Parent Forum |

Understanding and Responding To Your Child’s Needs

15th May 201915th May 2019 by Sally Chifum Ezeamaka

Mr and Mrs Igwe are busy parents who have businesses that take most of their time. In their capacity they provide everything their kids need for upkeep, although they have a nanny who does the house chores, takes the kids to and fro school with their driver, helps with their assignments and organizes the kids’ time table for daily activities.

Mrs Igwe comes back from work by 5pm everyday while her husbands comes back usually late because of traffic and distance of work from home, although he thought to live away from home closer to work but on a second thought wanted to bond with his family everyday, of course he tried paying a price but little did he know it wasn’t enough for both Sarah and Kingston his kids not until Sarah got really ill and they discovered it was pneumonia and all this while the nanny thought she was doing the kids a favour by allowing them always swim in the pool during the afternoons after they got back from school.

In this case Mr and Mrs Igwe lacked the knowledge of a basic need of healthcare and a physical need of providing warm clothes at the point of cold or were rather nonchalant about it because they believed the nanny could handle it all. This act is referred to as neglect, they failed to reach part of the physical and medical needs but had passed the basic needs by sending their kids to school and definitely using

SchoolsCompass as an aid to search for schools based on their budget, location, extra-curricular activities and availability of facilities they wanted.

They also provided emotional needs which included love, they went outings during weekends, bought the kids toys,

provided them with a supportive environment, allowed them to feel relaxed around to the extent Kingston deliberately sleeps off in the middle of her parents on their bed, they had discussion moments on a round table, making eye contacts regularly with the kids especially during communications, played with them too therefore making the kids have a sense of belonging.

Image Creedit: thearenaweely.myschoolarena

You will have to study your child to know their likes and dislikes. When they are moody, be nice enough to know what the problem is, ask them questions constantly to be sure they are fine, make them always smile, when they are happy you feel satisfaction within you.

Sometimes they may gift you natural flowers, a drawing or making you something nice, cook for you surprisingly, lay your bed, prepare a warm water bath for you. Kindly do well to appreciate them when they do these little things like this that matter, make them see how much you cherished their gifts and surprises.

During discussions, accept some or all of their ideas, minimize the way you press your gadgets around them and concentrate on them, watch family shows and movies together. Lastly, never you shun your child when he/she is talking, to avoid them thinking less of themselves.

School Refusal; A Defect To Formal Education.

26th April 201925th April 2019 by Sally Chifum Ezeamaka

One without education is like one struggling to understand the meaning of life. Education is a process of understanding your environment as it builds opinions and has points of view on things in life. It is an enlightening experience.

Just as trees have branches, education is not left out on this, it consists of three types which include:

Informal education that deals with learning in a homely environment via means that are easily accessible, such as to prepare food, arrange the home, drive a car, learn history through stories, getting information from the internet, library, life experiences, family and friends.

Non-Formal education is typically an adult learning technique often referred to as community education, second chance education or lifelong education.

Finally, the Formal education which is the type of education practised within the four (4) walls of Schools where both writing, electronic and practical materials are the means of passing out information to students.

School is an institution where instructions are given to students and they learn concepts and skills more so it helps students interact/network with other students socially, academically and emotionally. Time management is being learned here which include deadlines and prioritizing.

However, children at their tender age are usually sent to the creche or pre-nursery classes to start up, but as time will tell most children begin to have Didaskaleinophobia which is the fear to attend school.

Many parents have encountered this with their kids and even schools with their pupils who may hang around outside classrooms while the lessons are going on. Many will say that school is not for everyone but before we conclude this theory, how about we look into what dreaded the child in the first instance from school.

The holiday would soon round up, some kids obviously would have been giving you signs why they don’t feel they should resume classes.

Back to school struggle is indeed something to consider. Your child may not want to go back or attend school for some reasons, which is the duty of parents to figure out why and quickly look out for solutions.

Discussing these problems with your kids you have to be understanding, patient and kind towards them, if you really need accurate answers. Just so you know, they are a list of problems that can lead to such occurrence which includes constant absence from school based on parents decision, in this case the child sees the school as a lesser priority and begins to lose interest. Illness is another factor to consider, it could be a psychological effect on the child. Other things to consider are prolonged holidays and a list of critical issues to be addressed such as:

Changing school

Perhaps, a child may have had emotional values attached to the previous school and may find it difficult to cope with another.

Fear of failure

Having thought of themselves low, a child may think he is not capable of achieving results thereby resolving to depression, humiliation or inferiority.

Overprotective parents

Many parents think that by acting in such manner would scare a child but then, he/she develops a coping mechanism unexpectedly in an unruly manner.

Sexual harassment by other students or teachers

Your kids may find it difficult to share this topic with you depending on how you communicate with them and may feel that the best way to avoid this is by staying away from school.

Difficult relationships with teachers

Honestly, we all had at least one teacher who we could not easily flow with, for the fact that we escaped this trial doesn’t mean that some kids would, because our abilities to go through challenges are quite different.

Bullying or Peer teasing

Some arrogant children would out of disrespect, mock or tease their colleagues if possible beat them.

Conflict

Some kids may have issues among their peers in school and out of threats or shame, they would rather avoid attending school.

Solutions to the above listed are not far-fetched as long as you can detect the problem.

Apply parent to child therapy where you coach your child, persuade and give them reasons why they should continue to learn. An example is telling them that the certification they acquire would be a plus for them during job search. Create time to go to the school to see and hear for yourself from school teachers/instructors what exactly may be your child’s problem or relay what you discovered with them if it is not confidential so they can help you monitor the child and make him/her perform actual activities in a more comfortable space. Eventually, if the issue is beyond control, then you should take the child to a therapist or ask for help except otherwise and health issues should be treated medically as soon as possible.

Here at SchoolsCompass our concern is not only based on guiding you on what school to take your kids to but the well being of your child. We would always want to assist you both in words here on the blog and guide you through school-search here.

50 Parents Explained Why They Changed the Schools their Wards were Enrolled and WELFARE topped the list

29th August 201829th August 2018 by Oluwaseyi Adelaju

Parents on FabMumNG were asked why they changed the schools their wards were enrolled and they had a lot to say. After more than 100 comments were broken down into categories, we found out that the welfare of the wards is the strongest reason parents change schools followed by teacher competency, school management structure and many others. See parents comments below.

#Repost @fabmumng (@get_repost) ・・・ What was the reason why you changed your child's school? (Please don't tag any school). What is the reason why you would ever consider changing your child's school? A friend recently changed her child's school because of the "unnecessary levies and the teacher's bad grammar in the communication book." Do you have an experience, pls share you never know whom your comment will help❤️ (Don't forget to shop #JumiaSchoolResumption (link in bio& Fabmum stress-free back to school ebook) Tag a mama. #backtoschool2018

A post shared by SchoolsCompass Ng (@schools_compass) on Aug 29, 2018 at 1:57am PDT

WEAK MANAGEMENT

newlookconcept Poor management, 3 different teachers can teach a class for a session. So bad so many parents left.

ogoz_etc @newlookconcept same reason I’m about to change my child’s school. I can’t have 3 teachers in a session teach a 3 years old. I doubt it’s the best for the child.

jaybae Changing my child because of frequent change of staffs and some bad reasons I can’t mention here and also frequent increment

kemigbengaReligious purposes, my first son was already getting deep into another religion cos the owner of the school was Of that particular religion

wineup95The school was trying to teach them about being lesbian gay bi-sexual transgender and my son was only 6!!! Please tell me why does a 6 yr old need to know about that at that age??? Or maybe im just wrong !?!?!?!?!?!

lollies_lieuI changed my daughters creche because I discovered that they don’t pray and lacked spiritual (Christian) content. Also because at the end of the term they gave a one year old typed examination, answered, marked and score with a result sheet! Who does that!!!!!? Plus her snacks was always missing, so I went early to pick her and saw where the care giver emptied all the kids snacks on the table

I changed my daughter’s school because of the way the proprietress handles issues. If the proprietress of a sch can shout at a parent, imagine what she’ll be doing to her staff. A school where the staff is not treated well, tell me where they’ll carry out their frustration. Children don’t just throw unnecessary tantrums, Parent should always watch their children attitude while taking their child to a new school. If your child cries once you’re approaching the school and always anxious to go immediately you get to that school. Mummy watch it there’s a problem.

CHILD’S WELFARE

Image Source: Chrisland Predegree College

panache_stitchesI changed my daughter’s creche after three months stay there, she doesn’t eat at home and they were assuring me that she eats in the creche. I knew they were lying to me when at her next immunization her weight has dropped. I was really sad and I changed the creche immediately. Where she is now, she is eating well and always happy whenever I drop and pick her

nmasinachi1When my little daughter was in crèche,she always have cough & catarrh. She’s kinda being on antibiotics almost every month which I don’t like. I kept complaining and asked them if they have children with constant cold they said none. I went to pick her early one day and saw children with catarrh dropping down from their noses, saw one that another child is even playing with the mucus I shivered. I went to the office of the headmistress and call her to the class, she was like eehhh it was not like that maybe it just came out. I left the remaining money and that was my last their. I can’t even recommend there. It’s not cheap either cos it belongs to one church like that,.

enniskidzzI changed my Son’s crèche back then. He was always down with a cold. I dropped him off one that and I called their attention to it and told them to please reduce the speed of the fan which they did. I got back in the evening to pick him up and the fan was on the highest speed with him directly under the fan.

yewybinitieOh I changed my 2 yo son’s school after he came home one day with scratches on his face and neck no one at school could explain. Clearly, they were mixed with older children or something bit then d issue was not the injury…it was the fact that no one knew how or when it happened.

bashhouseofdenimHe was having infection almost every month, he was always crying at the gate and he did that for 6months, I thought it was normal until I changed his school, the cry stoppedembrace.the.mess.you.areI had my sons in daycare for 3 weeks and the both of them would cry for 6 hours straight. I just had a feeling it was the childcare. I changed they cried for one week and its 3 years later and they are happy as can bebibbyscakes @oliveskovski it’s lack of hygiene

leesa_usifo @yewybinitie This happened to us.Cuts,a bump on her forehead.And nobody knew how!!!in short they were suggesting it happened in my house.Still so pissed.

i.am.odewunmi @fabmumng having this challenge currently.. Infection. Everything else is fantastic but this frequent bacteria infection.. My fear is, if I change to another creche, what’s the probability it won’t reoccur? Is there a way to prevent?

u4mabinoneYes!!! When my son said “mummy let’s not sleep so morning won’t come and you will take me to school”

agada_eneMy daughter came down with mumps, I took her to the hospital and met her classmate mum there, who told me her child was just recovering from it as well, I decided to go to the school, and I saw a child with his cheeks swollen obviously suffering from mumps, sitting in class with other healthy children. I was so angry and I called the Proprietress, She told me there was nothing she could do, because the child’s parents had gone to work and she can’t send him home.

STAFF COMPETENCY

buitidanielI am changing my child’s school because her teacher has an accent and I don’t want it rubbing on my child imaging how she pronounces the letters of the eng alphabet. I can go On but then I know the foundation is key

gnepherCaregiver’s english was pathetic…we had to run🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

verychiHe was in nursery 1. The elderly caregiver though nice and very maternal was too igbotic.

myorganiclivingI changed from the so called best school, because his teacher always complain about his inability to talk fast….He was a slow talker,she just couldn’t understand him, always make me feel bad each time I pick him by comparing him with other kids,I changed a yr ago, and he received award for the most improved during the recent graduation party at his new school, you need to hear how fast he talks now.

joan_la.belle.vieI was at the verge of changing the school when the teacher was kicked out. She would beat my 2yr9mths old just because he could not write. Oh if I remember the day I saw marks on his butt 3 hrs after he returned from school, I still weep. His crime was he cried for his mummy when he was supposed to be writing an exam. My son grew to hate school and the teacher so much so that when he heard that his little sister was soon to join him in school, he wept uncontrollably. Each time I remember I feel like a terrible mom. Thankfully, He is now comfortable with the school and tops his class.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

candykidsngI am changing her school this September because of bad grammar

wigserviceI changed school because I wasn’t impressed with his performance. His teachers kept saying he was doing excellently well, but when I assess him at home it is the opposite! After spending so much on fees. His new school is by far better, they advice he repeated his class which i was in full support of. Foundation is key. He is doing extremely well, speaks well he even coaches his younger brother. I don’t regret it at all.

omotolaabiri @comfymama.ng same reason.

verychiI changed my son’s when I noticed he had developed igbo accent. He knocked at the door saying “kpai kpai here”.

littleangelsngYes. I changed my child’s school because the school was not truthful with my child’s actual performance. I found out they were always escalating her scores and padding the pupil’s scores for reasons beyond me🤷‍♀️

kidsgadgetsnpartiesThinking of changing cos of the grammar I see in her daily report

aism.aismTeacher never gave me feedback and no replies to my email she wasn’t welcoming. Also many students were failing I found out

littleangelsng @sparklinsatini How can my child’s lowest score in any subject be 98/100? Even in Yoruba language that she didn’t understand?

ABSENCE OF CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Photo Credit: The Bells Comprehensive College

justadorablezWe changed because it was all about the book. The school didn’t really have extracurricular activities. We are in a better school now

smartbookeducationalservicesI changed my child’s school because he wasn’t exposed to extra curricular activities.

importeddiapers_ng I changed schools because my work schedule changed and the school didn’t have school bus facility. I was really pained. He joined another school in the second term and these one are just about book only. No soft skill whatsoever. I miss our former school.

camilla4rilWish I cud change mine. Academics is 90 percent n morals 10 percent. I don’t know why d believe that academics over rules morals by that high percentage. 😓😓😓😓

FEE INCREMENT

maliyalovesecrets I will be changing their school for the first time this September. They don’t just fumigate! I treat the kids for malaria every term…they return from school with mosquito bites. Secondly, school fee was increased by 25,000 without any explanation. They did the same last year but this time I can’t take it. I don’t know if changing their school will affect them psychologically.

aderonkefameso Hubby is thinking of changing my children school because of increment which am not comfortable with bcus am satisfied with the school they don’t change teachers any how and my child is ok. Still thinking really.

RELOCATION

comfymama.ngI changed because of distance. I wanted somewhere closer to home for security and safety reasons

debbiekunmiI changed due to location , and still happy she cope much better than I expected

onostephanie Changed my son from a very good school when we moved houses. We enrolled him in one of the so-called good schools in the area. It turned out to be our biggest mistake. I was practically his teacher. We couldn’t wait for the session to be over to pull him out. He’s doing very well in his new school now and am so proud.

partypops09Changed when I moved House , her other school was good never has issues with them

lagoswholesalesI changed my children’s school because we moved houses and I prefer the new school much more, it is not about only book but many more extracurricular activity and the focus given per child. They don’t all have the same home work, it is based on the level the child is at the moment

wonderchildforkidsAm about to change school due to location changes, please if you know any good school around Ketu kindly recommend one to me

Oh yeah. Changed when I moved houses. I was so sad.

Are there other reasons you would want us to know about, kindly comment below.

Schools With Amazing Sports Facilities in Nigeria

27th July 201826th January 2018 by SchoolsCompass

Grade-conscious parents tend to question the rationale for sporting activities in schools; Little do they know that the benefit of sports in school isn’t merely physical. Sports has been identified to play a major role in building the self-esteem and mental alertness of a child; it is a constitutional part of a child’s life.

The Case for Sports in Schools

Of course, a child should study hard to excel in examinations, this, however, should not be to the detriment of enjoying the health and vigour of life which engaging in sporting activities provides. All work and no play makes the proverbial Jack a dull boy. Children who actively participate in sports have been reported to exhibit increased social relations and higher self-esteem. Sports, therefore, meets the physical, emotional, social, physiological and intellectual needs of learners. Through play, children are able to relate to their unacquainted world and gain the desired experiences.

Top schools in Nigeria do not only integrate sports into their curriculum, they provide facilities that enable students to recognize and develop their sporting talents. In no particular order, here are top schools in Nigeria with amazing sports facilities.

DOVELAND INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

There is a standard basketball court in the school where students come out to play and interact. Do you know that it has been discovered basketball build endurance and develop concentration and self-discipline in students? it is a social sports that teaches students how to become a good team player.

THE WHITE DOVE SCHOOLS

White dove Schools has a Football pitch with a natural turf. Majority of students in schools have a great passion for football. With a football pitch in a school, it will help the dreams and passion of those students to keep burning.

SILVERSANDS HIGH SCHOOL

Many believe that Acrobatic exercise should be done by adults but the best time to start this Acrobatic exercise is during childhood. It is a source of physical well-being and it helps the flexibility of the body. Silversand has an acrobatic class for the children.

Silversands High School encourages cycling as a sports activity in their environment. it has been discovered that cycling is aerobic which help to work out the heart, blood vessel and lungs.

IMAAD SCHOOLS LEKKI

Image Source: Imaad Schools

Sports activities are not limited by age. Imaad school has a field where pupils are allowed to participate in any sports activities. Imaad school practice Judo sport which originated in Japan. It’s a martial art that is celebrated worldwide. Many parents don’t know that Judo sports add lots of value to their children such as respect, self-esteem, friendship, loyalty, courage for what is right, honour, self-control, modesty etc

THE BELL COMPREHENSIVE SECONDARY SCHOOL

The Bell Comprehensive Secondary school is known for its indoor sports activities such as long tennis, basketball, volleyball etc. Playing indoor sport is an excellent measure where children spend their leisure time. it has also been discovered that indoor sports activities aid relaxation and social interaction in children.

Summary

We don’t think our list is exhaustive and we will be happy to add more schools. To add your school to this list, simply comment with the name of your school in the box below, sign up or log in to your profile on SchoolsCompass and upload the image of your sports facilities.

Thanks for helping Nigerian parents choose the best schools for their wards.

How to Make Your Students Pay Attention

8th January 20188th January 2018 by Oluwaseyi Adelaju

The holiday has just ended and most students haven’t been in the classroom for a while – Long weeks of video games, partying and traveling is now beginning to give way to reading, analysing, memorising, solving and several other learning-related tasks. It is such a hard time to be a teacher as many learners will prefer spending the next few weeks talking about the holidays if not reliving their adventures or enjoying their precious gifts.

Helping students pay attention in the midst of this frenzy is the task of every seasoned teacher. Here are few simple but effective ways to get your students to pay attention.

1. Acknowledge the Learners’ Experiences

Yeah, we all know visiting Santa Clause (or Father Christmas) isn’t a big deal neither is visiting the village anymore spectacular (especially if you grew up in a suburban area like me). But to the learner, it is no small thing. Meeting Santa Clause is as grandiose as a dinner with the pope and that random traveling experience feels just like a tour of the moon. Teachers need to be truly empathetic in order to tolerate the learner’s amusement. So the first thing to do here is to acknowledge the learners’ experiences as worthy distractions.

THE BELLS COMPREHENSIVE SECONDARY SCHOOL

Acknowledging the feelings of the learners helps them to feel understood. It also enables teachers to keep their ego and desire to lecture in check. In order to acknowledge the experience of the learners, teachers should communicate the intent to listen and be also sensitive to the emotional attachment the students have towards their experience, gift, or relationship built during the holidays.

2. Don’t Consider Learner’s Experiences a Distraction

It is possible to coerce the entire class into keeping quiet or introduce some negative reinforcements as a method of ensuring discipline during the learning process. However, this can adversely affect the overall classroom mood and the pace of learning. Whether students are restless, giving apathetic responses, turning in uninspired work, talking, or texting, the teacher is expected to use any of these activities as an entry behaviour for learning.

For instance, a teacher once explained how a distracted learner who never writes his essay was made to develop his writing skills by allowing him to write about his distractions. Since this student only cared about football, the teacher made him write sports news for the class which increased his self-esteem, leadership skills and a deeper sense of responsibility towards learning. In order to avoid labeling student experiences as distractions, teachers should inculcate the students’ distraction into the learning process.

3. Pace Teaching to Accommodate Distractions

Undoubtedly, there is a lot to be learned and so much more to be taught. Teachers are tempted to fill up the allocated 45 Minutes or 1 Hour of instruction with tasks and activities. However, with adequate pacing, the teacher can create the perception that a class is moving at “just the right speed” for students.

One way to achieve this is for the teacher to use a variety of activities to accomplish a single lesson objective and by moving from one lesson to another throughout the course of the lesson. The teacher can also allow some talk-time, play-time or lecture breaks so as to allow the students get to refocus on the learning whenever they are distracted.

In summary, the most effective form of education takes place when students want to learn and teachers want to teach. Helping students get ready for learning makes the teaching efforts made by teachers effective.

Log on to SchoolsCompass.com.ng to find schools with seasoned teachers who put students at the center of the learning process.

GETTING AND STAYING ORGANIZED: WAYS TO HELP YOUR CHILD

5th October 20174th October 2017 by Oluwaseyi Adelaju

Children in the home bring joy and laughter. Sometimes, they draw you back to the past, take you down memory lane of your cherished childhood – bring up sweet memories of you growing and how exciting it was to be at that age. Days where you didn’t have to worry about a thing-what to eat, wear and so.

As the child grows, things begin to appear somewhat complicated. With the child approaching school-age, getting organized for school becomes every parent’s concern. While most parents make attempt to achieve this using strict rules and stern hands, below are several other ways to help children become organized.

Fun activities

For children between the ages 2-5, learning needs to involve playful activities such as creating a song for folding clothes, shooting hoops with their clothes into the laundry basket or tell a story. They need to be taught on picking up their clothes lying around to putting them through basic forms of cloth washing-such as their socks, pants,etc. All that needs to begin from a tender age.

Most children tend to grow faster than their peers especially those growing with adults around. From ages 6-12, constantly reminding them to;

Arrange their beds immediately after getting up.

A laundry bag should be available, where they can throw their dirty clothes.

Arrange every clean clothes in their racks. This will help them see and get whatever they need faster.

Photo Credit: Roselawnlutheran Decor Ideas

When they are back from school, school bags should be hung appropriately, uniforms should be well-kept or put in the laundry bag if dirty, and shoes should be dusted and well placed in the shoe rack.

For a child that loves to read, a shelf should be provided for them to properly arrange in rows their books with the titles facing outside to ensure easy access.

According to an article written by The Center for Parenting Education on the Benefits of Chores, “Children tend to excel at procrastination, excuses, resistance, and refusal when it comes to chores. This causes much concern among parents and conflict between children and their parents. Research indicates that those children who do have a set of chores have higher self-esteem, are more responsible, and are better able to deal with frustration and delay gratification, all of which contribute to greater success in school.”
Furthermore, research by Marty Rossman* shows that involving children in household tasks at an early age can have a positive impact later in life. In fact, says Rossman, “the best predictor of young adults’ success in their mid-20’s was that they participated in household tasks when they were three or four.”

Being organized is really exciting and makes one happy. Coming back to a room that is organized brings with it a certain ambiance of calmness and coziness. Bringing up a child in that way will make them feel more relaxed after a stressful school day and in the long run, learn to value an organized clean space.

Hope these tips have been helpful? You can share other ideas on how you have been able to make your child organized.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAYGROUPS

4th October 20174th October 2017 by Oluwaseyi Adelaju

With social interaction playing a major role in creating a stimulating environment for children to learn and play, playgroups have significantly become a platform for children and parents to obtain optimum development. Playgroups enable children to develop social skills by exposing them to making more friends that can last a lifetime. It gives them some alone time with their parents allowing them to play more. Parents on the other hand also tend to gain from the playgroups as they are able to interact with other parents in the group, share ideas, concerns, and experiences, learn from other parents and as well build up their social networks.

Playgroups are filled with lots of fun and offer children great support as well as their respective parent as this gives them time to relax and rid themselves of all sorts of tension, work stress. Through playgroups, children’s language development and communication grow stronger, their emotional confidence, physical activity, imagination, and creativity are all heightened. It assists children to become ready for the formal environment and it also opens the opportunity to attend excursions/events.

Playgroup is an informal session where mums, dads, grandparents, caregivers, children, and babies meet together in a relaxed environment. They are set up and run by parents and caregivers, with a range of activities designed to meet the needs of the children attending. -Playgroup Australia

PLAYGROUP ACTIVITIES

Singing- Activities such as this brings the children closer making them share common rhymes and also teaching them how to memorize things. Singing improves a child’s memory and it acts as a prerequisite skill for reading. Singing also helps your child enhance his vocabulary and, depending on the songs, can teach him about science, history, and culture.

According to a blog post on How Singing to children may help the development of language skills by Amelia Hill from parents and parenting, Daniel Dwase, editor of the online Child Development Guide, said “Music assists in the development of a child’s speech,” he said. “Singing nursery rhymes and simple songs teach children how language is constructed and assists with the acquisition of language. Singing songs with your child will also teach them about tone, beat, and rhythm.

“Even better than just singing, though, is to teach songs with actions and encourage your child to dance along to the music, they will learn balance, co-ordination, body awareness and rhythm,” he said

Arts and Craft- This draws a child’s focus to the world of art and through this, most children tend to further develop their artistry as they grow older. This also brings a connection between the children in the group and helps the child to demonstrate/develop self-control and patience.

According to an article on The Benefits of Art for Kids, the International Child Art Foundation said, “Research indicates that a child who is exposed to the arts acquires a special ability to think creatively, be original, discover, innovate, and create intellectual property—key attributes for individual success and social prosperity in the twenty-first century.”

Outdoor Play- Activities done outside such as football, basketball and so on improves the child’s physical strength/state as well as mental. Sports activities help keep the child in good shape both external and internal. It is a perfect place for kids to be kids with the freedom to shout, jump, run, hop or skip.

We also know babies sleep better at night if they’ve had some fresh air and sunshine during the day, according to a study called The Relationship Between Daytime Exposure to Light and Night-time Sleep in 6-12 Week Old Infants.-Importance of outdoor play activities for kids, NCT

Imaginative Play-

Such as making up stories and putting them into an act helps the child assimilate ideas quickly and they are able to groom themselves in the drama world. It fosters mental growth by creating opportunities for trying out new ideas, ways of thinking and problem-solving (helps the brain develop creativity).

An important benefit of early pretend play may be its enhancement of the child’s capacity for cognitive flexibility and, ultimately, creativity (Russ, 2004; Singer & Singer, 2005). Russ, for example, in longitudinal studies, found that early imaginative play was associated with increased creative performance years later (Russ, 2004; Russ, & Fiorelli, 2010).- The Need for Pretend Play in Child Development, Psychological Today

Trips- This can involve activities such as camping, site seeing to help the child know more about their environment and also to learn new things that wouldn’t be taught in the school environment. Trips aid children with new experiences and increase their understanding of the world around them.

Playgroups are very important at the early stages of a child’s development and so parents and schools should engage more in such activities with their kids and their students as well as encourage them to help their development process.

Visit schoolscompass.co.ng for ideal schools for your wards.

WHAT METHOD OF TEACHING BEST SUIT A CHILD?

22nd September 2017 by Oluwaseyi Adelaju

Irrespective of the child’s age, parents take responsibilities for their children. With children being taught by different teachers, one is faced with the reality that they are exposed to different teaching methods with no way to measure which teaching method is most-effective.

Ever wondered about the teaching method being used by the school and how effective they are to the learners? Parents and teachers should have a ready answer to the question of what the most-appropriate teaching method should be. Children differ and so do learning methods. While a child can grasp a concept faster through singing, the other might find singing a distraction to learning. Taking out time as a parent or teacher to figure out how a child learns can go a long way as there are several ways of making children learn; Let’s review some teaching methods.

Role Play

According to Ian Glover on TEL, Role-play is a technique that allows students to explore realistic situations by interacting with other people in a managed way in order to develop experience and trial different strategies in a supported environment. Depending on the intention of the activity, participants might be playing a role similar to their own (or their likely one in the future) or could play the opposite part of the conversation or interaction. Both options provide the possibility of significant learning, with the former allowing experience to be gained and the latter encouraging the student to develop an understanding of the situation from the ‘opposite’ point of view.

This method of teaching is mostly used during literature classes. It can also be adapted for in-class activities that don’t have to be focused on literature only. Such activities can be implemented to the storytelling lessons, history knowledge, and the likes of it.

Demonstration

The demonstration method involves the teacher educating the class by showing rather than by merely explaining the concept to be learned. The teacher ensures learning by making the learners engaged in activities that involve the actual display of what is being taught.

According to Heather Coffey on LEARN NC the teacher, or some other expert on the topic being taught, performs the tasks step-by-step so that the learner will eventually be able to complete the same task independently when using the demonstration method in the classroom. The eventual goal is for learners to not only duplicate the task, but to recognize how to problem-solve when unexpected obstacles or problems arise. After performing the demonstration, the teacher’s role becomes supporting students in their attempts, providing guidance and feedback, and offering suggestions for alternative approaches.

Group Work

Group work usually involves groups of students formally working together on projects or assignment, though it may sometimes take place in formal classroom settings. When setting group work tasks, it can be useful to consider student availability, resources necessary, and expected outcomes. – TIC

Some students find learning easier when they are allowed to work in groups or pairs. Through these, students are able to help themselves and communicate their difficulties to their friends rather than the teachers.

Recitation

Photo Credit: Crescent Nursery and Primary School

Recitation is a direct, teacher-centered approach in which the teacher asks specific short answer questions with a specific answer in mind. Incorrect answers are usually corrected by the teacher or by the class. A teacher may use probing questions in order to help the class come to the correct answer. The repetition of question and answer helps information retention. It is best used for the memorization of facts–base level knowledge. – Valeri, Adam & Racheal

This method of teaching is most suitable when it involves calculations, works of literature, etc. It aids the recall of names, words, formulas, processes, etc.

Field Trips

Photo Credit: New Hall International Schools

A field trip is a visit to a place outside the regular classroom which is designed to achieve certain objectives, which cannot be achieved as well by using other means. – Liga and Agen

Most, if not all students enjoy time outside school walls. A field trip is one of the best methods to teach students especially when it comes to geographical topics involving nature, history of a country, state or community. Students get to actually see the world from a whole new perspective and also get insights on the real nature of things.

Quizzes.

Photo Credit: Doveland International Schools

This method of teaching is every teacher best in that they enjoy giving quizzes to students to know how much they have learned and how much they as a teacher has been able to instill in them

Children learn through several means. Teachers, as well as parents, need to identify the most appropriate learning methods/experience for the children. Finding an ideal school that cares about your child’s growth is just a click away, kindly visit Schoolscompass.com.ng and you are sure to get much more than you expected.

DOES GRADING DETERMINE A CHILD’S INTELLIGENCE?

19th September 2017 by Oluwaseyi Adelaju

For decades, grading systems have been the means through which schools relate students’ study skills to their respective parent. But does this really determine a child’s intelligence? Students have been subjected to rote-learning – ‘cramming’ rather than demonstrating the understanding of concepts.

The grading system has been deeply institutionalized leaving students with a reason to go to any length so as to achieve a high grade to make their parents proud.

Teachers, on the other hand, are being compelled to “grade” a student in whatever way they can. Some parents tend to put the blame on the teachers rather than ask their child what went wrong if the subject failed was difficult or they just couldn’t absorb whatever was taught.

A child shouldn’t be forced into believing that grades are all that matters in life as this is not a major prerequisite for success. As much as we want to believe that, this is FALSE. Parents should put in an effort equal to the teachers in building up a child’s knowledge with various educational activities. Parents should also engage in the child’s school work as much as possible. Parents play a better role in encouraging their wards to read and understand their subjects rather than cramming and looking to get a high score without any evidence of being able to defend their grades outside of the school premises.

We ought to look beyond the grades and consider how much knowledge has been impacted – how much the child has actually been able to retain through understanding rather than through rote-learning.

Dear parent, rather than being mad at your kid(s) or their teacher for a bad grade, when next results are reported, it will be good to ask your kids how much they understand their subjects or where they excel more or what their favorite teaching/learning method is.

Wakaa! The Musical Live in Abuja

18th September 201718th September 2017 by SchoolsCompass

The legendary Albert Einstein once said, “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” The best education is the one that makes the learners fully aware of their social environment and prepares them to excel in it. According to Dr. Mahfuz Judeh of Applied Science Private University, “Rigorous learning is essential in conveying information and knowledge to students. But in addition to that, it is better for teacher to focus also on learning with entertainment”

SchoolsCompass, Nigeria’s number one support giver to Schools has partnered with Terakulture to provide schools the opportunity to make learning with entertainment possible for students by bringing Wakaa! the Musicals to Abuja.°Wakaa! The Musical is a play about the trials, successes, and experiences of graduates with varied backgrounds. It educates learners on the reality of after school and how the choices they are making today can affect their lives in the not-so-distant future.

The story reveals the struggles and challenges young people face in present-day Nigeria and abroad. WAKAA! The Musical takes viewers on an emotional roller coaster while presenting a strong satire of Nigeria’s politics.

Wakaa! will be live in Abuja from September 23rd – 28th at The Regent Secondary School, Abuja. Also between September 30th – October 1st at Transcorp Hilton Hotel by 7 pm.

Another Reason Your School Should See This Play

The pupils in your school might be the next Nollywood Stars. Exposure to high-quality stage performance such as Wakaa! has a greater chance of inspiring them to pursue their dreams. Your school literary, drama and art team will be able to acquire real-life experiences which can make your school different from every other.

It does not end there…
SchoolsCompass has negotiated on your behalf. Now you can get tickets for the performance at a rate cheaper than any other outlets (including Terrakulture itself) when you book with SchoolsCompass. Your school also stands a special chance to be featured in our upcoming blog story on “Schools that Excel in Arts”.
Click This Link to Order for a Ticket Now or call SchoolsCompass on +234 1 2958 029