Homework for parents

• Play with your child every day
• Let your child play without you every day
• Make sure your child gets to play outside with minimal interference or supervision from you for at least 1 hour every day
• Play outside in the rain or snow
• Dance with your child
• Sing with your child
• Play music with your child
• Paint with your child
• Teach your child how to walk or ride to school on their own and/or with friends
• Teach your child how to walk to the shop and buy stuff for themselves
• Teach your child how to take the bus and train for themselves
• Teach your child how to visit friends for themselves – not in organised playdates, but on their own volition
• Teach your children how to safely use simple tools like hammers, saws, hand-drills and pocketknives.  If you don’t know how to do this yourself – learn!
• Teach your child how they can make musical instruments from junk by themselves
• Teach your child how they can grow their own vegetables by themselves
• Teach your children how to climb trees
• Limit TV to no more than 30 minutes per day – and watch TV with your child during those 30 minutes
• Eat meals together as a family – no TV, texting or mobile phones allowed; nothing but talking together and sharing the joy of communal eating
• De-schedule your child’s life – reduce organised activities and sports, and increase spontaneous free play opportunities of all kinds
• Take your child for a hike in the forest/swamp/river/beach/bush/mountains/city park – whatever is available to you
• Take your child to the library
• Take your child to the museum
• Take your child to the art gallery
• Read with and to your child every day
• Make sure that your child sees you reading for your own pleasure every day
• Make sure that your child sees you write (with a pen or a pencil) every day
• Write with your child every day – record what he/she says, record her/his stories, diarise what you did together that day
• Consciously show how you use simple math everyday – count out your change at the shop; count the number of apples and oranges you bought, add them together so you show that 5 apples plus 3 oranges mean you have 8 pieces of fruit and they cost X dollars and cents.
• Hug your child
• Kiss your child
• Tell your child 20 reasons why you love them