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Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6

The Parent

In this phase your role remains to teach, guide and assist your child in their educational, physical, emotional and social development. You should also still work with the teacher so that your child progresses confidently through school. It is advised to continue checking homework and assisting when necessary. If your child is battling with concepts, you should work with them until they understand the concepts, independently.

Intermediate phase (Grades 4-6)

This phase is about using foundational concepts to build their knowledge and learn new concepts. A child with strong foundational skills is more likely to succeed in this phase, and to develop a sense of independent learning. Your role as a parent in this phase is to guide and instruct your child and for them to attempt the work individually without your continuous involvement. This does not mean your child is expected to work unassisted, but that they are required to work for periods independently, knowing that you are available should they get stuck.
This phase teaches them how to use their previous knowledge to learn new concepts. Your child is now at a stage where they are learning to work independently and develop their skills, but they are still reliant on the teacher and yourself to teach, instruct, and help them.

The parent and the teacher

The teacher’s role remains to introduce and practice new concepts at school. Your child then comes home and attempts to perform the concepts and tasks independently. It is your role to assist your child as needed at home and to continue to bring the teachers attention to any concepts your child cannot grasp. The teacher will advise you on how to assist your child with school work at home. Assistance may include organising extra lessons or getting extra work to do at home. Time management may play a role here as your child will need to spend more time on school work – but be careful not to overload your child.

The way forward

In the Intermediate Phase, children are introduced to new concepts like time management, study/revision timetables and more advanced assessments. The use of goal setting and time management (homework books, daily activities and calendars) are essential. It is vital to teach your child how to do these. A positive starting point is goal setting. Remember to assist your child so that they will be able to use these skills independently. It will be less stressful in the high school years!
Preschool, Grade R
Materials:
Plastic bottles/containers with lids
Paper or a funnel
Rice, pasta, screws, beans, beads (any small, hard objects which can be placed in the bottles/containers)
Stickers for decorating
 
Instructions: Using a funnel or a piece of paper rolled to act as a funnel, fill the bottles/containers with... Read the full article
Preschool, Grade R, Grade 1
Materials:
Toys/household objects that can be used to measure length and height (e.g. Legos, blocks, books, apples, spoons)
 
Instructions:
Have your child use different household objects to measure length and height. Determine how many Legos tall the couch is, or have your child lie down and see how many apples tall... Read the full article
Preschool, Grade R
Materials:
Cookie cutters in various geometrical shapes (If you don’t have these, you can use a knife)
Your child’s favourite “cut-able” foods – pancakes, cheese slices, fruit, bread
 
Instructions:
Using cookie cutters, cut shapes into your child’s favourite foods. Discuss the... Read the full article
Preschool
Finding fun activities for your children that are educational but engaging doesn’t need to feel like work. In this blog series, I’ll be giving you lots of activity ideas for children of all ages, from toddlers to Grade 3.  

TODDLERS: (ages 1-3)

Make a Shape Book

Materials:
Coloured... Read the full article
Preschool, Grade R, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7
When your children lose interest in learning, you may find yourself wondering how you’re ever going to get them excited and motivated again. These tips will help you get them fired up and back on track! Be passionate about your teaching. Even if you’re having a bad day, be expressive, smile and put excitement into your voice.... Read the full article

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