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As parents, we place a great deal of faith in our children’s teachers. We realise education is one of the most powerful gifts we can give our children, and, therefore want to offer them the very best of it. The problem is parents often think educating children is not an activity they should actively take part in. On the contrary, what children learn at home is as important – if not more so – as what they learn at school.

Leave toddlers to their devices

Toddlers and very young children are often reckless, messy and challenging, at best, to deal with. They love getting dirty in the garden, they think emptying out the kitchen cupboards is hysterical, and they want to put everything they touch into their mouths. And you know what, parents? You should leave them to it. Insofar as they’re not in danger, children learn by doing, and the world represses this thirst for knowledge – which actually becomes stunted when they’re older – by constantly saying what kids can and cannot do.

Read to your children and play with them, too

Bedtime stories are not only a way of bonding with your kids; they’re also essential education for them. Not only do they stimulate your child’s imagination, over time a love for reading can develop, which is central to almost every career in their future. A second element of educating children is to make playtime as educational as it is fun. That’s the wonder of Pixar movies, since they teach children life principles, just like puzzles teach children how to use their rational minds to build ‘the bigger picture’. If you add board games, such as Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble, to the mix you’ll develop their general knowledge as well as expand their vocabulary.

Share interests with your teens

As children grow older, their relationship with their parents can become a bit strained. Many parents feel that’s where their job with educating their kids ends. If anything, there isn’t a single period more critical to a child’s education, since in their teens is where they make their biggest decisions. Just like parents of potential athletes love to accompany their kids to ball games, you should accompany your children to whatever it is that stimulates their interest. This will not only show your child your approval, but it will also let you share what veteran knowledge you have on that field of interest, while allowing you to learn ‘on the job’ as well, so to speak.

Educating children is a lifelong endeavour that is immensely rewarding. And it’s especially so when we realise it is not only the teacher’s responsibility to do so, but yours, too.

Tags: children, education