12043/full">beyond</a>, providing an enjoyable shared reading experience at home can help to turn our children into life-long readers.</p>
<p>However, not all shared reading experiences are enjoyable. Some children described having poor quality experiences of being read to, and children did not typically enjoy reading to distracted or overly critical parents. In some cases, parents attempted to outsource this responsibility to older siblings, with mixed results. </p>
<p>While many children really enjoyed the social aspects of reading and being read to as valuable time with their parents, they also felt that they learned from these experiences. For example, listening was felt to provide an opportunity to extend vocabulary, and improve pronunciation. Gina recalled the advantage she lost when her parents stopped reading to her, as:</p>
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<p>… when they did read to me when I was younger, I learnt the words; I would like to learn more words in the bigger books and know what they are so I could talk more about them. </p>
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<p>Similarly, Craig explained how being read to enabled his academic advantage in literacy, as “they were teaching me how to say more words”, and “that’s why I’m ahead of everyone in spelling and reading and English”. When this stopped “just because my mum thought I was smart enough to read on my own and started to read chapter books”, Craig was disappointed.</p>
<p>In addition, children were sometimes terrified of reading aloud in the classroom, and this fear could potentially be alleviated through greater opportunities to practice at home. </p>
<p>Hayden’s anxiety around reading aloud at school related to his lack of confidence, and his tendency to compare his skills with those of his peers. He described himself as “always standing up there shivering, my hands are shivering, I just don’t want to read, so I just start reading. And I sound pretty weird”. No-one read with him at home, so he had limited opportunity to build his confidence and skills.</p>
<p>This research suggests that we should not stop reading with our children just because they have learned to read independently. </p>
<p>We should continue reading with our children until they no longer wish to share reading with us, ensuring that these experiences are enjoyable, as they can influence children’s future attitudes toward reading, as well as building their confidence and competence as readers. It is worth the effort to find time to share this experience with our children in the early years and beyond.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82756/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Margaret Kristin Merga receives funding from the Ian Potter Foundation and the Collier Charitable Foundation.</span></em></p>There are benefits to shared reading long after children can read to themselves, so how long should you read to your children?Margaret Kristin Merga, Senior Lecturer in Education, Murdoch UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/803962017-07-06T20:18:31Z2017-07-06T20:18:31ZElectronic games: how much is too much for kids?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176868/original/file-20170705-18101-wkxzxl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">When played in moderation, electronic games can be beneficial for children's learning and development.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Most parents view their children’s playing of electronic games as potentially problematic – <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanshapiro/2014/08/27/a-surprising-new-study-on-how-video-games-impact-children/#16934cc27556">or even dangerous</a>. Yet many children are engaging with electronic games more frequently than ever. </p>
<p>Concerns about electronic gaming do not stack up against the research. So, how much gaming is too much for young children?</p>
<p>Electronic games (also called computer or digital games) are found in 90% of households in Australia. 65% of households have <a href="http://epublications.bond.edu.au/fsd_papers/424/">three or more game devices</a>. Given this prevalence, it’s timely to look more closely at electronic game playing and what it really means for children’s development and learning.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/103521/">study</a> of more than 3,000 children participating in the <a href="http://www.growingupinaustralia.gov.au/">Growing Up in Australia: Longitudinal Study of Australian Children</a> explored children’s electronic gaming. This national sample was broadly representative of the Australian population.</p>
<p>The study had two phases: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>parents reported on their children’s use of electronic games when their children were eight or nine years of age; and</p></li>
<li><p>teachers reported two years later on these children’s social and emotional development and academic achievement, when the children were 10 or 11.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>How much time do kids spend gaming?</h2>
<p>As the table below shows, there was wide variation in the number of hours per week the children spent playing electronic games. </p>
<p>Most children (52%) played electronic games for four or fewer hours per week. But nearly one-year of the children (24%) were reported as playing electronic games for more than seven hours per week.</p>
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<h2>How much time should kids spend gaming?</h2>
<p>Taking into account family background and parental education, the good news is that low-to-moderate use of electronic games (between two and four hours per week) had a positive effect on children’s later academic achievement. </p>
<p>However, over-use of electronic games (more than seven hours per week) had a negative effect on children’s social and emotional development. </p>
<p>Children whose parents reported they played electronic games for two-to-four hours per week were identified by their teachers as showing better literacy and mathematical skills. </p>
<p>Surprisingly, children who were reported as playing electronic games infrequently or not at all (less than two hours per week) did not appear to benefit in terms of literacy or mathematics achievement. </p>
<p>However, children whose parents reported that they played electronic games for more than one hour per day were identified two years later by their teachers as having poor attention span, less ability to stay on task, and displaying more emotional difficulties. </p>
<p>As the graphs below show, moderate game playing was associated with the most benefits both academically and emotionally.</p>
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<h2>Are some games better than others?</h2>
<p>It is likely that the relationship between the use of electronic games and children’s academic and developmental outcomes is far from straightforward. The quality of electronic games and the family context play important roles. </p>
<p>Electronic games known as <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09523987.2015.1075103">sandbox games</a> are recognised as <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/70601/">offering opportunities for collaboration</a> with others while engaging in creative and problem solving activities. One of the well-known examples of a sandbox game is <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09523987.2015.1075103">Minecraft</a>.</p>
<p>Social interactions are important in supporting children’s engagement in electronic games. A closer examination of children’s experiences at home may be beneficial in understanding the context of gaming in everyday life. </p>
<p>Often viewed as a leisure activity, studies show that when parents and siblings participate in the game playing, they offer opportunities to <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0907568209343879">negotiate with each other</a>, and <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/65579/">engage in conversations</a> and <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1468798411416788">literacy practices</a>. All of these potentially contribute to the child’s language, literacy and social development. </p>
<p>It is important to note that while we know the amount of time children spent playing electronic games, we do not know the detail of the kinds of games that were being played, with whom they were being played, or even the device on which they were played. </p>
<p>This contextual information is clearly relevant for consideration in any further research that explores the relationship across children’s electronic game playing, learning, and wellbeing.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/80396/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sue Walker receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susan Danby receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>Low-to-moderate use of electronic games may have a positive effect on children’s later academic achievement, but overuse can be detrimental.Sue Walker, Professor, School of Early Childhood, Queensland University of TechnologySusan Danby, Professor of Education, Queensland University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/273532014-06-02T04:55:44Z2014-06-02T04:55:44ZHow to be a whizz at spelling<p>Children who compete in spelling bees often dazzle with their ability to spell complex words. In this year’s televised Scripps National Spelling Bee, two American teenagers were so good they were <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/05/30/us-usa-spellingbee-winners-idUKKBN0EA06H20140530">crowned joint champions</a>, correctly spelling the words “stichomythia” and “feuilleton” to clinch the title. </p>
<p>Contestants in a spelling bee are allowed to ask about the pronunciation, the meaning, and the language of origin of a word. All these are key to a good grasp of spelling.</p>
<p>English is a chaotic and highly irregular writing system, according to some observers. In this view, we can’t do much more than memorise the spellings of words.</p>
<p>But studies of the English writing system itself and of spellers paint a more encouraging picture. English isn’t totally chaotic. There are things that spellers can do to increase their chances of spelling a word correctly.</p>
<h2>Break it down</h2>
<p>Breaking a word up into individual phonemes (units of sound) and selecting a letter or letter group for each unit is a good strategy for spelling many words. In some languages, such as Finnish, almost all phonemes have just one possible spelling and this strategy works very well. In English, however, many phonemes have more than one possible spelling. </p>
<p>What children are taught at school are usually context-free rules that link phonemes and letters. For example, children are taught that the “f” sound is spelled with <em>f</em>, as in <em>fish</em>, or that the “short o” sound is spelled with <em>o</em>, as in <em>pond</em>. </p>
<h2>Put it into context</h2>
<p>If spellers relied only on such context-free links between phonemes and letters, they would misspell many sounds, including the “f” of <em>staff</em> and the “o” of <em>wand</em>. Taking the neighbouring sounds and letters into account can often improve performance in such cases.</p>
<p>In English, there is a general rule that the “f” sound has a special two-letter spelling, <em>ff</em>, when it comes after a single-letter vowel. Similarly, “l” has the <em>ll</em> spelling in such cases and “k” has the <em>ck</em> spelling. Even when this rule is not explicitly taught, my <a href="http://pages.wustl.edu/files/pages/imce/readingandlanguagelab/Hayes%20et%20al.%20%282006%29%20-%20Children%20use%20vowels%20to%20help%20them%20spell%20consonants.pdf">research has shown</a> that people pick it up through their exposure to written words. They use the context in which a sound like “f” occurs when deciding how to spell it, favouring <em>f</em> in some environments and <em>ff</em> in others. </p>
<p>As another example, people become sensitive to the fact that “o” tends to be spelled differently when it comes after the “w” sound, as in <em>wand</em>, than when it comes after other sounds, as in <em>pond</em>. Children with higher levels of spelling skill <a href="http://pages.wustl.edu/files/pages/imce/readingandlanguagelab/treiman_kessler_2006_-_spelling_as_statistical_learning.pdf">take better advantage</a> of the context of consonants than children with lower levels of spelling skill.</p>
<h2>Meaning matters</h2>
<p>Spelling in English is not just a matter of attending to sounds. It also requires attention to meaning. For example, the “t” as the end of words is usually spelled as <em>ed</em> when it is a word ending that conveys the past tense. In other cases, it is usually spelled as <em>t</em>. There can be added confusion due to the differences between American and British spelling. </p>
<p>A six-year-old who writes <em>Jak jumpt</em> for <em>Jack jumped</em> doesn’t yet know this. Within a year or two, however, children have begun to learn about the meaning units within words and how these sometimes influence spelling. That knowledge can help them to spell a word like <em>health</em> correctly, with the <em>ea</em> that is found in <em>heal</em> rather than the <em>e</em> that would be expected purely on the basis of sound. </p>
<p>English has borrowed words from many languages, and knowing the origin of a word can sometimes help in choosing among possible spellings of its sounds. The “k” at the end of words is normally spelled as <em>ck</em> when it is preceded by a single vowel, as in <em>chick</em>. When the word is French in origin, however, this sound is more likely to be spelled as <em>c</em>, as in <em>chic</em>. </p>
<p>Not everyone can be a spelling bee champion, but these techniques can help everyone to become a better speller. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/27353/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Treiman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Children who compete in spelling bees often dazzle with their ability to spell complex words. In this year’s televised Scripps National Spelling Bee, two American teenagers were so good they were crowned…Rebecca Treiman, Burke and Elizabeth High Baker Professor of Child Developmental Psychology, Washington University in St. LouisLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/245652014-04-15T04:37:35Z2014-04-15T04:37:35ZWhat to do at home so your kids do well at school<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/44865/original/gyp84ww9-1395887851.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In simple ways at home, parents can improve their child's cognitive ability and ready them for learning.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/downloading_tips.mhtml?code=&id=179905424&size=medium&image_format=jpg&method=download&super_url=http%3A%2F%2Fdownload.shutterstock.com%2Fgatekeeper%2FW3siZSI6MTM5NTkxNjU3NSwiYyI6Il9waG90b19zZXNzaW9uX2lkIiwiZGMiOiJpZGxfMTc5OTA1NDI0IiwicCI6InYxfDEwMTI3NTg4fDE3OTkwNTQyNCIsImsiOiJwaG90by8xNzk5MDU0MjQvbWVkaXVtLmpwZyIsIm0iOiIxIiwiZCI6InNodXR0ZXJzdG9jay1tZWRpYSJ9LCJuTDlOS1JWRWk1akZBSUNSV25qWVFSa2tUenciXQ%2Fshutterstock_179905424.jpg&racksite_id=ny&chosen_subscription=1&license=standard&src=q6U_CTDbgMTyswGLGOSieA-1-13">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Student achievement <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Visible-Learning-Synthesis-Meta-Analyses-Achievement/dp/0415476186">has been found</a> to be most influenced by parents’ aspirations and expectations for their children’s development along with active involvement in their learning.</p>
<p>Parents must be supporters, not teachers, but there are simple things a parent can do to ensure a child is well-adjusted and ready to learn in a school environment. </p>
<p>These expectations and aspirations, however, should not turn into dominating parenting that checks up on homework and hours on the computer. High expectations best appear in taking an interest in the child’s activities, discussing them, and supporting the child in developing further.</p>
<h2>Activities in the home can enhance a child’s cognitive development</h2>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>Homework.</strong> <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2005-01890-004">Research tells us</a> students do better if they are expected to complete homework and do well, <a href="http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674725102">but only when they are not watched</a>, timetabled or controlled by their parents.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Read to your child.</strong> Listen to their reading, tell stories, change the ending, add a character, experiment with ideas.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Set appropriate limits</strong> for behaviour and appropriate times for activities that fit the child’s age. Limits give a sense of security, if children know what they are supposed to do they can be happy they will not make a mistake. As you have decided on these limits with care and consideration of the child’s best interests, explain them to your child and apply them consistently. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>When learning new things, start from the very beginning.</strong> There is no point trying to learn new material without the correct foundations. If issues arise with literacy or numeracy, it could mean some of the basics were missed at school.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Build a positive mindset.</strong> Learning needs to be a positive experience even if there are challenges along the way. Seeing learning as fun and enjoyable sets an expectation. Children need to know they can “have a go” and if they make a mistake it is all part of the positive learning experience. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Talk.</strong> Use your time together to talk and explain (not lecture). Use every activity as an opportunity to talk with them, this will help to build their knowledge.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Play.</strong> Children love playing games with their parents, use play to teach concepts such as the meanings of words, maths, problem solving, and doing experiments.</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/45924/original/m5xc2tym-1397014134.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/45924/original/m5xc2tym-1397014134.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/45924/original/m5xc2tym-1397014134.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/45924/original/m5xc2tym-1397014134.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/45924/original/m5xc2tym-1397014134.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/45924/original/m5xc2tym-1397014134.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/45924/original/m5xc2tym-1397014134.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/45924/original/m5xc2tym-1397014134.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Reading to your kids from an early age can improve cognitive ability.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/downloading_tips.mhtml?code=&id=125154374&size=medium&image_format=jpg&method=download&super_url=http%3A%2F%2Fdownload.shutterstock.com%2Fgatekeeper%2FW3siZSI6MTM5NzA0MjQ3NywiYyI6Il9waG90b19zZXNzaW9uX2lkIiwiZGMiOiJpZGxfMTI1MTU0Mzc0IiwicCI6InYxfDEwMTI3NTg4fDEyNTE1NDM3NCIsImsiOiJwaG90by8xMjUxNTQzNzQvbWVkaXVtLmpwZyIsIm0iOiIxIiwiZCI6InNodXR0ZXJzdG9jay1tZWRpYSJ9LCJrdTkvYk1YUER1TmVablVmOXZlVUlIb0djSkEiXQ%2Fshutterstock_125154374.jpg&racksite_id=ny&chosen_subscription=1&license=standard&src=q6U_CTDbgMTyswGLGOSieA-1-0">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>There are 3 essentials for child development</h2>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>Security.</strong> Children first and foremost need to feel that they are loved and that they belong.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Self-worth</strong>. Children need to feel pleased with the person they are.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Competence</strong>. Adults are essential mirrors for children’s self-evaluation. Parents who acknowledge and enhance their child’s sense of competence in very simple and effective ways ensure their child can take risks, and deal with setbacks and mistakes. Parents can affirm their child by listening respectfully to their views and ideas, echoing these ideas so the child feels truly understood, asking open questions (what will you do about that? How do you think that will help?), and affirming a child’s ideas with positive statements like “that sounds like an impressive set of ideas”.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Nurturing a child’s development, along with their cognitive development in the early formative years will get them ready for learning in a social sense, and ensure the type of content they will be presented with at school seems familiar to them. This is imperative for good results not only in their academic abilities, but in their development as happy and healthy kids. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/24565/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vicki McKenzie does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Student achievement has been found to be most influenced by parents’ aspirations and expectations for their children’s development along with active involvement in their learning. Parents must be supporters…Vicki McKenzie, Educational Psychologist, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.