Tips for Parents of children between 5-15 years of age

Tips for Parents of Children between 5-15 Years of Age

1. Good investments in appropriate child growth plans can help to fund quality education after schooling.
2. Take notice and fulfil the basic and essential necessities of your children (Do not indulge too much in external motivation factors such as a prize or gift for doing certain tasks).
3. Take your children (with you) to parties and social gathering. This allows your child to open up with strangers and allows them to observe and explore the world outside home and school.
4. Discuss your child’s weakness and potential areas of failure in private. Motivate them positively to allow them to grow and work on their weakness. Remember your positive support (like a pep talk, pat on the back, enjoying a success/achievement, etc.) will work wonders for your child.
5. Take care of yours and your child’s health and fitness. A good diet and exercise regime will allow your child’s body be fit that (in turn) allows development of a healthy mind.
6. Navigate your Child in the right direction. Be a leader and lead your child; at the same do not try to impose your desires and wishes on your child if the child is not interested in that particular activity.
7. Act like a friend (Allow your child to openly talk about any topic with you, treat your child like a friend and explain concepts in a fun manner to get/remain connected to him/her)
8. Be the source of inspiration and motivate your child for positive personal development. Remember that your child is always watching you at home. It is important for you (as a parent) to be congruent in what you say and what you do in front of your child.
9. Do not compare your child’s abilities or performance with other children. Such comparisons may hurt your child and lower down his/her confidence. Talk to your child in private if you are unhappy about his/her performance.
10. Do not impose your ‘Ways of Studying’. Children of different generations adapt to study pattern in a different way. For example: Studying at early hours (dawn) may be an earlier tradition, but nowadays studying late at night for exams works for a lot of kids.
11. Avoid constantly repeating the study concerns or reminding tasks in the day. Your child may set his/her coping strategy and completely ignore you even while you may be sitting right besides him/her. Try to hold on to your thoughts and remind your child after long intervals.
12. Spend more time with your child.
13. Try to sense your child’s behaviour and body language to understand his/her needs at times when they cannot or do not wish to express.
14. Allow your child to make ‘Mistakes’. With every mistake your child will learn a new way to avoid that mistake, as well as find other ways to grow and succeed.
15. Avoid spoon-feeding your child. To allow your child to build his/her own character and values and belief set, it is important that you are not making your child dependent on your inputs every time. Allowing children to work independently and using their mind for making decisions for themselves, help them to mature quickly.

Farida Anajwala
Career Counsellor
EduGroomers Career Couselling