Time Goes and Kids Grow

After a fantastic long and hot English summer, the morning to go back to school has finally arrived. For almost 10 weeks James and I have adventured at theme parks, museums, palaces, zoos and parks. We've visited beaches, towns, cities and the countryside. It's been a blast and I'm going to miss his company during the school day. Today James started Year 5 and this is the point where things start to get a bit more serious as the school and I start preparing him for his 11+ examinations in Year 6. Normally during the summer holidays we have a complete break from school work, but this time I was keen to keep James' mind active by undertaking one hour of Maths, English and/ or reading every day. Of course this was met with some dismay and plenty of procrastination at first, but once the routine was established, he ploughed through it. I'm proud of the way he worked, often going beyond the prescribed one hour period and doing more than required. Will it make a difference? I hope so. But if nothing else, it's established the habit of working outside of the classroom and under his own steam. And that can only be a good thing.

We're now well and truly in to the new school year, so much so that Half Term is already fast approaching. Where does the time go? On that theme my son made the transition from lower to middle school this year and with that comes some pretty significant changes. Longer Maths and English lessons, more languages to learn, new subjects such as history and geography but, most impactful, longer school days and more homework. Gone are the days when I would be at the school gates for 3.30 in the afternoon. Now it's typically 5.30 before I scoop him up. Part of the reason is his (and my) enthusiasm for after school clubs. These are held at and provided by the school. So, on Monday it's Debating and Current Affairs, Tuesday it's Football Training followed by Swimming lessons, Chess Club is on Wednesday, followed by club Football Training and on Friday it's Drama. The only day he doesn't have an extended day is Thursday, but then he has Tennis Lessons. And when we finally get home it's supper and homework. With the amount of homework doubling from 20 minutes to 40 minutes per night it doesn't leave time for much else. But I do think it's important to have some 'playtime' before bed, so we'll have a mini football match or some other game that gets us both laughing. Sometimes I worry that we're doing too much, but then he seems happy and if I ask him if he wants to drop any clubs or activies he always gives a resounding "NO!" Let me know what you think and what you do in the comments.

With what seems like the blink of an eye another school year has come and gone and I've been reflecting on all that's happened in what seems like a very short period. On a rainy afternoon at the start of the holidays, my Son took me through all the school work he brought home on his last day. Going through it with him I realised just how much he's developed through the year. His work in the Spring Term was better than Autumn and his work during the Summer Term was better than Spring. There were marked improvements in the neatness of his handwriting, his mathematics, and the quality of his written answers. Looking back I realised how I'd actually seen the improvements in his homework. I just didn't realise it at the time. It also struck me how my role with supporting him with his school work had evolved during the year. At the start homework was a bit of a chore to get out of the way as quickly as possible but I became much more engaged and encouraging as the year went on. It made me realise that my improved approach may have contributed to the improvements his work demonstrates and it's encouraged me to continue to improve my approach during the summer break and into Year 4. I am convinced that children with parents who are engaged with their work will do better at school. But even if that isn't true, it's a great way to further develop our bond.