International league tables of children’s performance at school show the UK and US are falling behind other countries particularly in core subjects such as English and Maths. In response many parents are turning to private tutors to boost their children’s education. But why?

There are two parts to learning

Learning new facts or skills
Practicing using those facts or skills

By far the most important is practice as this consolidates and reinforces what has been learned. This will be obvious to people who

Play sports, music, chess or cards
Learn a new language,  to dance or to paint

Practice is the difference that makes the difference. Regular practice is the best kind of practice.  Only a few things can be learned in a 5 or 10 minute session. But if you have a session every day what you learn over a year can be considerable.  Even better regular sessions give a chance to review what has been learned so it doesn’t fade away.

If you can afford a tutor everyday then great but many children only have an hour or so of tuition once a week without practice in between tuition sessions.  This means 1 day to learn and 6 to forget.

]]>

It is possible to teach yourself and many people do. It is possible to establish your own practice regime and many people do. But it is much easier if you have a coach.

For almost all children it is far more likely that they will stick with regular practice if they have someone with them. As a parent you are likely to be with them more than anyone else. So why don’t parents do more? Perhaps they feel

They can’t make a difference
It will take too much time
They are not qualified
Learning only takes place in school or with a tutor

Some parents start but either don’t continue or do not continue regularly.

This crazy. It is common for parents to drastically underestimate the effect they have on their children particularly when they are young. Many of the hardest things your children will ever learn they learn with you such as walking, talking and reading.

Children tend to adopt their parents attitudes and expectations

If you think learning is fun and important they will too
If you think learning is boring and unnecessary then perhaps they will too
Whether you expect your children to succeed or fail they will pick up on your attitude.

As a parent no doubt you talk to your child. No doubt you also read to them, listen to them read and helped them learn to write. I would be surprised if you didn’t also write numbers and practice counting, if only by chanting or listening to nursery rhymes. This is how children learn, together with you in shared activities.

So why not carry on, make up stories with your children then practice writing them down.  When you read a book, watch a film or TV show talk about how the characters felt, what led them to do the things they did. Describe different ways the story could have ended or begun.

With numbers why stop at counting? Playing games such as snakes and ladders (or chutes and ladders) introduces the idea of adding via counting on.

When your children start school and begin arithmetic, why not spend a few minutes doing sums with them?  You may not notice much after a day or even a week but if you keep it up after a term or a year there will be a clear and noticeable achievement.

More Children Learning Articles