Your children’s choice of school has an important role to play in developing and molding your child to the outside world. To make the right choice, here are some important questions that need clarification.

Your gut instincts – When you visit a school consider your first impression as soon as you arrive. If you feel positive about the school, this is a good sign.

Meet the person in charge – Make an appointment with the principal or the headmaster and ask them about their educational philosophy, experience and what the school’s plans are for the future.

Teachers – Teaching quality is important as this will impact your child’s scores and how he or she yields their information. Ask for a detailed account of the teacher’s qualifications to understand the standards of the school.

Test scores – Although these scores don’t give a parent the overall picture, they do however give information about the standard scores that you can expect from the children learning in a school.

Other parents – Other parents will be able to provide you with a detailed account of their child’s experiences in a particular school.

Diversity – It is important that the school board and their teaching staff are diverse to encourage positive attitudes within the children that they teach.

Extracurricular – After school activities and outings are important to provide children with new experiences. Therefore, ask your school what types of extracurricular activities are on offer.

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With so many distractions, like TV, video games and ipads, children are more likely to feed a couch potato lifestyle. However, as a parent, it is your responsibility to encourage your child to be active, for health, fitness and to enjoy the social aspect being part of a team. Here are a few tips to get your child active.

Boost your child’s confidence – To build your child’s skills, take sometime from your busy schedule, to show your child skills like throwing, catching and kicking a ball. Even if your child takes sometime to master these skills, you should always provide a lot of encouragement.

Be supportive – Your child may feel that he/she is not as athletic as his/her peers. Remind your child that they are still growing and that they have not reached their full potential. If they are not doing well at one sport, ask them to try something new.

Choose the right sport – Find a sport your child can succeed in. If standard sports like basketball, swimming and tennis don’t interest your child, try dance, golf or boxing. As your child gets older, they may feel that school sports teams are only for the elite and are very competitive. If this is the case, enrol them in a church or community center team.

Share your skills and experiences – If you have been part of a sports team in school, you should share your experiences with your child. Explain to them what you liked most about the game and what areas you felt required more practice.

Educational debates across the U.S. and all around the world often focus on what students should learn in school. Educational technology specialists have for several years been touting about the need for students to acquire relevant 21st century skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and media literacy to effectively prepare themselves for the new digitally-focus and global economy. The list below breaks down some of the skills that would be crucial for students.

Reading

The ability to read and comprehend comes at the forefront of the skills listed for a student to be successful both academically and in their lives. It is even required to be successful in mathematics. Reading has also proven to be a confidence booster. The ability to read enhances a student’s overall ability to understand any subject.

Typing and Writing

Interaction with the computer is one of the most effective ways of guaranteeing success at school, especially in secondary and postsecondary education. Students who type quickly are able to gain more time. When working with educational software applications, a good typing speed enhances confidence in effectively using the software to acquire knowledge. Writing skills enable students to effectively convey their thoughts and understanding of a particular subject. It helps them to learn to sequence ideas and to use logical thinking.

Effective Communication

Students who demonstrate abilities to communicate effectively are able to use simple words, expressions and gestures and expand them into complex thought processes. Effective communication is thus, the key to learning and to ensuring compatible interactions with teachers and fellow classmates