Education

New term teething troubles

By Liat Joshi-Hughes The autumn term has begun and your child has returned to school. What kind of ‘teething troubles’ might you face over the next few months while your child copes with the changes that September brought with it? And how should you deal with them?

My child is having trouble making friends

Perhaps they’re in a different class or their closest friend has left the school and they’re struggling to adjust and find a new bestie or gang. Regardless, there are a couple of things you can do to boost your child’s friendships. Firstly, of course, talk to your child’s teacher and ask if there’s anyone they think your son or daughter might particularly gel with. Next up, invite them over for a playdate or arrange to meet them and their parent in the park. If confidence is an issue, role play approaching potential friends with your little one…take it in turns.

My child can’t manage this year’s curriculum

Primary school learning is much more of a double act these days, a partnership between parents and teachers. Again, go and have a chat with the teacher to try and understand your child’s level and find out what you can do to support your little one’s reading, writing or maths at home. This needn’t be anything formal, just reading a little more together or encouraging them to do some basic adding up when you’re at the shops or baking. For writing practice, could they write a post card to their grandparents or other relatives?

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Chapter books that encourage kindness

Our friends at Parrot Street Book Club contribute their suggestions.

The Worries: Sohal Finds a Friend

By Jion Sheibani Age 6+

Boy at the Back of the Class

By Onjali Q. Rauf Ages 8+

Five Ways to Make a Friend

By Gillian Cross Ages 8+

Lost

By Ele Fountain Ages 11+

The Elephant

By Peter Carnavas Ages 6+

A Kind of Spark

By Elle McNicoll Ages 8+

The Elephant in the Room

By Holly Goldberg Sloan Age 10+

Wonder

By R. J. Palacio Age 8+

The Soup Movement

By Ben Davis Age 8+

Why education begins at home

By John and Kyle Hattie

What can parents and carers do to ensure their children, of all ages, develop great learning habits which will help them achieve their maximum potential in school and in life? It all starts with talking - and lots of it – from the very early years onward.

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Getting school support for a child with SEN

Contributed by Contact

Most children with special educational needs (SEN) go to a mainstream school, where there are both pupils with and without SEN. So, if your child has special educational needs, what type of support can you expect from their school and how do go about getting that support?

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Hand grasp challenges in young children

By Usha Patel

Does your child struggle to open a packet of crisps? Like all motor function problems, this is indicative of something more significant, in this case a general problem with ‘hand grasp.’ Children who struggle with this usually struggle with other tasks like handwriting too.

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Brilliant first chapter books for early readers

When your child is ready to move on from picture books, here are some wonderful first chapter books recommended by Parrot Street Book Club.

The Tindims of Rubbish Island

By Sally Gardner, illustrated by Lydia Correy

Alien in the Jam Factory

By Chrissie Sains. illustrated by Jenny Taylor

Dragon Storm By Alastair Chisholm, illustrated by Eric Deschamps and Ben Mantle

Noodle the Doodle

By Jonathan Meres, illustrated by Katy Halford

Velda the Awesomest Viking and the Voyage of Deadly Doom By David MacPhail, illustrated by Richard Morgan

The Marvellous Granny Jinks and Me Panda at the Door

Written and illustrated by Sarah Horne

There’s a Dog in My Brain

By Caroline Green, illustrated by Rikin Parekh

Morgan the Book Cat

By Polly Faber, illustrated by Clara Vulliamy