coaching, homework, learning and remembering, Math, Mathematics, resilient children, spelling

How to remember what you learn


here are some very easy ways you can help your child remember maths, spelling, and reading skills and knowledge they have learnt. Recent brain research proves how important these ideas are, but even before research told them it was a good idea good teachers and learners have always used them.

coaching, goal-setting, homework, teens, Uncategorized, Working with teens

Your teen and you: Developing mutual respect.


I’m currently working with several young adults aged between 13 and 16. I call them young adults because they are growing up rapidly, and might want more independence, crave more privacy, and like to be shown a high level of respect. Families bring their young adult to me for different reasons. Usually they are concerned… Continue reading Your teen and you: Developing mutual respect.

coaching, reading and writing skills, story writing

Writing: The first step – planning.


The writing Roles of 'writer' and 'editor' help keep your writer in control of their writing.  Dear families. Many of us have a tendency to believe that we know more than our children...and often we are right, but in the case of writing stories our children will know more. Do NOT take over your child's… Continue reading Writing: The first step – planning.

coaching, homework, learning and remembering, resilient children

How does your child perceive their own intelligence?


Intelligence: Does your child believe that it is fixed at birth or that it is something that can grow? Carol Dweck, a leading researcher in the field of motivation, has found that children hold either a fixed mindset or a growth mindset when they think about their own and others intelligence. Have you heard your… Continue reading How does your child perceive their own intelligence?

coaching, goal-setting, homework, teens, Working with teens

Helping your teen study when they are non-compliant: What to look out for.


Goals help keep your teen steady and strong when life is difficult. Study goals are most easily achieved by taking small steps most days, not by cramming in lots of information just before exams. At this stage of their life they experience rapid growth spurts and sudden surges of hormones. There are often dramas, if… Continue reading Helping your teen study when they are non-compliant: What to look out for.

coaching, homework, resilient children, teens, Working with teens

Building resiliency in our children


Resiliency is what we have needed to survive and thrive in the adult world. Resiliency is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties, and the ability to bounce back in the face of adversity. When you look around at people you know, you may have noticed that adults who have very little resiliency often don't handle… Continue reading Building resiliency in our children

coaching, homework, reading and writing skills

Writing: first understand why they dislike writing, then negotiate.


         A keen proud writer  Writing fluently will remain an important skill our children need to master. Your child might not be very interested in writing because they have so many other interesting things they would rather do. Many children are much more interested in doing something physical than sitting down to write. Especially when… Continue reading Writing: first understand why they dislike writing, then negotiate.

coaching, reading and writing skills

Handwriting – How your child can write more easily


The days of boring old handwriting drills are gone. In the place of drills teachers give a series of short lessons on how to hold the pencil and correctly write letters and numbers, and then they correct students’ hand-grip and writing direction incidentally as they walk around the room. How your child holds their pencil… Continue reading Handwriting – How your child can write more easily

coaching, homework, reading and writing skills, Uncategorized

What if your child can’t read or write well….is that it?


A few weeks ago I met a young man in his twenties who in the course of our conversation disclosed what exactly his mother had done to help him at home  when he was young and having great difficulty learning to read and write. What she did gave him the opportunity to fulfill more of… Continue reading What if your child can’t read or write well….is that it?

coaching, homework, reading and writing skills

Help your child develop phonics skills and they learn to read for pleasure


Why reading for pleasure helps your child There is good evidence to suggest that young people who read for pleasure daily perform better in reading skills tests than those who never do. However, a recent survey carried out by the National Literacy Trust has indicated a decline in the amount of time children and young… Continue reading Help your child develop phonics skills and they learn to read for pleasure