A friend recently sent me this article, which talks about how schools often measure parental engagement by how frequently they meet with a child’s teacher, volunteer at the school, or attend a school event. While these are valuable forms of engagement, many parents may be better served by the schools offering suggestions for ways they can engage with their children at home, thus strengthening their parent-child relationships.
Home Works NYC sets out to do just this work. To that end, I want to offer you one of my favorite strategies that parents can use at home to positively engage in their child’s education—in this case, you’ll be working with your child on self-regulation.
Set aside a structured time to focus on one activity. Because our modern-day environments provide opportunities to engage in many tasks at once, having time to dedicated to one task allows children to practice their concentration and problem-solving skills. Children should choose their desired activity, plan out a few things they’d like to try, and agree on a duration.
For preschool children this could be working on a puzzle for 10 minutes and cleaning up when finished. School-aged children can have an hour of creative play with dress-up, art supplies, or blocks. Adolescents can set a goal for each day of the week (cleaning out their closet on Monday, perhaps) and check off their tasks as they’ve completed them. During this time, you can engage in their play or choose an activity that interests you.
It sounds simple, but there are many factors that enable this type of activity to be effective. To learn how to make this strategy work for you, contact Home Works NYC today and schedule a consultation.
