Wanderlust: Expat Life & Style in Thailand April / May 2017: Health & Wellness Issue | Page 42

BALANCING ACT
In this article, Vanessa Robitaille, Head of Prep School at Brighton
College, examines some ways parents can help children balance the
responsibilities of academia with the carefree pleasures of being a child.
Q: “What can I do to help my child
succeed at school without sacrific-
ing her childhood?”
A: Society tends to dictate that a
string of A grades is the primary gate-
way to a successful future. But this is
an unfair belief that puts immense
pressure on parents who, like you,
want to ensure their children excel at
school while enjoying happy child-
hoods. Fortunately — though it may
seem otherwise — you don’t need to
choose: It is possible for your child to
immerse into academics and fun. It
is, in fact, essential that she does, as
both are the foundations upon which
a successful adult life is built.
Let’s look at five ways you can help
your child strike a balance between
academics and the joys of childhood.
AND
1 FUN
GAMES
It’s tempting to consider hours
spent playing as hours that could
be better spent studying. But
this mentality is a disservice to
your child and her earlier years.
Curriculums are designed to be
delivered during school time, and
overburdening children may not
have the desired impact. It can
even be detrimental. Too much
work robs students of precious
time to just be children — which is
time they will never get back.
Games can be just as import-
ant for kids as studying. Chess
for example, is believed to help
raise IQ levels, with one study of
4,000 Venezuelan students find-
ing significant rises in the IQ scores
of both boys and girls after four
months of chess instruction.
Though the rewards of games
may not appear obvious, they
could be teaching your child
42 WANDERLUST
valuable life lessons — such as the
rules of social interaction and the
ability to focus for prolonged peri-
ods of time. But we shouldn’t forget
that children deserve to indulge in
play purely for the sake of fun it-
self. Think back to your own child-
hood — what made you happy?
The joy of hopscotch with friends?
The thrill of mastering monopoly?
It’s worth remembering, too,
that more studying does not au-
tomatically lead to improved
grades. The UK branch of Brighton
College demonstrated this when
they stopped Saturday school to
give pupils a full weekend to enjoy.
Contrary to expectations, pupils’ ac-
ademic results actually improved.
2
EXERCISE
The tendency to overprotect
children can hinder opportunities
to be active and so can today’s tech-
nology habits. This combination
can mean that parents need to plan
physical pursuits into their children’s
schedules — and, here in Bangkok
where traffic crawls, the idea of
commuting to organized sports
practice is often less than appealing.
But we cannot ignore our chil-
dren’s need for exercise, even when
it seems inconvenient. Aside from
the obvious fitness advantages,
exercising provides many bene-
fits: A report from The Institute
of Medicine of the National
Academics states that physical-
ly-active children show greater at-
tention, have faster cognitive pro-
cessing speeds, and perform better
on standardized academic tests
than less active children. What’s
more, extensive scientific evidence
shows that regular activity im-
proves children’s mental health.
Fortunately, peeling kids away
from their screens can be quite
simple. A family walk or bicycle
excursion in the park during the
cooler, early evening is one way to
encourage exercise. If the weather
isn’t too hot, you can throw a ball
around, play with hula-hoops or vis-
it playgrounds during the day. The
kids can help with household tasks,
too, teaching them essential life
skills in the process of a light work-
out — without venturing outdoors.
Happy childhoods require plen-
ty of time for activity. Sports clubs,
family outings to the park, and even
helping with the vacuuming are all
valid ways to add active, stress-bust-
ing minutes into your child’s life.
3
CURBING
HOMEWORK
Homework can be incredibly valu-
able. It supports learning and re-
inforces interest. It teaches life
skills, such as self-discipline and
time management. But homework
should not be overwhelming, and
one common complaint amongst
students and parents is that home-
work does overwhelm, leaving little
time for anything else.
If after-school assignments are pre-
venting the enjoyment of childhood,
ask to see the school’s Homework
Policy and find out how long students
are expected to spend on each task. If
your child cannot complete an assign-
ment, let the teacher know that she
worked hard for the allotted time. No
one can ask for more.
With homework limited to a
reasonable amount of time, chil-
dren will have the chance to par-
take in extracurricular activities —
such as music, art, dance or more
modern hobbies like robotics.
Allowing time for your child to
pursue her passions is a key ele-
ment of a happy, well-rounded
childhood.
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