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<?xml encoding="UTF-8"><html><body><div id="attachment_93838" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-93838" onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-93838" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u170058/chris-liverani-ViEBSoZH6M4-unsplash-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="2235" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u170058/chris-liverani-ViEBSoZH6M4-unsplash-scaled.jpg 1031w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u170058/chris-liverani-ViEBSoZH6M4-unsplash-800x698.jpg 800w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u170058/chris-liverani-ViEBSoZH6M4-unsplash-320x279.jpg 320w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u170058/chris-liverani-ViEBSoZH6M4-unsplash-1536x1341.jpg 1536w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u170058/chris-liverani-ViEBSoZH6M4-unsplash-2048x1788.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@chrisliverani?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Liverani</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/math?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Unsplash</a></div>You may have heard that parents should never teach their own kids, but what if you don&rsquo;t have a choice? After all, tuition fees can add up, and if your child is already being tutored in one subject (such as second language), you may want to fill the gaps for other subjects, especially at the primary school level. But is this worth straining the relationship between you and your child?
The first thing you&rsquo;ll have to accept is that even if you&rsquo;re a trained teacher, you may find it challenging to teach your own children. For one, it&rsquo;s hard to be objective about your own children, because you&rsquo;re emotionally invested in them. Parents may project their anxieties about their children&rsquo;s futures, and how it reflects on their parenting, while children may be extra sensitive to parental feedback. If in doubt, always prioritise your relationship with your child &mdash; learning can wait.
<h4>Talk To Your Child&rsquo;s Teachers</h4>
It&rsquo;s important to remember that you are not your child&rsquo;s teacher, and it&rsquo;s not your job to meet the demands of the school syllabus. Instead, focus on the building blocks that will make your child a better learner.
If your child&rsquo;s teacher has informed you that your child is struggling to keep pace with the rest of the class, you will understandably be concerned. You can ask the teacher for something specific that you can do to help your child improve. For example, in math, a firm grasp of the multiplication tables enables your child to focus on applying math to solve problems, and you won&rsquo;t need a math degree or teaching qualification to help your child memorise the times tables.
&gt;&gt; Read KSP&rsquo;s guide to <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/is-it-still-important-to-learn-the-times-tables-by-heart/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">learning the times tables</a>.
What if your child&rsquo;s teacher hasn&rsquo;t provided any feedback, but your child isn&rsquo;t doing as well as you&rsquo;d hoped in graded assignments? You don&rsquo;t have to wait till the parent-teacher meeting &mdash; you can send a note to your child&rsquo;s teacher to find out the following:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Is your child having trouble concentrating during lessons?&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Does your child have reading and comprehension issues?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Does your child suffer from test anxiety?</li>
</ul>
This will help you identify common learning issues that you can help rectify. At home, do also look out for the following signs of poor concentration:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Does your child study with the TV on, or is he or she constantly distracted by devices?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Can your child read or work for only about 15 minutes before getting bored?</li>
</ul>
&gt;&gt; Read KSP&rsquo;s guides for supporting <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/these-5-tips-can-dramatically-change-how-your-children-view-studying/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unmotivated</a> and <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/my-child-is-struggling-in-primary-school-what-do-i-do/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">struggling learners</a>.
If your child has reading and comprehension issues, you will notice these behaviours:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Your child needs to reread instructions or passages several times for better understanding.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Your child reads, but doesn&rsquo;t retain much information.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Your child dislikes reading.</li>
</ul>
&gt;&gt; Find out if your child might have a <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/could-your-child-have-a-learning-disability-know-the-signs-and-seek-help-early/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">learning disability</a>, or get tips on encouraging <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/can-a-child-survive-primary-1-without-knowing-how-to-read/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reluctant readers</a> to pick up a book.
Finally, if your child has test anxiety, look out for these patterns:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Your child is prone to last-minute work, which creates or adds to anxiety.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Your child is nervous about tests and exams.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Your child tends to perform below expectations during assessments, even with ample preparation.</li>
</ul>
&gt;&gt; Learn how to <a href="http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/content/exam-results-how-should-parents-respond" target="_blank" rel="noopener">respond to your children&rsquo;s results</a> with sensitivity, and get science-backed tips for <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/5-exam-stress-busters-backed-by-science/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">combating exam stress</a>.
<h4>Create A Good Study Environment</h4>
Studies have shown that clutter can tax the brain, because it has to work harder to filter out objects in the visual field. To get your home tutoring off to a good start, declutter the study environment: put everything in its place, and get rid of study materials that you&rsquo;re not likely to use.
If your child prefers to listen to music during a study session, choose instrumental music, such as classical music, which is less distracting. Play the same music during each study session, and it will serve as a study cue for your child, to subconsciously signal that it is time to focus.
You can also decide on the best time to work with your child, be it in the afternoons, in the evenings, or even after dinner. What qualifies as the &ldquo;best&rdquo; time is dependent on your child, as some children do function better towards the night, where they feel more energetic and focused. Also, if your child is currently only able to be attentive for about 10 to 15 minutes at a stretch, begin with that, and gently extend the sessions by 5-minute blocks as you go along. Factor in breaks after each session, and don&rsquo;t try to accomplish too much in one day.
<h4>Use School-Recommended Strategies</h4>
To minimise stress and preparation on your part, as well as to avoid confusion for your child, use the materials and guidelines provided by your child&rsquo;s teachers when helping your child to review his or her work.
For instance, if your child&rsquo;s school has taught the &ldquo;CUB&rdquo; method for tackling comprehension questions &mdash; where students circle anything to do with the 5Ws and 1H (who, what, where, when, why, how), underline tenses, and bracket words that might be required in the answer &mdash; stick with that method unless there is a sound reason to introduce an alternative method.
If your child has made mistakes in his or her school homework, you can make a copy of those questions for retesting. But if you find that the school materials are difficult for your child to understand, then you may want to look at alternative sources.
As you decide on what you would like to help your child with, the question to ask is this: is my objective to help my child get an A, or to become a better learner? A parent who is preoccupied with grades will likely feel greater frustration and may even be tempted to complete or overcorrect a child&rsquo;s work, while a parent who is focused on learning will be mindful of giving a child space to think, and more crucially, to make mistakes.
<h4>Plan Your Home Tutoring Sessions</h4>
In her book &ldquo;How To Tutor Your Own Child&rdquo; (<a href="https://search.nlb.gov.sg/Search?query=how+to+tutor+your+own+child&amp;cont=book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">available at NLB</a>), professional tutor Marina Ruben recommends a six-step approach for setting up a tutoring session:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Give your undivided attention, e.g. by turning off your own devices.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Greet your child in a positive manner and let him or her know how long your session will last.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Find out what&rsquo;s new: What has your child learned today? What was interesting? What was challenging?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Find out what your child needs to accomplish for the day, be it new assignments, or corrections for previous assignments. This is a chance to review your child&rsquo;s written work to spot potential areas of concern. (<a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/psle-a-sample-study-plan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">See how a KSP member did this</a>.)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Check your child&rsquo;s understanding of concepts. Once you&rsquo;ve shown your child how to solve a problem, ask him or her to explain the steps for solving a similar problem. Or ask, &ldquo;How does this work?&rdquo; and &ldquo;What does this mean, in your own words?&rdquo;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Check if there are things that your child needs to memorise, be it math formulas, vocabulary words, or science facts. <a href="https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-mnemonics.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mnemonics</a> (a pattern of letters, ideas, or associations that assist in remembering something) are helpful, as are visual images or mental pictures. Even touch can be useful for activating one&rsquo;s memory &mdash; try associating an item on a list with a part of the body, just for fun!</li>
</ol>
&gt;&gt; Read what <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/what-exam-savvy-parents-do-differently-to-support-their-kids-during-revision/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exam-savvy parents do differently</a> to help kids prepare for exams, and refer to our list of <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/avoid-these-15-mistakes-during-the-psle/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">15 exam mistakes commonly made by kids</a>, to see if your child is prone to such errors too.
<h4>If Necessary, Seek External Help</h4>
There are situations where it might be wiser to outsource the tutoring, if one can afford it. These include:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">A strained parent-child relationship that makes it difficult to work together</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">When the parent does not understand the academic content</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">When a child refuses a parent&rsquo;s help</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">When a child has a special learning need</li>
</ul>
Do seek advice from your child&rsquo;s school teachers, to see if they have suggestions or can provide additional support, such as with remedial classes. For general tutoring, if you live in heartland neighbourhoods and are open to your child joining group classes, they can be quite affordable (e.g. less than $30 for a two-hour class), and your child may prefer the dynamics of a group class. Talk to your neighbours to see if there&rsquo;s a tutor living in your estate &mdash; those who run group classes from home may charge even lower rates.
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Planning To Tutor Your Own Kids? Read This First!

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<?xml encoding="UTF-8"><html><body>Worried about home-based learning for your child?
<img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-85018" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/132039953_s.jpg" alt="" width="847" height="565" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/132039953_s.jpg 847w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/132039953_s-800x534.jpg 800w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/132039953_s-320x213.jpg 320w" sizes="(max-width: 847px) 100vw, 847px">
With the coronavirus crisis still looming large worldwide, parents are scrambling to deal with the fallout from school closures &mdash; whether it is to find alternative childcare, switch to a work-from-home arrangement if one&rsquo;s workplace has not already done so, or leave children at home unsupervised.&nbsp;
For parents already based at home, or those who are able to take time off during school closures, another major concern is: can I tutor my child at home?
For Singapore schools, e-learning systems are in place, and teachers will likely set daily assignments, with same-day deadlines for completion. To ensure compliance, they may call you personally if your child hasn&rsquo;t logged into the e-learning systems by a specified time. If you are unable to supervise your children during school closures, you can help them get organised by ensuring that their log-in passwords are printed out on a sheet of paper, stored in a file on the computer, or saved in the web browser that they will use.
Here on KSP, parents and educators have been sharing tips and resources about helping kids with schoolwork for over a decade. Below, we&rsquo;ve rounded up the best home learning tips on our site that you can use.
<h2>Declutter study areas.</h2>
Don&rsquo;t wait till school closure to tidy your child&rsquo;s workspace &mdash; Princeton <a href="https://paw.princeton.edu/article/psychology-your-attention-please">studies</a> have suggested that clutter is tiring for the brain, because it has to work harder to filter out objects in the visual field.&nbsp;
There will be learning materials that you are obligated to keep, such as your child&rsquo;s textbooks for the year. For everything else, take an intentional approach, by asking:
<ul>
<li>How often has my child used this?</li>
<li>Is my child likely to pick this up in the future?</li>
<li>Is this interesting to read?</li>
<li>Am I learning anything from it?</li>
<li>Am I retaining the information?</li>
<li>Does it make me curious to find out more?</li>
<li>Is this information available in a more palatable form elsewhere, such as on an app?</li>
</ul>
Older children can also use these questions as a guide when tidying up. Items that you no longer need can be donated; in Singapore, selected libraries have a Book Exchange shelf for pre-loved books and resource materials. (<a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/three-marie-kondo-tips-to-spark-learning-joy/">Click here</a> for Book Exchange locations and more decluttering tips.)
<h2>Study cues help children stay focused.</h2>
Your child&rsquo;s school may have provided a home-learning timetable to follow. If not, discuss and agree on a daily study routine with your child. To signal to your child that it is time to begin work, create a tangible <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/5-study-strategies-that-every-student-should-use/">study cue</a>. An easy way to do this is by getting your child to work in a designated space. If your child doesn&rsquo;t have a study area, give him or her a portable lamp to be switched on whenever work is in progress. Alternatively, look for an unobtrusive instrumental or classical music playlist (on music streaming apps such as Spotify) to set the mood, and use this playlist only when your child is studying.
<h2>Counter resistance to studying.</h2>
If your child makes excuses to put off schoolwork, don&rsquo;t be drawn into a battle of wills. Instead, ask your child, &ldquo;On a scale of 1 to 10, &lsquo;1&rsquo; being &lsquo;not ready to start work&rsquo; and &lsquo;10&rsquo; being &lsquo;ready to start anytime,&rsquo; where do you think you are right now?&rdquo;
If your child names any number greater than one, you can reply, &ldquo;What makes you say &lsquo;2&rsquo; and not &lsquo;1&rsquo;?&rdquo; This helps children to view their own readiness in a more positive light.
If, however, your child claims to be at the bottom of the scale, ask why this is so. The next step is to ask questions that will help your child move forward, such as &ldquo;What would be one small thing you could do to move up the scale?&rdquo; or &ldquo;Is there anything I can do to help you be more ready?&rdquo; (<a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/these-5-tips-can-dramatically-change-how-your-children-view-studying/">Get more tips</a> on dealing with resistance.)
<h2>Teach children to take good notes.</h2>
If older children need to watch video lectures assigned by the school, teach them to stay alert by taking good notes. Typically, a video lecture will do the following:
<ul>
<li>Introduce a topic</li>
<li>Provide an outline for the topic or subtopics</li>
<li>Emphasise important information</li>
<li>Indicate when information is non-essential or informal</li>
<li>Define terms</li>
<li>Provide examples</li>
<li>Conclude</li>
</ul>
Here&rsquo;s how you can help: watch a video lecture with your child, and identify the elements of the lecture using the framework above.&nbsp;
Some schools have trained their students in the Cornell note-taking method, where a notebook page is divided into three sections &mdash; a narrow left column for questions, a broader right column for notes, and a summary section across the bottom of the page, to be filled in during a post-class review of notes. Encourage your child not to transcribe a lecture verbatim, but to rewrite important points in his or her own words, and to reflect on these points and jot down questions for the teacher.&nbsp;
The advantage of video lectures is the ability to press &ldquo;pause&rdquo; and &ldquo;replay,&rdquo; so don&rsquo;t hesitate to do that. You can also introduce your child to common note-taking abbreviations to save time. (<a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/key-active-classroom-learning-take-better-notes/">Get more note-taking tips</a>.)
<h2>Teach textbook-reading strategies.</h2>
<img onerror="kspReplaceCdn(this)" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-85024" src="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/11731710_s-1.jpg" alt="" width="848" height="564" srcset="https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/11731710_s-1.jpg 848w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/11731710_s-1-800x532.jpg 800w, https://wp.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/files/u133359/11731710_s-1-320x213.jpg 320w" sizes="(max-width: 848px) 100vw, 848px">
Much like lectures, textbooks usually follow a set format, covering:
<ul>
<li>terms and definitions</li>
<li>examples to illustrate abstract concepts</li>
<li>examples to illustrate cause-and-effect relationships (&ldquo;why does this happen?&rdquo;)</li>
<li>classifications and lists</li>
<li>comparisons between ideas (&ldquo;how is this similar or different from that?&rdquo;).</li>
</ul>
If, during the reading process, your child is aware of the purpose that each section serves, this will provide structure for making summary notes and self-testing.&nbsp;
As textbooks can be challenging to read, ask your child to alert you if there is material that he or she doesn&rsquo;t understand. Together &mdash; or with the teacher&rsquo;s help &mdash; look online for explanatory materials that are presented in a jargon-free and conversational tone, with clear examples and illustrations to aid understanding. (<a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/how-to-read-textbooks-and-school-notes/">Get more textbook-reading tips</a>.)
<h2>Keep study sessions to 30 minutes. 
</h2>
Many educators and learning experts recommend keeping study sessions to 30 minutes &mdash; if your child needs to complete assigned reading, he or she can spend 20&ndash;25 minutes on reading, followed by five to 10 minutes on review, i.e. quizzing oneself orally on the material. Let your child take short breaks between study sessions to recharge.
Does your child display any of the following behaviours?
<ul>
<li>Poor posture (head on arm, head on table, or slouching), which creates sluggishness and a sense of inertia</li>
<li>A fixation on how much work remains, instead of focusing one&rsquo;s attention on answering the question at hand</li>
<li>Wanting to get work over and done with quickly, rather than properly, which leads to careless and sloppy work</li>
<li>A general aversion towards seatwork</li>
</ul>
If so, you may want to reduce study sessions to 10 or 15 minutes, and focus on good work habits instead.
Get your child to use a timer for keeping track of work sessions and breaks. For some children, a jarring alarm can trigger stress, so choose a pleasant tone to signal that time is up. When work for the day is complete, let your child have something to look forward to, be it family bonding time, or a relaxing activity.
<h2>Test your children&rsquo;s understanding.</h2>
On a daily basis, a simple way to check if your children have understood the concepts that they&rsquo;ve been tasked to learn is this: First, ask them to describe the concepts in their own words. Next, ask them to provide examples of these concepts, or tell you why they are useful or relevant in real life.
<h2>Keep an observation log.</h2>
Is your child is struggling with e-learning homework assignments? Resist the urge to jump in with solutions. To encourage independent learning, show your child how to utilise tools and resources&nbsp; &mdash; for example, e-learning sites often have explanatory videos to guide children through assignments.&nbsp;
If your child is seemingly stuck on a problem, you can say, &ldquo;Think about possible ways to solve this question,&rdquo; and give them space to work it out on their own. If they repeat certain errors, you can ask, &ldquo;Why did you go about it this way?&rdquo;
Should your child be encountering multiple challenges, you may want to keep a log. Remember: your role is not to replace your child&rsquo;s teacher. Instead, focus on providing observations to give teachers a clear picture of what your child&rsquo;s learning issues might be.&nbsp;
<h2>You don&rsquo;t have to follow a strict routine.</h2>
If your child&rsquo;s school hasn&rsquo;t provided a daily timetable, you can allow for flexibility if it aids learning.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not helpful to clock watch all the time, because a child may take a longer time to finish a project, and we should allow the child the satisfaction of seeing it to completion,&rdquo; says a <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/what-you-never-knew-about-homeschooling-could-it-work-for-you-too/">local homeschooling mother</a>. &ldquo;Sometimes, while doing the project, an interesting discussion may surface, so time should be given for that too. It&rsquo;s useful to give some leeway for exploration with the child, as you may encounter teaching moments that may not come up again.&rdquo;
<h2>Use technology to your advantage.</h2>
It&rsquo;s likely that your child&rsquo;s school would have subscribed to a number of e-learning services, making them free for your child to use. Do check with the school and take advantage of these resources. If you are looking for additional learning support, some popular tools used by schools are <a href="https://quizlet.com/">Quizlet</a> (for making online flashcards and quizzes) and <a href="https://kahoot.com/">Kahoot</a> (a game-based learning platform).&nbsp;
Other sites you can explore include <a href="https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/article/power-up-your-childs-vocabulary-and-yours-too-a-mom-tested-approach/">Vocabulary.com</a> (a reader-friendly dictionary with a word mastery game app), <a href="https://diagnosticquestions.com">Diagnostic Questions</a> (attempt math diagnostic tests and receive feedback), and <a href="https://www.diffen.com/difference/Category:Science">Diffen</a> (a site that allows you to &ldquo;compare anything&rdquo; and is particularly useful for science).&nbsp;
Alternatively, visit Open Culture for a list of <a href="http://www.openculture.com/free_k-12_educational_resources">200 free educational resources</a> that you can tap into during this time.
<h2>Stay in touch with teachers and support networks.</h2>
You&rsquo;re not in this alone, so don&rsquo;t hesitate to use apps such as <a href="https://www.classdojo.com/">ClassDojo</a> to contact your child&rsquo;s teachers whenever you need help. And if you&rsquo;ve been shying away from parenting WhatsApp and Facebook groups, this is a good time to join one, because we could all use a community to lean on.
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