Parents urged to support children’s academic excellence
Following the report that children that developed good language skills early in life do excellently well in their academics, parents have been advised to give maximum support for the natural development of their children in their tender age.
Besides, research also shows that children need to hear about three million words before they are three years for their brain to fully develop.
To achieve this, parents have been encouraged to prepare their children at their tender age, as these are the things that make the foundation of education basically easy.
Coordinator, Aid to Life Outreach Programme and Foundation for Montessori Education in Nigeria, Yinka Awobo-Pearse, at a free parenting lecture recently, said the programme aims at educating parents on how to support the natural development of their children from birth to three years old at home in four areas of development.
These include movement, communication, independence, and self-discipline.
The programme was primarily targeted at supporting parents of children from zero to two years old, who don’t have access to quality childcare to learn how to support their child’s development at home.
Speaking at the two-day lecture, she said when parents fully implement these ideas at home, the children attain the right level of development in the areas by the start of nursery one (age three years old).
According to her, these children assimilate easily into school life and perform well in school.
“They go on to achieve academic success at the end of the Nursery phase, coming out with higher outcomes than the average pupil. This, in turn, will raise learning outcomes at the end of nursery education and will translate to a higher outcome in all other stages of education in Nigeria.
“My advice for all working-class mums is that they have to make a very deliberate and conscious decision. For instance, in terms of communication, you have to make sure you are talking to the child all the time; you are giving your child language, every minute you have with your child make it important.
“I am also a working mum, whenever I am at home, it has to be my children; it is not the time for a phone or social media. This is the time to focus on your child and have time for them. They are only at this age for this long, and before you know it they are old enough; they don’t need you as much as they need you now. So this time is precious, use it effectively,” she said.
On her part, a Deputy Director, Ministry of Education, Lagos State, Sumon Adepeju, spoke on the impact of the programme is taken into cognisance by parents.
She said it would be fantastic, as children would be free and closer to their parents, and would be less challenging for the children, and the parents, which in turn creates an enabling environment for the parents and the society.
During the training, parents were exposed to Montessori philosophy on how to approach the child and were encouraged to involve their children in everyday activities around the home, which give children the opportunity to naturally exercise and develop their skills.
The Foundation for Montessori Education in Nigeria, in partnership with the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), had the training at the Alimosho Local Governments Area in Lagos State.
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