What makes a great parent

As a 21st century parent, you have access to almost everything and anything you need for your children. While your parents did the best they could, you can do much better, especially in light of all the research that's been done on what children need. And we're not talking about material needs, but emotional ones and thought stimulation.

To do the best for today's child, it's important to understand how drastically the role of parents and expectations of children have changed over the years. For one thing, it is unrealistic to expect teachers to do everything for your child. Of course children learn school subjects from their teachers, but they learn the vital attitudes to life from you, their parents, whose duty goes far beyond just paying for the education. Learning does not end in the classroom or with the after-school bell - it;s up to you to continue the culture of learning in the home.

This is why it is so important that you make sure homework is done every day. Supervising your kid's homework, and giving assistance when needed, can actually be a lot of fun for both you and your child. While teachers have to cope with many kids in a classroom, only you can give that one-on-one attention that's essential for a child's mental growth.

It's also vital to have a culture of daily reading in your home - people who read are surprisingly well informed. Of course if you are a reader, you will be the perfect role model for reading to your child. It's the old story -you can only lead by example.

It is also well proven that the more involved parents are with their children's learning journey, the more successful those children are. When you take an interest in their learning journey, you become really involved, you will find it so much easier to help your kids succeed - and you'll quickly identify if there is a problem for which a child may need professional help.

Your child's success begins - and ends! - with you!

Save for your child's education

Putting a child through a good school in South Africa comes with a heavy financial burden. An entire basic education schooling career, from primary school through to high school, can put huge financial pressure on parents. For your child to go through a government school from grade R to matric, you are estimated to pay just a bit more than R300 000.

Provision has to be made for your child's education. As a parent you should start some sort of investment strategy as soon as possible after the birth of your child to keep up with the spiralling effect of inflation.

All parents have dreams of sending their children to university, but as things stand only a selected few can afford to do so. Tertiary fees have also increased rapidly making it difficult for most South African parents to send their children to get a university qualification.

As a parent you must find out about the different ways to save for your child's education. It is never too late to invest in a good quality education for your children, but the earlier you start, the better your chances of securing a bright future for them.

Resolve to Raise a Reader

Provide a regular diet of books and reading for your preschooler

You feed and care for your child every day so that he will grow into a healthy, happy preschooler. Similarly, you also need to provide experiences that will enhance language development and stimulate learning skills. Try this menu of reading activities:

Read every day
A daily routine will give all the readers in your family a chance to read with your preschooler. Dads, moms, siblings, caregivers and friends can all be part of ensuring your preschooler gets 20 minutes of being read to each day.

Do things, and then talk about it
It's great to offer new experiences to your preschooler, such as a visit to the zoo or museum, but a trip to the grocery store or a neighborhood park can be just as educational. Talk about what you are seeing and ask your preschooler what he thinks of it. When possible, use interesting words to describe what you're seeing.

Read everywhere you go
You can find reading on the road, at the bus stop, in the store, and at the restaurant. Play a game to find words when you are out and about or take a look at home for words on everyday items like cereal boxes, toothpaste, and household appliances.

Be a reading role model
Your child wants to imitate you and be like you. Have plenty of reading material for yourself as well as for your child. Tell your child how much you enjoy reading.

Keep your pulse on progress
Please be sure to see your child's pediatrician or teacher as soon as possible if you have concerns about your child's language development, hearing or sight.

Article from: www.readingrockets.org.za

For a variety of reading material: www.readingmatters.co.za

Article submitted by: Yvonne Maseko (READ/ Reading Matters)