Tooled Up Education

100 Sports for Children and Teens to Try

Inspired by the brilliance on display at the Olympics and Paralympics, we’ve put together a list of 100 sports that your children (and you!) could try, along with details of where to find out more. Whether or not you are a family of sports lovers, there is something here for everyone and the vast majority of the sports included have options for children and adults with disabilities. You’ll find both team sports and individual pursuits, activities for water babies and for those who like to keep their feet on solid ground and ideas for thrill seekers, along with some more gentle and calming exercise options.

Books to Cultivate Kindness and Empathy

Kindness and empathy have far-reaching psychological and social consequences. Being kind and empathetic are skills that can be taught and reading has been found to help with their development. Here’s a list of books to build empathy for children of all ages.

Body Boundaries: OK or NO WAY? (Classroom Version)

It is important to teach children about body boundaries at an early age. We want them to realise that they control their own body and that everyone has a right to their own personal space. It’s sensible to talk about contexts where it might be appropriate for someone else to touch them, such as at appointments with the dentist, doctor or hairdressers, as well as situations where being touched is not appropriate. They should know that it is ok to say no, even to people who they love and care about. The school version of our OK or NO WAY quiz is a great way to introduce these concepts to lessons.

Raising a Resilient Learner: Preparing Young Children for School Assessments

Tests and exams are a fact of life for all children. As parents, our goal should be to teach them that exams are not to be feared or perceived as stressful or traumatic. We should encourage them to view tests as a normal part of school life, which they should approach as proactively and positively as possible. Our top tips on preparing younger children for assessments will help you to consider how you talk about exams in family life, how to help your child feel calm and in control, and ways to make revising fun.

My Family Tree

Finding out about our family tree is not simply an interesting experience. Research shows that a knowledge of family stories and history is actually significantly correlated with higher self-esteem, better family-functioning and lower levels of anxiety in children. Exploring your family tree will ignite fascinating chats about a whole raft of social issues as well as prompt conversations about family traits, characteristics and occupations. Work with your child/children to put together your family tree, learning and talking about your ancestors as you go.

30 Things You Might Say to Teachers at Parents’ Evening

We don’t often get a chance to chat to our children’s teachers about their progress, attitude and work, so we need to make the most of parents’ evenings. Preparing some questions in advance can help you to focus on the things you really want to know, in the limited time available. This list of questions should give you plenty of ideas to consider.

Making Friends

Moving to a new school and forming new friendships can feel challenging and sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. Encouraging your child to have a few questions up their sleeve, to ask their classmates, will give them a simple strategy for establishing these important new connections. See if they can come up with their own, but use ours as a starting point.