How Parental Involvement Boosts Academic Success and Personal Growth: Key Tips for Parents

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As parents, we all want our children to thrive—both academically and socially. Whether it's making friends, excelling in school, or having fun, our involvement in their education plays a pivotal role. Studies consistently show that parental involvement contributes significantly to a child's academic success, boosts their self-esteem, and fosters a lifelong love for learning. In today’s busy world, where juggling responsibilities is common, understanding the impact of parental engagement can make all the difference in a child’s academic journey.

This pre-school in Harrow highlights the importance of involving parents in their child's learning from a young age and shares actionable tips for fostering success at home and at school.

The Importance of Reading for Children: Key Benefits & Tips for Encouraging a Reading Habit

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Reading is one of the most enriching activities you can introduce to your child, and it’s never too early to start! Even before your child can fully understand words, reading together provides the perfect bonding experience and a chance to spend quality time with younger children. The benefits of reading for children go far beyond academic success—it nurtures imagination, enhances critical thinking, and fosters emotional intelligence. Encouraging your child to read regularly can profoundly impact their development, and it’s the perfect way to cultivate a lifelong love for books.

At Weston Green School, a leading prep school in Surrey, we’ve compiled a list of the key benefits of reading for children, plus helpful tips to encourage your child to develop a regular reading habit:

How to Support Your Child Through A-Level Revision: Tips for Parents

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The A-level exams are a critical milestone in your child's academic journey, and as a parent, you play a pivotal role in supporting them through this challenging period. Effective A-level revision is key to boosting their performance and maintaining their overall well-being. Striking a balance between study and relaxation is essential, ensuring your child doesn’t become overwhelmed or stressed. This guide offers practical strategies and tips on how to revise for A-Levels effectively, while also maintaining a healthy mindset.

Collingham College, a Private Sixth Form College in London, shares the most effective ways to support your child through A-Level revision:

3 Independent Play Activity Ideas For Your Kids

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Learning through play is a big part of development for children and is the main way most children learn basic skills and improve things such as their fine motor skills. Whilst group play sessions are great for social skills and learning to share etc, independent play also has a range of benefits including learning to problem solve, developing new skills and learning how to keep themselves entertained for short periods of time as lets face it we can't always be say with them every second of the day! 

Having a list of independent play activities your child might like to do and allowing them to choose can be a great way to introduce the independent play, start by encouraging them to play alone for short periods, maybe 5 minutes, to begin with, and then you can slowly increase this time. Remember any activities should be safe for your child to do alone and not overly challenging. Below are three independent play ideas to get you started.

A Parent’s Guide to the School Curriculum

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#AD As we prepare to start a new school year, you and your children are probably full of questions and maybe even worry about what to expect for the year ahead. As a parent, one thing it is important to understand your child’s school curriculum, as it can be used as a means to support their academic journey effectively. However, given that the outlook of education is constantly evolving, it can sometimes feel quite overwhelming to keep up with the terminology, methods used, and goals of the overall curriculum. That is why we have put together this handy post to hopefully ease some of those nerves ahead of the start of school. 

Below is a parent's guide to the school curriculum, as advised by this Independent School in Devon.

How To Use Storytelling To Boost Your Child's Creativity

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AD: Storytelling is an excellent technique to pique your child's interest and imagination. It can also help kids improve their communication and critical thinking abilities. Recent research has also revealed how creative thinking is a vital skill required to succeed in the 21st century. Are you looking to discover some strategies for making storytelling with your child a fun and engaging exercise?

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With reading having so many benefits for children, here are just a few ways to use storytelling to boost your kids’ creativity.

Should I consider home-schooling my child?

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AD: The conversation of school can be rather tricky when it comes to discussing it amongst parents, as each has their own view of what they believe to be the right approach to it. Whilst all parents naturally believe learning is a necessity in order for children to be launched into society the correct way, many have their own opinion on the best routes to take when it comes to the how, where and when this might be done. For example, when it comes to choosing schools for children, most parents go for the one in their local area, whereas others will look into grammar school, boarding school, and in some cases, homeschool. Home schooling has become extremely popular over the years, with parents becoming widely aware of the benefits that come with it.

Keep reading for some advice from this online school in the UK, on if you should consider homeschooling for your child.  

Helping your child develop their vocabulary

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AD: When it comes to a child and their language development, many are unaware of how important this stage truly is in their life. In fact, this time is fundamental for little ones, with their vocabulary size at the age of 4 alone being able to be used as a clear prediction of their academic outcomes in their teenage years. A broad vocabulary needs a lot more care as it helps to boost social skills and confidence from childhood right into adult life. Whilst formal education is perceived to be the route used to educate children on anything academic, input from parents is also required too. As much as 95% of a child’s vocabulary roots right from their parents, which clearly shows how important parental involvement is.

Continue reading the blog below on helping your child develop their vocabulary, as advised by this day nursery in London. 

Teaching your child to use social media responsibly

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AD: Social media is a fantastic invention, to say the least. In today’s digital age, social media has become such an important part of everyone’s lives and whilst some may say it has taken over, it has opened up so much for people too. With the simple click of a few buttons, the capability to gather endless amounts of information and entertainment has grown. In fact, it was through social media that individuals were able to stay connected globally throughout the recent pandemic, acting as almost a saviour to all during the very difficult and isolating time. However, as parents, it is crucial to guide your child on how to navigate their online persona responsibly. 

Teaching children about responsible social media usage not only protects them from potential risks but also empowers them to reap the benefits of these platforms. Below is a guide that goes into more detail on teaching your child how to be responsible online, as advised by this private school in London.

4 Tips for Teaching Your Child to Read

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AD: Reading is one of the very first things that your child will work towards at school and it is such an important skill since it will open up a whole new world of possibilities for your child. Reading is a life skill that will not only help your child educationally but in many other ways too. Children who learn to read and enjoy reading often have fantastic imaginations and storytelling abilities too, opening up their minds to a whole new range of images that can be created in their minds from the words on a piece of paper. But before all of that, children will start by learning the different letters and the sounds they make before attempting to blend and make words. If your child is at this stage and you feel that they are struggling, these tips may help. 

The below were put together by an independent school in Surrey.

5 Signs Your Child Might Requires a Private Tutor

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AD: There has been a sharp rise in the number of parents seeking help when it comes to their children's education and in children that are receiving private tuition in at least one subject. It is estimated that 25% of children have personal, one-to-one or group level support to help them make progress at school. This is believed to be even higher in London and amongst privately educated children. The question is - is it really necessary? 

There is no simple yes or no answer, however there some cases where having extra help in the form of private tuition can be very beneficial for children. This might be because they have fallen behind, are struggling with a particular subject or maybe they have been out of school for a prolonged period of time. In the post we’ve teamed up with a junior school to share the benefits of private tutoring and helping you to decide if a private tutor is what your child needs.

Our top tips for learning at home.

Since starting school James has always shown a passion for learning. He thrives in the school environment and has a thirst for learning more and more even once school has finished. 

I decided that since this probably won't last and we will soon be hitting the years where I can barely drag him from bed that'll own get him doing homework willingly that we would go with it and provide him with some things he could do at home. 

We purchased a small table and set about filling it with things for him to do outside of school as he pleases and he loves it! We don't push him to do it but its just there when he wants it. Now he has homework from school he especially loves his little at home learning corner to do all his homework in. 

So today I though I would share with you some of the items that have been a big hit for James when learning at home. 

Work books

We picked these up really cheap from places such as Poundland and The Works. They provide a range of question tailored to a certain age or level and most of them have a page of stickers, which the child can stick on each page as they complete it. 

Whiteboards

James loves his whiteboard and its been a great tool for practicing things like spellings and times tables without wasting paper. We picked up this one from Tesco in the sale for around £2.50 so they are a really inexpensive way to make learning a bit different and decreasing waste. 

The Basics

One of the first things I stocked up on when we decided to create this space for James was the basics. Things like plain paper, lined paper, pens, pencils, colouring penils, stamps etc. Sometimes some of James best work or the pieces he has been most proud of have come straight from his imagination. When he has just sat down let him imagination run wild are the special moments and I wanted to make sure he had everything he needed to do this. 

Question and Answer books

These Miles Kelly Question and Answer books have been one James favourite. He always has so many questions and these give him lots of answers in a child friendly way and often illustrated way too. These make a great reference point for homework or just to answer a curious little mind!

Do you have any top tips for making learning at home or homework fun? I would love to hear them in the comments! 

xXx

Our current top 5 children's story books.

I had never been in to books much until I had kids, now I still don't really read for myself (I struggle to find any time) but I do adore ready to both James and Evelyn and have done so since they were tiny babies.

I love how children can get lost in a story and how it fuels and nurtures their already wild and vivid imagination. James has always loved books but since starting school and learning to read for himself books have become a real passion for him and we read together each night. When we are not reading together I often find him reading story books to his sister as she often sits and listens intently, its a real pleasure to watch. 

So I recently asked James (aged 6) to share with me his favourite 5 books at the moment from his book shelf and here are the 5 he chose -

Cinder the Bubble-Blowing Dragon

Tyrannosaurus Drip

Aliens Love Underpants

Harry and the Dinosaurs go to School

Mr Nosey and the big surprise

I adore that James loves reading as it was one of my main concerns before he started school as he was showing no signs of being able to read or wanting too! Despite my best efforts at home a few months at school and he was excelling and I haven't been able to stop him since. Its a real joy to watch him reading and really getting in to the story of a book and telling me all about it afterwards. James even reads to his sister now who adores his reading just as much as I do.

Do your children love reading? What is your childs favourite book to read at the moment? 

xXx

DK Carol Vorderman Workbooks **REVIEW**

One of the things I always worry about during school holidays such as the summer holidays and the half term holidays is keeping James occupied and still eager and interested in learning. 

I am always looking for different things to keep him engaged with learning and his mind still ticking over even when not attending school, so when we came across the range of Carol Vorderman workbooks from DK I was excited to see how James would get on with them. 

Carol Vorderman is the number one bestselling children's education author* and is the author of the 10 Minutes A Day Spelling Fun and 10 Minutes A Day Vocabulary workbooks, newly released as part of the English Made Easy range published by DK. Carol Vorderman MA (Cantab) MBE, is one of Britain's best-loved TV presenters and is renowned for her skills in mathematics. She has hosted numerous shows from light entertainment with Carol Vorderman's Better Homes and The Pride of Britain Awards, to scientific programmes such as Tomorrow's World, on the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4. Whether co-hosting Channel 4's Countdown for 26 years, or advising Rt. Hon David Cameron on the future of UK mathematics education, Carol has a passion and devotion to explaining educational subjects in an exciting and easily understandable way.

As James is 5 we received the books aimed at his age range which were - 

- 10 Minutes A Day Spelling Fun (ages 5-7) (DK, £5.99)

- Made Easy Spelling Punctuation and Grammar (ages 5-7) (DK, £3.99)

- 10 Minutes A Day Maths (ages 5-7) (DK, £5.99)

There are also workbooks available for ages 7-11 if you have slightly older children! 

One thing that is unique about these books is that they feature a timer! I love this added feature and it certainly got James interested too. The timer is easy to use with a simple start and stop button so even children can activate it themselves. The idea is to set the timer as the child begins and they simple complete 10 minutes of the workbook each time. The timer is automatically set and once 10 minutes is reached it will beep to let you know.  

James has quite a short attention span, as I am sure most 5 year old's do! So getting him to sit down and capture his imagination can be quite challenging but these books certainly did just that, he was actually asking to do some more each evening! Each page is set out spaciously and easy to read with eye catching colours and tasks meaning they really grab you in the to page and grab children imagination and attention. 

These workbooks fully support the new National Curriculum at Key Stage 1 and 2, and are designed to help your child with schoolwork and home practice in a fun and engaging way. 

We have started doing 10 minutes of spelling and 10 minutes of maths a night and James hasn't moaned once as its only 10 minutes it doesn't take to long or seem like to much work even though he seems to be learning so much through just 10 minutes a night, and most importantly he seems to be having fun whilst learning! 

Parents don't worry, if there are any questions you are not 100% sure on then all of the answers are at the back of the book so you can check all of the answers are correct! Some of the books even come with little gold stars for younger ones which you can stick on the page (or give to them) when they complete tasks or pages. 

To find out more about 10 Minutes A Day Spelling Fun and 10 Minutes A Day Vocabulary and further education titles by Carol Vorderman, visit DK.com.

Do your children like doing workbooks? 

xXx


**I was not paid for this post, I was sent this item in return for an honest review. 
All thoughts and opinions in this post are my own and written by me. **

Collins Big Cats books **REVIEW**

When James started school in September he couldn't really read at all but he loved having books read to him. When he started school he showed a really keen interest in learning to read and quickly learnt and now according to his teacher is above expectations for his year and you simply can't stop him from reading!

James brings home a book a week from school and we also make regular trips to the library as he just can't get enough of reading. So when we were given the opportunity to try out some Collins big cat reading lion books I knew they would be a hit with James.

Collins big cat reading lion books are a huge selection of topical fiction and non-fiction books written by the best authors and illustrators known for creating beautiful books and engaging stories that are loved by children. These books have been used in UK schools to help children learn to read but they are now available for you to purchase from the high street to use and read at home, making them more accessible and making learning phonics fun at home! 

We received a lovely set of books from Collins big cat that were tailored to James stage of reading. That's the great thing about Collins big cat is that you can purchase books that are at the right level for your child rather than guessing or worrying if the book is to easy or hard. 

The different levels available are - 

Big Cat Reading Lions – Level 1: First Reading at Home

Big Cat Reading Lions – Level 2: Practice Reading at Home

Big Cat Reading Lions – Level 3: Supported Reading at Home

Big Cat Reading Lions – Level 4: Confident Reading at Home

Big Cat Reading Lions – Level 5: Independent Reading at Home

Big Cat Reading Lions – Level 5: Fluent Reading at Home

The set we received was the Collins big cat reading lions supported at home Level 3 for ages 6-7. As well as the story these books also contain helpful activities that encourage your children to answer questions about the book or the words within the book to help them understand and enjoy learning even after the story has finished. 

The books are not only fun to read for children but they help build reading, listening and speaking skills. 

The set contains 6 books and is priced at £24.00 for the set. It contained the following books - 

What’s that Building? by Richard Platt
Unusual Traditions by John McIlwain
How to be a Knight by Scoular Anderson
Chewy Hughie by Jane Clarke
Twinkle, Twinkle Firefly by John Agard & Grace Nichols
Mountain Mona by Vivian French

Here is a clip of James reading one of his favourite books in the set "Chewy Hughie".

We also received the Collins picture atlas which was fantastic, even I as an adult enjoyed browsing through it. Its not like a traditional atlas, its much more fun! The pages are packed full of colourful eye catching images to go with the snippets of facts about the different country or continents. It also helps children learn about different people, animals and the different cultures around the world. 

I think this atlas would be the perfect learning tool for children learning about different places and as it contains images as well as writing its easy to understand even for younger readers. It is aimed at children aged 4-8 although I think children even older than 8 would still enjoy reading it. 

Here are some of the colourful pictures you can find within the Picture Atlas. 

If you want to find out more about the whole Collins collection you can visit their website here - www.collins.co.uk. 

Do your children enjoy reading? Whats your child's favourite book? 

xXx

* I was not paid for this review. All opinions given are my own.

* If you would like me to review your product or service, please email me on xJessLegresleyx@hotmail.com.

Easter Sunday visit to The MSHED! (Bristol)

Hello everyone, I hope your all having a lovely easter? 

Well today in true bank holiday style it rained lol! So we decided to check out the Mshed in Bristol. 

The Mshed is a museum based in the centre of Bristol and it is all about the history of Bristol itself!

"For the first time, Bristol has a museum dedicated to telling the amazing history of the city, through the objects and stories of the people who have made the city what it is today.

Located on the historic dockside, Bristol's flagship museum has been designed to retain the unique character of the former 1950s transit shed.

Three galleries reveal the fascinating story of the city and its unique place in the world. From prehistoric times to the present day, explore the history of Bristol through the objects and stories of the people who made the city what it is today.

See amazing film and photographs, listen to moving personal stories, encounter rare and quirky objects and add your own memories of the city through the interactive displays."

With James only being 4 and a half I wasn't sure how much he would enjoy it but he loved it! There was plenty for him to at and plenty of interactive screens all at kiddy friendly level so easy for little ones to use. 

James drawing!

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to share a quick picture with you all! 

James is 4 and a half and the concept of sitting still and doing any task for more than 2 minutes is completely unheard of lol!

However he has recently started taking an interest in drawing and last week he drew this cute squirrels all by himself!!

I thought it was really good for a 4.5 year old and he was very proud of it. It's now proudly displayed in our kitchen lol! 

xXx