Latest blog entries

Starting School

With the Northern Hemisphere recently beginning their school year and many parents in the Southern Hemisphere considering Kindergarten for their child, it’s probably a good time to discuss what can be done to help children begin their educational journey. Starting school is an extremely important step in a young child's life. It is a huge milestone both for your child and also for us as parents! It should be an enjoyable experience, giving children the opportunity to make new friends and experience new things.

7 Reasons Why You Should Be Involved In Your Child's Education

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A core belief we have here at the Learning Guardian is that parents make a difference in their children’s education. After almost 15 years of teaching, I have experienced first-hand how important it is for parents to be actively involved. But don’t just take my word for it! Below is a summary of the findings of major worldwide research into parental involvement:

Valuing Creativity in our Children

Recently I had the chance to hear British educational expert Sir Ken Robinson speak about how important it is to foster creativity in children. Sir Ken is an internationally recognised leader in the development of innovation and human resources who has worked with national governments and education systems around the world. He is very passionate about recognising the ‘multiplicity of talent’ that exists within our children and providing opportunities to foster this.

Building Self-Esteem

This month I would like to focus on the topic of self-esteem. Self-esteem is a widely used term within schools and educational settings, but it is often misunderstood by parents and caregivers. 

It is best defined as the collection of beliefs or feelings that we have about ourselves, or our "self-perceptions."  A child’s sense of self has a tremendous influence both their attitudes and behaviors as this guiding ‘voice’ often determines what children choose to act and engage in. 

Childhood Obesity

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A hot topic around the world at the moment is the issue of childhood obesity. There are some scary statistics coming out of the World Health Organisation (WHO) regarding the extent of this problem. 

Enhancing Children's Motivation and Engagement

Regardless as to what grade your children are in (or if any yet!), one of the most important qualities a student can possess is that of motivation and engagement.

Cyberbullying Dangers

The issue of cyber bullying is making front page news around the world at the moment.

Barack Obama

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Happy New Year! I have been watching the recent presidential victory of Barack Obama with interest. Not only because of his charisma and ability to both inspire and communicate to all people, but also for his take on educational reform. It has been front page news across the world: such is the influence of the US on a global scale. 

Helping Children with Homework

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Hi everyone, I can almost feel the excitement in the air with the Christmas holidays approaching!  Last week I had the privilege to go into my son’s kindergarten class to help out. Despite being a teacher for many years, I have never really had the chance to see first hand what it would be like to be in with so many five and six year-olds. What an experience! The level of literacy skills expected in the first year of compulsory schooling is very different to my own experience in these formative years. Although I have been active in my son’s homework, it reminded me of the need to be active in his education.

Enhancing Motivation and Engagement in School

 Welcome back! This week’s blog is all about Motivation and Engagement.