Phonics: a guide for parents
From 2025, all Victorian government schools will be required to teach reading using a phonics-based approach known as SSP. But what is it? And how can parents help their child learn to read in a way that aligns with what they are learning at school?
What can you do if your child hates reading?
During Book Week, we will see countless photos on social media of happy kids dressed as characters from their favourite books, while schools hold daily events celebrating the joy of reading.
It’s a fun time for many children, who relish the chance to dress up as Hermione from Harry Potter or Dog Man and talk about books with their friends and teachers.
But what if your child doesn’t like reading?
Best of the Web: an author’s suggestion for a ‘revolution-starting’ Book Week costume, and more
A 'revolution-starting' Book Week costume, how two Children's Book of the Year winners engage with their readers, and the curious boom in skincare for teens.
Researchers reviewed 100 studies about little kids and screens. Here are 4 ways to help your child use them well
Screen time is one of the top worries for Australian parents. In a national February 2021 poll by the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, parents rated it as the number-one health issue facing their children.
Are you paying attention?
One of the most intriguing and, at times, frustrating aspects of raising and educating children is the disparity between a child’s capacity to maintain attention and concentration and the expectations parents and teachers have of that skill.
Regular Columns
Unsure what to study next year? 6 things to consider as you make up your mind
As Year 12 students begin term 3, they will be thinking increasingly about what to do next year.
Andrew Fuller: How parents can increase motivation and confidence in children (Part 2)
One of the characteristics of most kids that I secretly admire is, if they don’t see a point to doing something they won’t do it. End of story.
Best of the Web: How an ‘exit strategy’ can help keep your teen safe, and more
How an 'exit strategy' can help your teen stay safe when things go south, the life-changing impact of an autism diagnosis for teens, and why Pamela Allen is still writing storybooks at the age of 90.
Why won’t my kids listen to me? A psychologist explains
Have you ever asked your child to do something simple but no matter how many times you ask, they keep ignoring you?
How to make the most of uni open days
The university Open Day season has arrived, and students are welcomed on to campus. Careers expert Helen Green gives practical tips and advice for you and your teenager to make the most of Open Days in 2024. Plus links to more info.
Andrew Fuller: How to increase motivation and confidence in children (Part 1)
Motivation is a slippery customer. Just when you want to rely on it, it puts its feet up, takes a few days off and generally wants to be about as active as a sloth on long service leave. Your ‘get up and go’ has ‘got up and gone’.
Parental guidance: Cultivating key skills for success at school and beyond, with Andrew Fuller
Andrew Fuller
We all want our children to experience happiness and success, regardless of the direction their lives may take. Clinical psychologist and family therapist Andrew Fuller outlines four essential skills that parents can nurture to support their children in achieving success.