As your child grows up, they’ll need to learn how to do things for themselves and become less reliant on you. Teaching them life lessons can help them when you're not there and be good practice for the future. We have teamed up with a prep school in East Sussex to share 5 ways that you can help your child become more independent.

Chores

Chores give children a sense of responsibility and ownership which can help them feel and become more independent. As they learn to do things for themselves like wash the dishes and put on their own washing, they’ll become less reliant on you and others around them. 

Get Them to Join In

When you’re cooking or doing other things, get your child to join in so that you can teach them. Working side by side, you can pass down secret family recipes and teach them how to do things properly. Getting them involved at a young age will help them to form good habits and passions.

Deal with Mistakes Gently

When doing something for the first time, chances are your child won’t get it exactly right but that’s okay as they’ll help them to learn. Being gentle is important as it will help them view it as a learning curb and enjoy trying new things. Take time in teaching them how to do it correctly and break it down into small steps as children require granular information to understand.

Phase Changes In

Children need routine and consistency. Changes can create disruption and make it difficult for them to adapt which can lead to feelings of distress. When making changes of this nature, phase them in gently with notice and positive encouragement so that they feel less anxious. That way they’ll be more receptive and slowly grow their independence.

Tutoring can help children struggling at school and give them an advantage over their peers. While it is an added expense for parents, there are lots of benefits to having it. It can get children in the habit of doing their work for example and improve their grades. But is it necessary? A senior school in Surrey points to 3 signs that can help you decide whether your child actually needs a tutor.

Your Child’s a Genius 

Some children are naturally gifted with a higher IQ than others and need more challenges. While schools can do their best, these children, funnily enough, feel as if they’re not reaching their full potential. This is because of classroom and teacher limitations. A tutor on the other hand can help your child take their studies to a higher level and teach content ahead of what’s expected. Having this kind of support can help your child to flourish and make full use of their ability.

Falling Behind

Poor grades and participation in class may be a sign that your child is struggling academically and needs further support. It may also be a sign that they have little motivation. A tutor can help your child, in that case, to take their studies seriously by spending time with them to understand their concerns and showing an interest in their work.

Your Child Has Upcoming Exams

GCSE years are a crucial time in a child’s life. There’s a lot of content that they’ll need to get their head around and remember for their exams in order to do well. Revision is key for exam success and getting it done involves discipline. This can be hard for children as they can procrastinate and struggle to make sense of concepts without their teacher. Tutors come well versed in the curriculum and some often hold examiner experience. This means that they can help them prepare for their exams and the types of questions that they’ll come across.

As industries change and adapt, so do the skills needed to be built by the education system. As a result, more is being added to the curriculum like coding which was introduced to schools in 2014. There are many benefits to having coding lessons in schools as an independent school in Buckinghamshire explains below.

Transferable Skills

Regardless of whether or not your child wants to pursue a career in technology, coding lessons can help them build skills that will make them more employable and better prepared for work. Skills like problem-solving, creative thinking, and much more. In whatever career your child pursues, whether music or engineering, they’ll face problems where they need to apply themselves and think of solutions.

Digital Literacy 

More and more of life is becoming engulfed by technology. Having knowledge of how that technology works can help children in their day-to-day life and help them be ready to face the changing job market. Knowing how to code will open doors for them and ensure that they don’t need to retrain.

Patience

Coding is something that requires patience and lots of it. There are lots of different solutions that can be applied but not all will produce the desired result. That means playing with alternatives and trial and error.

Fun

Creating things is fun - especially when they are digital creations that you can see come to life. As they find solutions that work, they’ll feel overjoyed, and their confidence will grow along with their knowledge.

Greater Academic Performance

The thinking skills that your child gains and enhances through coding will help them in other subjects throughout the curriculum. Subjects like science where hypotheses are created and put to the test. This can help them to secure more attractive grades and yield greater success.