Are they necessary, or just a money-sucking scheme?
We asked YOU and many of you shared your worries, concerns and doubts about enrichment classes.
Many of you expressed guilt over enrolling just to soothe your anxiety about your child falling behind, without a clear idea whether this was the right decision, or the most appropriate class.
Many of you also felt classes are a must to ensure your child is ahead; and will have a less stressful time in school.
Some of you also felt that classes deprive your children from an enjoyable, carefree childhood, while others felt that parents who do not enrol their children are neglectful and uncaring.
An overwhelming variety, with limited budget and time constraints
Enrichment classes these days cover a huge variety – there are physical classes, music classes, right-brain training classes, subject-specific classes, outdoor classes, art classes. Even if a child doesn’t attend school at all, it’s impossible to attend everything!
We talked about three different perspectives when it came to choosing activities outside of school.
First, the “get ahead” perspective, where the parent chooses activities based on subjects and topics needed for the future.
Second, the “strengths vs weaknesses” approach, where the parent identifies the child’s learning abilities and preferences, then chooses activities to nurture the child’s talent, or plug areas of weakness.
Third, the “exposure” approach, where parents choose activities that give exposure that cannot be gained at home, or with the parent.
What’s your learning style?
There are four recognised learning styles, namely: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic and Read and Write.
Whether you choose to pay for classes, or prep activities on your own, it’s important to understand your child’s abilities and learning preferences. Particularly parents who prefer to DIY, learning about your own learning preferences (which naturally influences how you choose to teach your child), is very helpful. Take our quiz here to find out!
We discussed the advantages and drawbacks of each learning style that parents should look out for.
How do we best help our children?
Has your child taken well to Home-Based Learning, or is he or she feeling frustrated, or showing signs of being unable to focus?
Have you tried various enrichment classes, but felt that none of them have been able to suit your child or retain his or her attention?
Do you feel anxious when your child seems to be unable to catch on or is completely clueless after watching videos, or is unable to describe what happened in school, or doesn’t seem to know how to move his or her body?
We explore all of these and how parents can help their children out with the right strategies, in our blogpost here.
Talk to us!
Questions? Comments? Hit us up in the comments below, or hop on over to our Facebook Page or Instagram. Join us on WhatsApp too!
Or share your stories and hacks with our mummy community!
Next week, we’ll be talking about dilemma parents face when it comes to granting their children freedom and privacy in their online interactions with others. Like it or not, the current generation of children are at risk of cyber bullying, sexual predators and scams.
How can we protect our children? We can’t watch or monitor their activities 24/7, so how can we persuade them to be cautious?
Join us on 5 July for the next episode of Mummy Matters