Parenting can be tough going, we often question whether we are doing enough and whether we should be doing more for our children. Well, as long as we are doing our best then that is good enough in my book. There are a few things that I believe can really make a difference to our children’s lives and as parents we can facilitate this and hopefully set them on the right path. Here are a few suggestions of things that we try to do which we hope will give our children the best possible start in life.
- Read to your children. Honestly, as a teacher and parent this is so so important. Instilling a love of reading really shapes a child’s early education. I think it is harder than ever to encourage children to pick up a book rather than a tablet or games console. Yet reading with and to your child will give them a love of learning. Read to your child as much as you can. You won’t regret it and the child certainly won’t ever wish you hadn’t read to them!
- Set up a regular savings account, no matter what you can afford regular savings soon amount up. If you want to give your child a helping hand with university fees, buying their first car or getting a foot on the property ladder, a junior ISA could be a great place to start. Investing in a Wealthify Stocks & Shares ISA lets you build a pot of money for them when they turn 18.
- Teach your children the values that you hold dear. Being kind is really important to me and I model this to my children in the hope that they too are kind. Tell them when you witness their kindness and they will enjoy the praise and want to please you even more.
- Say no to your children when you need to. We don’t always get what we want in life and we need to teach resilence in order to allow our children to be able to bounce back from rejection and failure. This is also known as developing a growth mindset.
- Try different hobbies in the hope that they will find the one that sticks. Sport or fitness is vital, we live in a society saturated with junk food and office jobs. We all need to move and look after our bodies. Help your childs find their passion the hobby that will get them off the sofa and moving.
- Set high expectations. The Pygmalion effect, states “that what one person expects of another can come to serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy.” In the case of kids, they live up to their parents’ expectations.
These 6 things can really help give your child the head start needed to be a success in the future. Parenting isn’t always easy but we all do our best.
What else would you add to this list?
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