Going back to school is always a big shift for families – particularly so after such a disrupted year or two. So a couple of thoughts for us all…
Going back to school offers the chance to re-set boundaries and establish new routines. Whether that is around putting away clothes, bedtime, screen time or healthier eating. When it comes to reading and homework though, there is a particularly obvious link.
Whilst it is tempting – and in many cases right – to ease in gently, don’t miss the opportunity to re-set expectations. In terms of reading and writing at home, you could consider
- listening to a bedtime story
- reading regularly before or after school
- having a routine for practising spellings in different ways on different days
- setting up library visits
- establishing a routine so your child reads to different people at different times
- aiming to talk about books, the news, programmes in depth with your children at certain times in the week
- committing to writing letters or cards to people between now and half term (relatives love to hear about how school is going)
- setting a ‘finding out’ evening where you bring a new fact to the family
- starting the idea of a ‘room’ book – ie you have a book for the car, a book for the kitchen etc
- encouraging reading while waiting – it can be a hard ask when the phone is within touching distance!
Returning to school is such a big difference for most children, it therefore makes a good time to re-set home life too.
It is easy to think of routines as a daily pattern, but of course they also come in weekly, monthly or half-termly patterns too. Perhaps it is an opportunity to re-visit the library regularly? Perhaps it is about setting up a story time with a relative on zoom once a week? Or perhaps it is about us as adults managing our own time in relation to the children (which could be taken in a lot of different ways!).
Work with me
If you would like to support your children more this term with their English (and maths*), consider setting aside time to do this. I offer consultations to support parents by giving advice, suggesting resources, motivational tips and strategies. It can be a great help if you want to kick-start this in your own home this term! As someone who has undergone coaching myself, I know how powerful it can be having someone standing alongside you when you are trying to instigate changes and do things differently.
I can also provide bespoke work for the children to do at home alongside their school work. This could be creative (but very focused!) puzzles and games. Equally it could be work supporting their school work or to fill a gap in their learning. Although I currently have a waiting list for regular tutoring**, I can organise an assessment session for bespoke work packages.
I am also about to start running a small group for year 5 children considering independent secondary school assessments. Do take a look here if you are interested.
Finally…
There are plenty of routine changes going on in my life to0! As part of this, it is a great time for me to hear your ideas on this venture. I always welcome comments on this post or any aspects of the site.
However you re-set life as we start a new term, I hope it goes well for you and your family!
*Literacy is the focus of my business. However, I am very happy to support maths too up to GCSE (I have an A at A-level in maths).
** correct as of September 2021