How to help parents have a happy half-term

Are you looking forward to half-term starting next week or is it already upon you (how is it half term already?)? You may be wondering how to ensure that all the hard work your pupils have been putting in this year doesn’t get squandered by them putting in a week of hard work on the Xbox or alternatively, perhaps you’re concerned all your charge’s free time will be sequestered for study by zealous parents not wanting their child to get left behind.

Schoop, as always, is here to help!

Nudging works far better than nagging and this is where Schoop has the advantage. With a friendly ‘coo-ee’, a free push notification can remind parents that they are allowed, and indeed positively encouraged, to let their children be bored occasionally. This can work wonders on the morale of a frazzled parent running from activity to activity as their bank account rapidly runs dry! Last year, research determined that:

• 62 per cent of parents think their children have fewer opportunities to play than they did.
• On a typical day, one in five British children spend no time at all playing outside
• Three quarters of children prefer to play virtual sports on their screens than playing outdoors in real life

Programme a friendly reminder in the Schoop app and know you’ve done your good deed for the week!

But what about those parents who, while they want their children to relax and enjoy their break, also want to make sure they use some spare time to expand on the mandated curriculum? Think about how useful it would be to be able to communicate with your class’s parents, outlining the topics you’ve been studying and with helpful suggestions as to where they can find out more. Why not attach presentations, videos or news clippings in the News and Engagement section? Self-directed study with a parent’s input is an invaluable way to engage both child and parent. It is also well documented that parental engagement has beneficial repercussions that extend far beyond individual topics.

We are sure you can think of many ways to use the Schoop app to ensure your students come back from their half-term breaks full of energy, curiosity and raring to go!