FAQ's

When the South African National Department of Education launched its Foundations for Learning Campaign there was a strong focus on the role of parents in their child’s education. Your child’s teacher cannot give your child the attention that you can give them at home. Recently provincial education departments have been sending letters to parents asking them to help their children practise their skills, especially in Numeracy and Literacy. Because Smart-Kids workbooks are written by South African teachers according to the curriculum, they are an ideal way for you to help your child practise the right skills at home.

Parents play a crucial role in the education of their children, particularly in the early years of development. A close, open relationship between home and school will have a positive impact on the development of your child. Teachers have noticed that the greater the involvement of parents in their child’s education, the better the child’s attitude and achievement at school. This level of involvement is increasingly difficult for working parents, but it is still possible. Here are some tips for remaining involved in your child’s education: Make sure you attend parent-teacher meetings to discuss the progress of your child. Difficulties can be addressed and action plans implemented, both at home and at school. Support the decisions that your child’s teacher makes to create consistency for your child. If you disagree with the teacher, discuss this with the teacher without your child being present. Never discuss your child’s progress with the teacher in front of the child. These discussions should take place privately and at a scheduled time. Show an interest in your child’s homework. Make sure you understand exactly what your child needs to do. Offer support, but never do your child’s work for them. When asking your child to do extra work (such as Smart-Kids), make sure it is fun and enjoyable and never expect them to work for longer than 20 minutes at a time. Attend school events in order to show your support for their child. Visit the school if you can and help with reading groups or fundraisers. Your child will really appreciate your involvement in their lives. Read to your child and talk to them about their day.

The Department of Education launched the Foundations for Learning Campaign to improve the performance of South African children in Literacy and Numeracy. The Foundations for Learning document sets out the knowledge and skills (called “milestones”) that each child needs to achieve in each school term. Your child’s teacher will be assessing how well your child meets these milestones each term. We have designed all the Smart-Kids workbooks according to the Foundations for Learning milestones so that each workbook follows the exact sequence of work that your child will be encountering in the classroom.

The learning outcomes identify the broad knowledge, skills and values required for each of the learning areas. Learners must achieve these learning outcomes by the end of the General Education and Training phase (Grades R to 9). Learning outcomes describe what learners should know and be able to do in a clear and understandable way. Learning outcomes are divided into a number of grade-specific assessment standards.

In Grades R, 1, 2 and 3 the subject that develops children’s language ability is called Literacy. In Literacy children develop their language ability by listening to and interacting with others in their environment. They practise, develop and perfect their language skills through play, stories, and interacting with the world around them. Literacy development involves a gradual process of improving various language-related skills. Mistakes are a natural part of a learning process. Your child’s literacy skills will develop as they are given the opportunities to use and develop them. The core language skills that form part of Literacy are listening, speaking, reading, writing, understanding and language skills (spelling and grammar).