Ask a child what their favourite subject is and you’d probably get Science or Maths, with the occasional English. (If they ever say that Chinese is their favourite, they’re probably friends with unicorns too. 🦄🦄)

So why do kids like Science? Aside from the occasional experiments they get to try out, it’s probably because studying Science makes sense to them.

How do you spell “embarrassed”?

Who cares? I’ve got autocorrect.

Why is the grass green?

Hey, that’s a question I would like the answer to! – There is purpose working hard to find the answer.

But what about Maths? How does it make sense to them?

For one, you can probably abide by one formula and derive only one answer when answering a Mathematical question.

How do you calculate the speed?

Take the distance and divide it by the time. 100km/2h = 50km/h

Why are  “comb”, “tomb” and “bomb” pronounced differently even though they look so similar spelling?

Because they are of different origins.

So how can I tell when to pronounce what?

I don’t know, you just have to know.

Without a pattern, it is hard for a child to make sense of what they are learning.

So what does this mean for us parents and educators? 🤔 🤔

1. Always help children to find purpose to their learning!

Studying English is not just for getting good grades – it’s so that we can become better communicators.

Whatever you want to become in future, even if it’s a YouTuber (especially if it’s a YouTuber), you need how to communicate well!

Communication can be verbal, that’s why we have oral.

Communication can be written. That’s why we have the other components.

But what is the purpose to each written components? 📚

• Situational writing: Learning how to communicate bad news in the most delicate way
• Comprehension: Learning how to be succinct. (Research suggests that humans can only listen to up to 20,000 or 30,000 words per day!)
• Composition / Visual Text: Learning how to hook your audience (These days, no one wants to watch a reel that doesn’t capture their attention in the first 3 seconds!)

Communicate this to your child! You will see that they become more receptive to having to do their homework.

But after that, they may get discouraged again when they hit a speed bump in their homework. That is why we want to:

2. Show them the pattern to the work they are doing

Grammar’s got you down? Don’t worry. Just remember the rules and you’ll see that the formula works.

Composition is hard? We get you! Not everyone is born a writer. But if you read and watch enough shows (yes, TV and movies!), you’ll see that writing a good story involves the same techniques, be it on screen, in pictures or in words.

So the next time you child gets stuck with their English homework, help them find the purpose and pattern to what they are doing. You’d be surprised at how motivated they can get! 💪 💪