Having a talented child can feel like both a blessing and a curse. Whether your youngster’s a sporting success, acting aficionado or he or she holds any other special ability, you’re no doubt extremely proud. However, raising extraordinary kids can be a challenge and it’s a huge responsibility. One of the things many parents struggle with is ensuring their children keep up with their education. After all, it can be difficult or even impossible for tots to hone their particular talents while continuing with mainstream school. If your family’s finding this tough, you might benefit from heeding the following advice.
Home school for added flexibility
First and foremost, note that there are alternatives to traditional schooling. It’s perfectly legal in the UK to educate your child at home rather than in mainstream school, and you don’t have to be a qualified teacher to do so. There is now a wealth of resources available over the web from home education specialists like Oxford Home Schooling. Whether your youngsters are completing Key Stage 3, GCSE or A level standard work, you’ll be able to find the materials you need to help them achieve exam success.
Right now, around 150,000 kids are being educated at home, and this figure’s expected to increase by around 3% per year. Once you’ve experienced the added flexibility of home schooling, you’ll understand why it’s such a popular option. By educating your child yourself, you can work to a schedule that suits your youngster. Whether you need to start early in the day to free up afternoons, work in the evenings or during weekends or follow any other timetable, you will have the freedom to do it. You can also keep your lessons up while on the move. As long as you have a web connection and any other resources you need, such as textbooks and stationery, you can teach your child virtually anywhere. This is perfect if you need to travel for auditions, tournaments or other events.
You might be surprised by how much ground you can cover with your youngster in a relatively short period of time too. Although kids typically spend six to eight hours a day in school, you might find your child needs far less study time at home. Bear in mind that when kids are in school, they spend a lot of time moving between classes, waiting for lessons to start and taking breaks. At home, you can launch straight into lessons without any of these delays. This can make the learning process much more efficient.
Emphasize the importance of education
Regardless of whether your youngster is taught at home or in school, it’s important that they understand the value of a good education. It’s all too easy for talented kids to assume they don’t need the same qualifications as their peers. After all, they might have their careers mapped out from a very early age, and GCSEs and A levels may not figure in their plans.
Of course, you’ll want to encourage your child to aim for the top in their chosen field. However, it’s also vital to make sure they appreciate the fact that it’s savvy to have a fallback option should things not turn out the way they plan. Striking the right balance here can be tough, but you must try. When youngsters’ hearts aren’t in it, they tend to fall behind with their learning.
There’s no denying the fact that ensuring that your talented child keep up with their education can be a challenge. However, by following advice like this, you should find the task to be that little bit easier.
