Mental Health and Children

Published September 22, 2017

 

 

Mental health has been in the news a lot lately and particualrly mental health among children.

I’ve written posts before about mental health or aspects related to it and links are at the bottom of this post if you’d like to read them.

But this week  a couple of powerful new resources have become available which I thought it would be good to draw attention to.

The first is from Times Education Supplement (TES) and it’s called ‘I have a Volcano inside me’

It’s a short animated film which simply explains the struggles of one child and has messages about how the other children can offer support. It is very starightforward and begins wit some year 6 children explaining what they do to cope with their worries, their minor worries and I think is important to understand that everyone has minor worries and it is good to identify what we do to help us cope but also that for some people the woriies are more intense or their situations much more difficult.

The second is from the BBC and can be found here  

and contains short animnated videos that tell the stories of different children that have struggled with aspects of mental health. It includes a story about a bully, and someone being bullied, someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, someone with Anorexia and two children talk about panic attacks.

What we here often hear from parents is that when faced with their child or children having a problem that they dont know how to talk about it with them and what we hear from children and young people is that they find it hard to talk about how they feel.

I’m sure it must be really helpful to hear in the voices of the children themselves how they struggled and how they got help, and that must go some way to reducing the isolation they may feel.

The number of children and young people with mental health problems appears to be growing and while there are no easy answers, as adults whether teachers, parents, relatives or family friends the hope is we can all play a part by being there to help or support any child or young person experiencing difficulties and learn a little more ourselves about the struggles they face.

 

– http://attunededucation.com/2017/04/30/how-to-build-positive-self-esteem/

or see below for a post about emotions.

8 ways to helpchildren and young people learn about emotions

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3 Types of Texts that help Children Become Readers

Published August 31, 2017

 

I have met plenty of children and young people who love reading and I have also met children who don’t love reading. Often, but certainly not always this dislike of reading has stemmed from early difficulties with reading. The difficulties may have been resolved but for some children who struggled when they were learning it may take a long time before they actually enjoy reading.

However I don’t think I have met a child, or even adult for that matter who doesnt love a good story.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts reading is an essential skill for children to learn AND it is not a natural or innate skill. Unlike speaking, which children in every human society learn, the skill of reading is an additional skill and therefore needs to be taught explicitly. We also know that English can present some complexities when it comes to learning to read, there being 26 letters but 44 commonly used sounds, unlike other languages where there is a much more consistent sound spelling correlation.

But as parents we want our children to develop this vital skill and to do that they need access to three different types of texts which all serve slightly different purposes when children are learning to read and progressing towards being fluent independent readers.

Stories for Fun

Hopefully even as babies and toddlers picture books and stories are read to and with children and they can be a great source of learning. Learning may come from the content of the stories themselves and the discussion that may follow the story but in addition children learn the pattern of stories, they learn that books can be fun and as they grow they learn that the text is related to the pictures, regardless of whether they can decode the text. It’s a great idea to get children to talk about the story, what might happen next, point to the pictures or detail within the pictures. This all aids their understanding of stories. New vocabulary will be learned from books and stories as well. In fact children over the age of 7 learn most new vocabulary from books rather than from speech so it is vital that children learn to read effectively. English is a rich language with a very large number of words relative to some other languages, think about the number of words we have that mean feeling or showing pleasure –

Contented, Content, Cheerful, Cheery, Joyful, Jovial, Gleeful, Carefree, Untroubled, Delighted, Smiling, Glowing, Satisfied, Radiant, Sunny, Blithe, Good humoured, Blissful, Euphoric…..and you could probably think of a few more.

If we were writing we’d chose which particular word to use depending on the context and personal preference and while we’d all be able to read and understand the words if we read them in a book, many are words that we wouldnt use often in everyday speech.

When children are learning to read themselves it is vitally important that they continue to enjoy stories with adults that are beyond what they themselves could read. When a child is first learning to read they need to decode each word so the books are simple and ideally should use only the sounds/spelling correspondences that the child has learned – see section below on coded stories. In fact until the child is a fluent reader their reading development will be enriched by having stories read to them that they will be able to comprehend but would not necessarily be able to read. Experiencing challenging texts with support may be good for the developing reader but being expected to read books or words that they haven’t the skills or knowledge to do effectively is likely to put them off, or force them into a position where they are guessing which in many ways undermines their learning as they may guess correctly sometimes but not others and that can never be a foundation for good reading.

A mistake that many parents make is to stop reading to children too early. They may be able to read the individual words but imagine if you were reading a complicated text where you were having to really concentrate to get the thread of the argument, often I imagine you’d read a sentence more than once to be sure you’d got it right. It is hard for a child to follow the plot of a story when they need to decode some of the words but you want them to enjoy the story so a mix of books is essential. Stories they can enjoy listening to and stories they can read themselves.

It is also useful to share reading stories with children who are learning to read so they read a page or even a sentence or two but an adult reads the rest.

The message is to keep reading to children even when they are starting to read themselves. Different books serve different purposes but reading to children will almost always be of benefit.

Books for Information

I have used the word books but really I mean text and this may be in a book or a magazine or indeed on the internet. It is all reading. A child may be willing to put in considerable effort to read some information on a computer game. The important thing is that they can see text as a source of information. There are some great non-fiction books and one of the advantages is that often the text is in short chunks like in example below which is form the Natural History Museum website. Again they may need help with some of the words if they are still learning to read but in a short piece of text when they are wanting to find something out it is great to let them read the words they can.

“Diplodocus had a long neck that it would have used to reach high and low vegetation, and to drink water. There has been some debate over how such a long neck would have been held.”

Coded Phonic Books

These have improved dramatically over recent years and there are now an ever increasing number of coded stories with great illuatrations, attractivley designed and with specific information for parents about the sounds/spellings  that are being focussed upon. But I have heard people criticise them – often for the very thing they are intended to do.

The nature of a coded book is to use restricted text – that is only words the child has been taught how to decode, using sounds spelling correspondences they have been introduced to. So in the early days of learning to read they will be repetitive as there are only a restricted set of words that can be used. Even as they progress the purpose is usually is for them to practice reading a particular spelling or spellings for a sound. So a child who has learned some of the different ways we spell the sound /oe/ the sound as in the word ‘so’ might well read words like go, boat, show, note, and though, which all spell the sound in a different way.

Using coded phonic books is essential to support reading development, if your child is bringing home books to read themsleves (as distinct from stories to have read to them or share with an adult) that are not coded I would advise talking to the teacher about why coded phonic books arent being used.

Free Course 

Sounds-Write have now produced a brilliant free course for parents which is available on Udemy. If your child is in school and learning to read or about to start school this a great resource of parents – you can complete it at a time to suit yourself but it will definitely help you to understand what your child isbeing taught in phonics at school and why. It will also enable youto offer them great support with their reading and writing. You can have a look by clicking here.

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Thoughts about Thoughts

Published August 13, 2017

 

Thoughts about Thoughts

Thoughts are important, I think we’d probably all agree with that. It is our thoughts that in time give rise to our feelings and our actions. Everything that happens begins with a thought whether it is something simple like standing up, lifting a cup or planning a holiday, deciding to move house even having a brilliant idea. Everything for the Taj Mahal to the light bulb began with a thought. So thoughts are powerful and thoughts have a creative energy.

They are also under our control. It doesn’t always feel like that as sometimes our brains can get into ever decreasing circles with anxious or worried thoughts, or negative spirals where we berate ourselves and beat ourselves up, or angry or resentful thought patterns that feel hard to escape but with practice we can learn to control them. That is not to say it is easy but it is possible and it is something we need to learn if we are to see changes in our lives.

Our responses

We certainly can’t control what happens in our lives but we can control how we respond to what happens in our lives and part of that response is to do with our thoughts. Imagine you hear that you hear something that upsets you – often what is the cause of greatest distress is not the news though that may be distressing but our thoughts about that news. Let’s have a concrete example to explain this. You hear of a terrorist attack, upsetting on every level but if you let your thoughts run away in a short time you can be reviewing decisions to travel or even seeing certain groups of people as dangerous. Our thoughts can change our response to the event. If on the other hand we think that while it was a distressing it is only a very small percentage of people who would behave in such ways and that generally the world is a safe place for most people we probably wouldn’t radically alter our plans. So it is our thoughts ABOUT the event or situation that shape our response.

 

Our Feelings

Our thoughts also impact our feelings. Imagine a relationship break up – almost always upsetting to some degree. But if we let ourselves think that it was all our fault that we are unlovable that we’ll never be happy in our relationships then we are almost guaranteed to feel worse than we would if we think that there will be others that we deserve and can find fulfilling relationships. It might not take away the pain but out thoughts can either make that pain worse or a little better.

Conscious and Subconscious thoughts

I can’t do this justice in one simple blog post but we all know that our brains. Like icebergs have a huge subconscious which is pretty busy all the time. The conscious thoughts are really only the tiny tip of that iceberg. So let’s start by managing our conscious thoughts, literally one thought at a time. A negative or worrying thought happens and we just have to learn to bat it away and change it for a more positive one. Literally thought by thought. If you start doing that you will notice the difference very quickly, not just to the amount of negative thoughts you have which will almost certainly reduce but also to your feelings and when your thoughts and feelings become more positive you actions will as well. Some thoughts may stem from unhelpful mind sets and limiting beliefs that we might have, even if we don’t realise it but by dealing with each thought these will lessen.

When it comes to subconscious thoughts there are also things we can do – click here to read more about how we can harness the power of our subconscious.

Our Choice

One of the most important choices we make is with our thoughts. It is in our power to choose one thought instead of another. I’m not saying it is easy BUT it definitely is possible and if you change your thoughts quite literally you can change your life.

Start Now

Whatever day of the week it is when you read this just start to notice your conscious thoughts about the things that happen. Every time you are aware of being negative then try to change that into a positive thought or if that feels too tough at least a neutral thought. So instead of, for example feeling angry because you are thinking that the car in front of you is driving really slowly – change that thought. Remind yourself that actually it will probably make very little difference to your arrival time. Or be grateful that you have a car that it is working well. Or think about the destination, that you are going somewhere because you have a purpose. It might sound trite at first but it honestly does make a difference

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FREE COURSE – Help Your Child to Read and Write

Published August 6, 2017

I have often written blog posts before about reading, teaching reading and helping children to become effective readers. That is simply because, like others I think reading is a fundamental skill that children need to learn and they deserve to be taught in ways that will help them achieve that, by people who have the right skills and knowledge.

So I’m not going to repeat those blogs in this post – but you can find them on the website under blogs and on the side bar there are links to other articles about reading.

There are however a couple of things I want to highlight and the first is very exciting.

FREE COURSE

As parents most people want to help their child learn to read and write and here is a FREE course from Sounds-write for parents which will show them exactly how to do that. You can access it by following the link below.

https://www.udemy.com/help-your-child-to-read-and-write/learn/v4/overview

It only takes an hour or so to complete – but of course you can go back and repeat any sections that you want to, it gives really clear explanations and demonstrates exactly how to explain things to your child. There is a really helpful demonstration of the correct pronunciation of each of the sounds of the alphabet and it evens details how you can help when children make mistakes – which is where some really effective learning can take place.

RESEARCH

When it comes to teaching reading not all approaches are equal! Have a read of this – written in 2004 about ‘what experts should know and be able to do’ It is well worth a read

http://aft.org/sites/default/files/reading_rocketscience_2004.pdf

 

I would draw your attention to the following paragraph

What Does the Research Say About Effective Reading Instruction?

Well-designed, controlled comparisons of instructional approaches have consistently supported these components and practices in reading instruction:

[1] Direct teaching of decoding, comprehension, and literature appreciation;

[1] Phoneme awareness instruction;

[1] Systematic and explicit instruction in the code system of written English;

[1] Daily exposure to a variety of texts, as well as incentives for children to read independently and with others.

 

That is exactly what Sounds-Write does yet many schools insist on using mixed methods which include some phonics instruction but watered down with other approaches OR not used with fidelity. Other school use aphonic approach but while they may spend considerable sums of money on phonic resources they do no spend the money on training staff who use them. Other schools adopt a phonic approach but continue to send children home with books that are not decodable which can have a detrimental effect on the child developing the necessary skills then being put in a position where they are asked to access texts they aren’t ready for.

Sounds-Write Courses

So teachers, school staff and parents I’ll be running a 4 day Sounds-Write courses in Bedfordshire in the autumn term. In September at Kings Oak School in Bedford and in November at Weatherfield Academy in Dunstable (dates for this still being confirmed).

As well as teaching children to read and spell from the moment they enter school in Key Stage 1, the Sounds-write programme also covers Key Stages 2, 3 and 4 and is suitable for catching-up those pupils who have fallen behind in their reading and spelling.

The course provides a detailed understanding of how the English writing system works and how to teach it.  Each participant will receive a comprehensive manual containing all the lesson plans and materials needed to teach children at all levels how to read and spell.

I am sure you are aware that the national percentage last year (2016) for passing the phonics screening test was 81% but many school using Sounds-write achieved higher percentages Potton in Bedfordshire 96% for example.

A recent Ofsted evaluation of the Sounds-Course by an expert from the DfE attests to just how well Sounds-Write meets the DfE’s requirements for a quality phonics programme – for a full copy of the DfE report, see the link on the home page of the Sounds-Write website

 “I recommend Sounds-Write to every teacher and school leader I meet. At St. George’s, where deprivation levels are extremely high, we achieve consistently outstanding results in all phases. Our Phonics Screening Check has been 96%+ every year. Sounds-Write is a brilliant phonics programme for all pupils from Nursery but it also enables us to teach pupils with no English, or with specific learning difficulties so that no gaps exist in performance within year groups. It is a superb scheme for teaching polysyllabic spelling right through to Year 6. The training is top quality and all staff use consistent methods to teach phonics, reading and spelling effectively. Skills are taught explicitly and pupils demonstrate confidence and success from the outset. Progress is rapid and the quality of writing from Reception onwards astonishes visitors from other schools.”

 

Janet Hilary, Headteacher and National Leader of Education

If the school you work in or the school your child attends does nto achieve good phonics results contact us today to see how we can help.

The course is designed for teachers and school staff

but parents are welcome to attend as well.

The cost of the 4 day course is in Bedfordshire is £425 per delegate so if you’d like to book a place on either of these courses just get in touch.

For other training offered to schools please click on the events tab where you can book courses, the training tab and resources tab will give youmore information about the courses.

 

 

 

 

 

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7 School Holiday Survival Tips (For Parents!)

Published July 23, 2017

Help Its School Holidays!

They have arrived for almost all of the UK now and for many parents it means six weeks of somehow juggling even more than usual. In the UK, according to the Modern Families Index (https://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Modern-Families-Index_Full-Report.pdf) 48% of couple families said they worked full time and 57% of single parents reported working full time.

In addition to that there are hundreds of parents who work part time so managing to juggle work with school holidays is a challenge for many parents. But of course it’s not just about surviving the summer holidays – what we want as parents is to provide for our children, be good employees, but also enjoy time with our little ones who will grow up all too soon – so making happy memories and having fun together is  important as well. And as conscientious parent we want to provide opportunities for them to keep learning- so not a tall order at all!!

But don’t panic – here’s some tips that will help to make it achievable and get it all in perspective

Planning 

Hopefully most of this will have been done by now – if not this is a priority so stop reading and get going on this right now! For most though there will be some sort of plan about who was caring for the children when and where. I used to find it helpful to have a weekly planner so we could all see the childcare arrangements at a glance and I always found it easy to ‘muddle up’ weeks – but maybe that was just me!

The priority here is to  make sure everyone involved is clear about the childcare – and working pattern of the adults. Everything else can be built around that.

On the days you are not working you can hopefully relax and enjoy time with your children but for the times you are working holidays often mean longer journeys to get your offspring to whoever is looking after them, and while uniform isn’t a hassle they may need different stuff for holiday clubs and believe me you don’t want to be unearthing the under stairs cupboard looking for swimming goggles or whatever at 6am.

If others are coming to your house to care for them that can reduce a lot of the hassle but I always felt sort of duty bound to make sure that there was food in the fridge and that they knew where the garage keys were, for the bikes and scooters and where the crayons, dinosaur stencils or favourite cups were too, so that you can avoid the phone calls when you are trying to get on with your work.

Don’t aim for Perfect

You are a great parent! Start to believe that and during holidays don’t aim for perfect. For example we all know it is important for children to have a healthy nutritious diet but during school holidays it might be simple fare for a few nights, or treats that they wouldn’t usually have – it doesn’t make you a bad parent – the more relaxed you can be the easier it is for everyone. When you do come home during the holidays what your children want is your time and attention not Cordon Bleu Cookery or a spotlessly clean and tidy house!! (As if this was ever a possibility anyway!) So just let the guilt go and do what you need to so you get through.

Family, Friends and Favours

This is the season to call in any all favours you have and if you are lucky enough to live in a supportive community there can be some great economies of scale. If I was taking a day off to look after my own I’d quite happily look after some of their friends too so that we could pool resources and each do a day then have a day that another parent had our children. It was a lifesaver. Family members can also be great at providing care though of course with raised pension ages I think we will be looking at lots of grand parents also juggling work and school holidays when it comes to grandparent childcare. Many families don’t live near extended family members so while they can be a help it might take quite a bit of organisation.

Quality time

Just like in term time, but possibly without all the after school activities that many children are involved in, when you do get home children will want to spend time with you and show you what they made, tell you what they did, or what their brother/sister did and all you want is five minutes alone to put your feet up with a cup of tea or glass of wine. Well hold that thought because it’s usually easier to devote 30 minutes to those little ones and hear their tales, ahh over their drawings or look shocked at the big brother escapades they tell tales about THEN assert you right to a few minutes of peace.

Of course it might not be the best time for you but whenever you choose to do it give some quality time to you little ones, turn off your phone, leave the endless list of chores for a an hour or two and just revel in their company for a while.

Relax some Rules

Holidays are meant to be relaxing!  I know I hear you! As a parent there is never a holiday BUT holidays are also about your mind set – think of it as a holiday in that it is different from the routine of school and think about relaxing a few ‘rules’. Bedtime could be a bit later, or maybe it’s time for ‘teas on knees’ or a movie on a midweek evening. Children do need routine and consistency but within that there is also scope to relax a few rules, especially if that makes things easier for you as a working parent.

Independence

With some of the constraints of school out of the way for a while, like homework, then it is also a good time to work on a few different skills – the ones they need in life! So maybe encourage them to get involved in some of the chores, put things in the dishwasher, help with the cooking, setting the table or clearing up or for older ones maybe doing the laundry. Getting themselves organised for the next day in terms of what they might want to take with them is also a useful transferable skill and who hasn’t had a child who has forgotten essential items for school! So it’s a good time to practise those skills.

Remember to keep it simple

When you do get to have some time off with the children remember that while all children enjoy trips to expensive places they also enjoy lots of simple things, that don’t cost much at all.

We are lucky in the UK to have lots of parks, great countryside and free entry museums and places of interest. So think about things like a picnic by a river – or even in the garden – cooking or creative activities using household stuff, camping in the garden, or even in the lounge! They can all feel like adventures for children but don’t have to break the bank – for a few more ideas click here.

Children love Learning

Children love learning – in our culture we often think of learning as always being very formal but children learn anywhere and time away from school is a great time for them to learn in a less formal way – click here for ideas on how you can do can keep them learning on holiday

Sometimes parents find school holidays a great stress but remember that every summer holiday your children will be one year older so it really is important to enjoy them when you can. For anyone who shares children with a partner they don’t live with then holidays are a great time to share the burden and joy of the children and have quality time with a parent they may not see so much of at other times – but this needs planning in advance. The same goes for the extended family – grandparents aunts uncles would all probably love to have time with your children so don’t be afraid to ask.

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8 ways to helpchildren and young people learn about emotions

Published May 29, 2017

As this week has shown in a shocking and tragic way we live in a world where awful things happen. Yes, it is also a wonderful world but there are times when either at a personal and individual level, through illness bereavement or numerous other traumas or at a wider societal level (within which there is of course individual trauma and loss) through brutal attacks or violence or at other times through natural disasters like floods we need to ‘manage’ our emotions. Like any other personal skill we can only become adept at doing this if we have learned how to and had the opportunity to practice, though hopefully not through situations as extreme as we’ve seen this week.

But what do we mean by managing emotions? Sadly I think for many this has come to mean simply denying them. Being aware that we feel them then drawing on our stiff upper lip and squashing them right down inside. In my experience that is like trying to keep the lid down on a pan of boiling water. It might work for a while but the likelihood is it will ‘boil over’ sometimes when we least expect it. Managing emotions is a process. One that involves acknowledging and expressing the emotions, then developing and learning to use strategies that help us process the emotions in a helpful way. By this I mean not suppressing them or dwelling on them but being able to move forward at the right time. This can go on throughout our lives and as we mature we may refine the strategies we have for managing our emotions, things that might have caused great consternation to us as youths may not have the same impact when we older, for all sorts of reasons, but in part probably because we become more adept at dealing with ourselves.

Obviously it is important that children and young people learn these skills too and parents, carers and teachers all have a role to play in imparting and re-enforcing the essential messages. Below are the steps which I think are essential for adults to take to help children to learn about emotions and effectively deal with them. It is important as in all areas of learning that information and support is given that is appropriate to the age, stage and personality of the individual child or young person. It is perfectly possible for most of the steps below to be delivered in a formal class or small group based way by a teacher. But it is also possible for parents or carers to have these conversations either individually with a child, or with a sibling or friendship group.

1 Develop a shared language

This can start very early by identifying emotions, ‘sad’ and ‘happy’ might be the first and as children grow we can identify others, anger, disappointment, frustration, fear, or excitement etc. Knowing the word to describe an emotion or feeling is key BUT there also needs to be a shared understanding of what we mean by the words and this also need to be linked to what we might feel in these different states, butterflies in our tummy, or our heart racing. It is a body of knowledge that can grow and an understanding that can deepen as the child grows. It can be taught explicitly but it can simply be conversations between individual, a parent and a child for example, a teaching assistant and student who they are working with.

2 Use this to have dialogues about emotions

When the above has started to happen, and remember that no two children will be the same in their understanding, parents are individuals as are children so each situation will be different. Also we all know that being presented with a learning opportunity does not mean that learning has taken place. But when there is a shared language, however limited, then meaningful dialogue about emotions can begin. This is where the adult can lead, often by asking a question, ‘I wonder if you are feeling sad about …..’(or angry or disappointed or whatever your best guess is). Or perhaps when it is more obvious ‘I can see you are angry about…. So maybe it would be good for us to go for a walk?’ Similar dialogues can be initiated in response to stories, poems or the experiences of others.

3 Note how you manage your own emotions and in particular the strategies you use

The way you can suggest things to do is by first being clear about how you manage your own emotions. What do you do to calm down if you feel angry? Or if you are worried? Do you go outdoors for a walk or a run, have a rant while someone listens, try a few deep breaths, spend time listening to music,  go and kick a ball, or do some mindful colouring. Clearly as an adult there are some things you might do – going out alone for a run, or even having a stiff drink, that you couldn’t suggest to a child but as long as it is appropriate it is easy to suggest things. if they work for you there is a chance that same strategy, or a version of it could work for the child.

4 Be appropriately open about your own emotions and strategies you use

‘When I’m disappointed I find it helps to ……’. Whether or not they use the strategy at the time, you are still planting an idea and acknowledging the validity of what they are feeling.  Working in schools with students with social emotional and mental health needs I would always have colouring and drawing available –  I wouldn’t always suggest it, I’d just acknowledge that they needed space to calm down and say I’d just sit with them. Then I’d  start to colour myself and on many (but not every) occasion after a short time they’d come over and join in. At other times I might explain that I find music helps me and offer this or when the situation made it possible that a walk outside could help me calm down and offer it to them. reading aloud can also be a good strategy with a child, I’d say don’t worry about listening I’m just going to read because it helps me – but very often they would end up listening.

5 Seize opportunities for teaching and learning as they arise

In most schools this topic comes up on the curriculum, the physical changes in science and others in different curriculum areas but there is nothing quite so effective as seizing the moment something distressing on the news, or maybe something that has caused concern locally or for younger children perhaps the death of a pet. Any situation where emotions are heightened can be used to have guided conversations about the ways we manage our emotions. As parents the same applies – maybe after watching a movie there can be times to talk about the ‘emotional’ issues it may have raised.

6 Create opportunities when in the right environment

Seizing opportunities as they arise is good practice but of course it isn’t always possible or appropriate to do that so at other times you need to hold the ideas until the environment is right. But what is the right environment? Often it is one that is not too intense but affords some privacy, perhaps a walk, or even a journey in the car. Some children find it much easier to talk about things that matter when they are not sitting face to face and when there can easily be a distraction if they need one. Easy to create for parents not always so easy for staff in schools but there are always those times when children or young people end up being supervised out of class, often as a result of something that will give us the chance to introduce conversations about emotions. As adults we need to be sensitive but also prepared to initiate those conversations either in response to real situations, maybe they’ve just been hurt by another child who was angry, or in response to stories, drama, topics in class, films or other media.

7 Model the desired behaviour

We all know that children learn by watching us. As an adult we will be watched and what we do as well as what we say will be noted. Do we get angry and shout? They will notice this. Do we get quiet and grumpy but tell everyone we are fine, they will notice this too? Providing a commentary, sensitively and appropriately can help children and young people – it gives them a framework. It doesn’t mean we need to bare our souls but we can explain that we felt cross about something but told someone else, had a coffee, went for a walk and feel better now.  It is also good to apologise when we haven’t got it right, by saying for example that we are sorry if we shouted, (or whatever) but we were feeling frustrated by something, and explain that the shouting wasn’t right or fair and next time we’ll try and remember to use a better strategy, what this is can then be discussed.

8 Repeat all the steps above

Learning takes practice and let’s be honest we get plenty of practice with emotions as we can be faced with a whole barrage of different emotions every day. By having conversations about emotions we are acknowledging them and validating them for the child. That doesn’t mean we will agree with the way they express them and we may teach them other means of expression, and we may give context to their feelings, some things are not as important as others even though they cause strong feelings at the time, for example. Whether as parents or staff in school, carers or grandparents even older siblings, thankfully there will be plenty of opportunities to have those learning conversations about emotions and how we can learn, and go on learning how to manage them in  ways that are helpful and healthy. Over time this is one of the many ways we can play our part in promoting positive mental health.

 

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Last Minute Revision

Published May 21, 2017

Top Revision Tips

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Risking a few risks

Published May 21, 2017

We hear a lot about safeguarding, health and safety,  risk assessments, and duty of care. These are all very important, especially for anyone involved in the care of children or young people. But as a society it seems we could be in danger of becoming very ‘risk averse’.

In terms of academic learning we encourage children to ‘take risks’ – intellectual ones. Trying new things and risking failure is better than playing it safe when it comes to learning. Indeed if children never tried new things and risked some sort of failure then development in every area will be restricted.

Yet as parents it can be tough to let children take risks. Taking a risk in a Math problem is entirely different from a physical or social risk.

As parents we accept that when children learn to walk they will fall -so we may make sure at first that their landing is reasonably soft and be on hand to pick them up but we certainly let them take the risk – or they would never learn the skill. The same is true of lots of other physical skills, learning to ride a bike, or skate or swim or climb. As parents our job is to manage the risk rather than remove it.

But it seems to get tougher for us as parents as they get older. As a parent there are so many decisions we have to make about letting them become more independent. Going out alone even short distance away alone for example – I remember my children first going to a friend’s home about 200 yards away and watching until they went in the door – then when they’d done that safely they’d go to one a bit further away but I’d want to know they had got there, so parents we’d phone each other. All sensible precautions but all a huge area of potential worry for parents but that is part of parenting.. Somehow parents have to take what they know of the child, their understanding of the risks of the surroundings and potential risks, taking into account their own personality, some people are simply less prepared to allow any sort of risk than others, and make a decision we feel comfortable with.

Nowadays of course there is also the whole ‘online’ world which can be full of potential risks. But the internet isn’t going to disappear so we need to help them manage those risks rather than not let them any where near it.

So as a parent how do you manage risk? Well it certainly isn’t an exact science but here area few pointers.

Know your child

Every child is individual – some have a temperament that means they will often do the ‘risky’ thing and as a parent they need to be encouraged when they are old enough to take stock of things and consider potential  consequences before taking a risk. Other children who are naturally more cautious may need to be encouraged to take a risk, even a small one, perhaps doing something that the adult knows  they will manage fine, like a new taller slide or swimming with supervision in a deeper part of a pool.

Acknowledge that risk is inevitable

Children cannot and should not grow up in a bubble and as parents we need to acknowledge that risk is inevitable and as that as our children go through life there will be bumps and bruises, or disappointments or rejection.But experience is what can help us develop resilience. As parents we can offer comfort when things go wrong but use those times to build resilience and help with the learning that can come from a situation that didn’t work out so well.

Help children and young people to assess risk

If there is something that might present a risk think through it with the child or young person. What could the unhelpful consequences be, what would be the danger signs. What could be done to make it safer. This could be as simple as changing to different footwear before clambering about on play equipment or knowing that it is ok to ask for help or call home if they feel unsafe when they are out. As a parent being honest about why you are reticent can help them to consider potential risks.

Help them to develop protective behaviours

This is worthy of a whole blog post in itself but for now protective behaviours are all those skills that keep us safe. From having a positive self esteem, to knowing what our personal space is and what to do when we don’t feel safe. Some parents assume children just somehow ‘get this’ but in my experience it is safer to ensure they are explicitly taught what do in different scenarios and sometimes we need to be explicit about risks that they may well not be aware of – that the girl on the internet they’ve been talking to may be anyone of any age etc. You can find out a bit more here. If we take the example of crossing the road we a;; teach our children to stop at a kerb and a first we usually tell them to make sure there isn’t a car coming at all before they cross – as they get older they may learn as we do to make a judgement about how far away the car is and perhaps the width f the road before making a decision.

For other issues like talking to strangers, we need as parents to be sure not that we tell them, but that they understand. What is a stranger, when does someone stop being a stranger, what to they do if a stranger approaches them etc. Often we want, naturally, to ensure their safety by eliminating risks but in many ways it is better to equip them to deal with potentially risky scenarios and know how to listen to their intuition, which will often give indications that we are not feeling safe, than it is to mistakenly feel that we can rap them in cotton wool and that will keep them safe.

Well we never thought parenting would be easy did we?

 

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How to Handle Homework

Published May 16, 2017

 

Many parents can see homework as a bit of a battle, at any time of the year but especially when the sun starts to shine. As parents it can be tough we are told abut the benefits of exercise and being outdoors for children so it often goes against the grain to be restricting this in order to get homework done but there are only so many hour in a day.

Here are a few guidelines for parents

• Try to ensure it gets done as soon as it is set (unless it is a longer piece requiring several sessions)
• Encourage brief times of focussed work with no distractions often then  it can be done quite quickly
• Doing short bursts frequently is usually better than saving it all up and having to spend ages doing it
• Children and young people need balance, so sports and activity clubs, or music or dancing classes are all vital BUT homework is a fact of life so make sure they aren’t so busy that fitting in school work becomes a stress.
• Be involved in supporting them but don’t do it for them. I know it can be difficult but they should be able to do it and if they regularly need a lot of input from you then have a chat to the teacher.
• Make sure you have the equipment they might need – pencils, paper, glue scissors, colouring pens etc and make sure you know where it is – if your house is anything like mine you could spend half an hour just gathering the bits and pieces they need.
• Try to make a distinction between homework and reading for pleasure. We want children to grow up enjoying reading. When they are small they will bring books home to practice reading but to keep developing comprehension skills while they learn to read make sure that you always find time to fit in a story – listening to an adult read (or sharing a story where the child reads part and the adult reads part)  will still help to develop their comprehension skills and extend their vocabulary.
• Don’t as the adult see homework as a problem, we value education therefore homework is something that is important (though I also accept that schools don’t always get it right when it comes to setting homework). Explain this to children and make sure that as a family homework time is scheduled in regularly.
• Do give praise for their effort and their achievement but it’s also ok to challenge and expect a bit more if you feel they haven’t done enough – you might find it interesting to read about Growth Mindset.
• Do have a look at the schools homework policy (it will probably be on the website) and if you feel it isn’t being followed then chat to the teacher.

Its also good to make an appointment to talk to your  child’s teacher  if homework is 

• regularly taking too long or you feel they have too much
• too difficult- if they can’t do it without your help then its probably not an appropriate task for homework
• repetitive, oneof the purposes of homework is practice but if a child has grasped the concept of adding two numbers then 5 or 10 sums for practice may be ok 50 probably isn’t
• new material – the learning should be taking place at school – so generally speaking new concepts etc shouldn’t be introduced via homework
• regularly finishing off what should have been done in a lesson – it might be the child wasn’t working well so this might be fair, but if it happens regularly then maybe there is a problem.

For more information about supporting your child’s learning click here

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How to build positive self-esteem

Published April 30, 2017

 

In my work roles I have often worked with children and young people who struggle with self-esteem.

This can happen for all sorts of reasons and is always a concern for the adults who are around them, whether that be parents, or other relatives, carers or staff in schools.

Of course it is easiest to ensure that children develop this right for the start but that isn’t always the case and I am not pretending that it easy to develop a positive self-esteem when a child or young person has a negative view of themselves BUT it is still important to do all we can to help children and young people develop a positive view of themselves. Having a positive self-esteem enables a person to

• Be confident
• Build relationships
• Be prepared to try
• Stand up for themselves
• Cope with failure or disappointment
• Feel happier

Developing a healthy self-esteem starts right from day one though the process of attachment. To develop well children need to have all their basic needs met, (food warmth safety etc) and they need to feel that they ‘belong’ that someone loves them and will care for them. When a baby cries, because they are hungry for example, and then someone picks them up and feeds them, hopefully in a repeated way, so that most times they are hungry they are fed, they are learning that the world is an okay place, that their needs will be met and that is the foundation of self-esteem, they are cared for, they are loved and someone has their back. If you’d like to read more about attachment click here.

I work often with children and young people who have been taken into care, because of abuse or neglect within the home and understandably they can often struggle with self-esteem – but lots of other children and young people can face problems with self-esteem as well.

Being bullied, feeling stressed, constantly comparing yourself, (or others comparing you) to others, feeling that you don’t measure up to people’s expectations can all impact self- esteem.  A massive 60% of people using social media reported that it had a negative impact on self esteem – you can read more here.

The NSPCC reported that

“In 2014-15 there were 35,244 counselling sessions for low self-esteem, an increase of 9% from the previous year.”

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-we-do/news-opinion/children-plagued-by-low-self-esteem-and-loneliness/

The charity Young minds reports that 75% of young people have felt low self-esteem at some point.

http://bit.ly/2ql2dZj

What can be done to help?

As adults the guidelines below can help us all to help children and young people develop and maintain a positive self-esteem.

Ensure they feel valued

Tell children and young people that you care and that you value them. Make time for them that is a great way to demonstrate that you enjoy their company. Make sure that what you say as an adult to them will not cause them problems, our negativity about them can play like a record in their head.

Recognise strengths and weaknesses

Telling a child that they are great at everything won’t help develop a strong self-esteem because of course all humans have areas of strength and weakness. So recognise the strengths but also recognise and tell them explicitly that any areas of weakness, things they can’t do or find difficult can get better with practice and effort – that is the ‘growth’ mind-set.

Challenge lies

When children or young people say things about themselves that aren’t true it is important to challenge this with the truth – so if they say for example

“I’ll never be able to do this”  – reply that they can’t do it YET but with more practice they probably will be able to

“I always get things wrong” – tell them that making mistakes is part of learning

“Nobody likes me” – reassure them that you do and in fact lots of people do (usually this comes about because of a problem with one or a small group of peers).

“Everybody says I’m ……..” some people might say that but I think…..

Basically all these phrases above contact absolutes, always, never, nobody, everybody and are quite simply not true.

Acknowledge Feelings

Things happen which can make us sad – and that may not be pleasant but feelings are always valid and can’t be denied. BUt we can all make a choice about what we do with those feelings. Being ad has its place, there will be times when every child and adult may feel hurt or tearful, but there comes a time when we can choose to respond by picking ourselves up and moving forward

Be a role model

Think about your own self-esteem, we will all as adults have had times when our self-esteem has taken a battering, but we recovered from this and moved forward usually by concentrating on the positive and feeling supported by others. Talk about such times but more importantly let them see you respond to challenges by NOT being defeated.

Be appropriate with praise

When a child achieves something it is important to praise them but be careful not to just praise everything or the praise becomes meaningless.

Encourage them to see the positive side

When faced with difficulty we can all have times when we need support. But we also can make a choice about what we decide to focus upon.

Encourage Independence

Whatever age they are encourage them to be as independent as they can, that might be learning to feed themselves even though it creates a mess, or tie their own shoelaces even though it takes longer. Independence helps a child feel capable which helps promote a positive sense of self.

Let them make mistakes and take (calculated) risks

Living involves risk and making mistakes. Think about a chid learning to walk, they fall over – not once or twice but multiple times. BUT eventually they learn to walk. If we waited till they could walk without falling over they simply would never learn. So whatever stage they are at allow them the freedom to take a risk and make a mistake and be there to give them support and help, if the ‘fall’.

There will always be some children and young people who because of their personality or who they are as individuals, that will struggle more than others with self-esteem, a children with a physical limitation or learning need may be examples but we can as adults use the strategies above to help promote  positive self-esteem in all the children and young people we came into contact with.

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