Discipline begins at home

For many years child discipline has been a controversial subject in terms of the degree of discipline that is good for the child. However, one point on which all the experts agree is that discipline starts in the home. While it is reinforced at school  and in society with rules, it is not the job of an educator to teach a child right from wrong.

As a parent you have an enormous obligation to find the perfect balance between loving and disciplining your child, particularly since so many emotional aspects must be taken into account. These may start with imagined or real fears your child is feeling, to coping with his or her anger management. To balance love and discipline is a long and difficult process. No matter what the situation, you have to turn big troubles and chaos into peaceful and loving atmospheres. Unfortunately, this technique is something you learn by experience.

As you've undoubtedly found, if you are too lenient, your child will simply run all over you. If you are too strict, your child's spirit can be crushed, leaving you with a fuming rebel. There is only one key: love must be the basis of all discipline which should be balanced according to your child's personality.

It will help you and your child to set specific ground rules and be steady in your reinforcement. You have to ensure that your child understands the clear line between disobedience and obedience. It is vital that you set punishments suitable to the offence so that your child can grow up to be a productive and happy member of society. And always remember that a child needs fair discipline for security.

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)

Should you place your child in an ECD centre or rather keep your little darling at home

Children are sociable little people and they enjoy, thrive on and learn from other children. In an ECD centre children are grouped together according to age and the programme is structured to suit their developmental stage. Activities and resources are also pitched at a level to challenge them and allow them to experience success. Children also learn best from other children and they learn through play, and playing with other children helps them to develop in totality i.e. social, emotional, physical and cognitively.

In an ECD centre the teacher is qualified to work with small children and also knows to observe them and knows when a child needs additional support and when they need yo be referred to a specialist. The daily programme is planned in such a way that active and less active activities alternate each other to release energy and to get them to start concentrating for short periods of time.

A good ECD centre will have a prescribed menu and will serve a healthy balanced diet suitable for the young child's needs. The first few months in an ECD centre could be difficult as your child might suffer numerous infections but even this could be seen in a positive light, with every infection the body is building more and more antibodies.

So yes, go for it! Book a place in that ECD centre near your home and become involved in the running of your child's first school.

By: Riette Els, ECD Manager

Discipline at home

As a parent you have to understand that discipline starts at home. Your children look to you for guidance and direction, you are the voice that counts. It is not fair to expect teachers to instill a strong sense of discipline in your children. They are simply there to reinforce the discipline ideals taught at home.

Children have to be taught that rules are important and that they have to be followed. As a parent you can start by making you child understand, respect and follow all figures of authority in their lives. Your authority is important, you must not blur the lines of parent and friend with your child. They need to understand that they can trust you with important information but that ultimately you are the parent.

Teachers can easily pin point those learners who have no discipline at home because these are the unruly ones in the classroom. These children do not understand that their behaviour disturbs other children. As a parent you must do all you can to ensure that you are not enabling your child with the wrong kind of freedom that will become a problem at school.

Ideas from: www.allaboutparenting.org/child-discipline.htm

Your role as a parent in your child's learning process

As a parent you have to be involved in your child's learning experience. Be aware of what your child is being taught in school. This can only be achieved by talking to your child and attending school meetings. Make sure you are taking the time to go through your child's school books. This will also assist you in knowing where your child is struggling so you can take steps in getting the appropriate assistance for your child.

Being a parent usually means your life is hectic between kids, work and running your household successfully but this can never mean that you should not fulfill your role as the primary educator in your child's life. As most parents know, it's not enough to simply buy toys, you have to invest in educational experiences and material for children to engage with. Purchase educational games that you can play with your children, this is a great way for you to spend time with your kids and be active in their learning process. When you spend quality time with your children why not spend it at the museum, or visiting an important heritage site or even walking in a historical section of town? All of this can be important learning experiences.

There is no excuse for a lack of parental involvement. As a parent it is your responsibility to know everything about your child, if you are not happy with what you know take the necessary steps to rectify the problem. Make sure you know your children's teachers and the progress you child is making.

Ideas from: www.articlesbase.com