Parenting - Teaching Children At Home

Many parents put a great deal of effort into selecting the right school for their children, and often make considerable sacrifices to save enough money to send their children to a good college, because there is no doubt that providing a good education for a child is one of the best ways of ensuring a successful career and a secure and happy adult life. However, in many cases this focus on school and college results in parents neglecting another very important element of a child's education - that of teaching children at home.

Day to day family life presents parents with dozens of opportunities to teach children things that they will find not only interesting but also helpful as the grow up and, despite the fact that in many households both parents are busy people with careers of their own, it's surprising just how easy it is to make the time needed for your children if you spend just a little bit of time organizing your daily schedule.

Teaching your children at home doesn't mean sitting down with them in a formal 'school-like' setting but simply means thinking about everyday activities and using these to provide the teaching materials you need. Teaching children at home doesn't have to be boring either and can be a great deal of fun for both parents and children.

One of the secrets lies in stopping to think about what you're doing and to what extent your children understand your activity. For example, how many times have you rushed home from work to get in ahead of your kids from school and then sat them down in front of the television while you prepare supper? What are the thought processes going through your mind? You've had a hard day and all you want to do is sit down and relax but first you've got to feed the kids, so you get them out from underfoot so that you can get on quickly, get them fed and then finally relax.

Many thousands of parents do this every day and everybody misses out as a result. Why not try doing things slightly differently.

First, you can start by getting the kids to help you to prepare supper instead of sitting glued to a mindless box. Sending your kids out into the world knowing how to make toast and not a lot else isn't much help but getting them interested in cooking will provide them with a much needed life skill.

Second, it gives both you and the kids an opportunity to talk - something which is missing in far too many households. Letting your kids share their successes and failures at school, simply listening to what's on their mind and letting them ask you about your own experiences and seek your advice is invaluable for both parent and kids. What's more you'll be surprised how many problems you can avoid simply by knowing what your kids are doing, what they're thinking and how they're feeling.

Thirdly, it's a great way to relax! Relaxation after a long day at work doesn't mean flopping down on the couch for an hour or two, it simply means a change of scene. Putting your working day behind you and enjoying the company of your kids is one of the best ways to unwind after a long and stressful day at work.

There are literally hundreds of examples of things that we do every day at home that can be turned into valuable teaching lessons, helping our children to grow and develop and allowing everyone to have fun at the same time.

Education is not just for the educators and there is considerable value for everybody concerned in teaching children at home.