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Seven tips to improve your child’s writing skills

Published

8 months ago

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The International Literacy Day is celebrated on September 8 annually. It is a day to highlight the importance of literacy in individuals, communities, and societies. So let us talk about children’s literacy, moreover, they represent the future of our society.

Literacy forms the bedrock of your child’s learning. It encompasses basic reading and writing skills as well as the ability to understand and interpret written text.

So to elevate your child’s literacy you need to harness the basic skills which include reading and writing skills.

Without further ado, here are tips to develop and improve your child’s writing skills.

  • Encourage reading

Reading is the foundation of good writing.

The more a child reads, the more they will be exposed to new vocabulary, more words, and even punctuation. They will learn and this can inspire their writing.

However, do not expose them to a particular genre but rather different genres and a variety of books. This will help them get to know different ways of using words and a variety of sentence structures that they can use in their writing.

To nurture your child’s reading habit, follow these tips.

  • Model it

There is no better way to teach your child a skill than to lead by example.

Allow your child to see you write often for different reasons – letters, notes, Christmas and birthday cards, and even shopping lists.

Explain and show your child that writing is important and enjoyable. You can also share your own writing experiences and creations with them.

  • Encourage journalling

Journaling is an excellent way to get your child to write regularly. It allows for creative writing.

Keeping a journal allows them to express their thoughts, ideas, and feelings through writing and further improve their writing skills.

Get a journal for your child and encourage them to write in it as much as possible. You can also make it a part of his or her daily routine.

Aside from improving writing skills, journaling also helps build a child’s emotional intelligence.

Writing about their feelings and thoughts will help them recognise these feelings as well as allow them to express and manage their feelings even when it is hard.

Alternatively, your child could also write letters. Encourage your child to compose letters to friends and family. It could also start with writing birthday and Christmas notes, thank you notes and invitations.

  • Provide writing materials

Make sure writing materials including pens, pencils and notes are accessible for your child.

Having these tools readily available for them can encourage them to write.

You can also set aside a little corner as well as time in your house devoted to writing.

Having an area dedicated to writing will help to free your child from distractions and just focus on practicing writing skills.

Also, setting a designated time for writing will bring about consistency which will eventually improve your child’s writing skills.

  • Use writing prompts

Using writing prompts is an excellent way to kickstart your child’s writing skills because writing from scratch without guidance or ideas can be difficult.

So this prompt will guide their writing by providing them with several ideas and themes to write on.

You can create simple prompts and have your child fill in the rest. For example, ‘If I could choose to be an animal, I would choose to be a…’, ‘If I become the president of Nigeria for a day I will do…’.

These prompts will encourage them to write as they will want to give their opinions on the ideas provided.

  • Make writing fun

Asking your child to sit and practice writing skills can be daunting. However, making it fun can get him/her excited about learning and writing.

So play games and activities that encourage writing. Crossword puzzles, word games, and friendly writing competitions are great for improving children’s writing skills.

  • Celebrate their writing

Show lots of interest in your child’s writing. Ask questions, offer constructive feedback, and celebrate when he/she comes up with a good piece.

Giving constructive feedback on their writing helps them point out their mistakes and make them improve.

Celebrate your child’s writing achievements as much as possible. Display their work, encourage them, you can even share it with family and friends.

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Education

Tinubu’s student loan application portal opens May 24

Published

4 hours ago

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May 17, 2024 8:48 am

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The Nigerian government has announced that the portal for the application of student loan will be open on May 24, 2024.

This was confirmed in a statement issued by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELD) media lead, Nasiru Ayantogo on Thursday night, April 16, 2024.

According to him, the opening of the application portal marks a significant milestone in the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to “fostering accessible and inclusive education for all Nigerian students.”

Through the portal, students can now access loans to pursue their academic aspirations without financial constraints.

The portal, according to the statement, provides a user-friendly interface for students to submit their loan applications conveniently.

“We encourage all eligible students to take advantage of this opportunity to invest in their future and contribute to the growth and development of our nation.

“Students can access the portal on www.nelf.gov.ng to begin application,” the statement said.

On June 12, 2023, President Bola Tinubu signed the Access to Higher Education Act, 2023 into law, enabling indigent students to access interest-free loans for their educational pursuits in any Nigerian tertiary institution.

This initiative fulfilled one of Tinubu’s campaign promises to liberalize the funding of education, as noted by Dele Alake, a member of the Presidential Strategy Team.

The Act, commonly referred to as the Students Loan Law, also established the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to handle the processing, granting, disbursement, and recovery of these loans.

Initially, the government planned to launch the scheme in September 2023, but it faced several delays, leading to an indefinite postponement in early March.

The Presidency attributed the delay to Tinubu’s directive to expand the scheme to include loans for vocational skills.

Following a briefing from the NELFUND team led by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, on January 22, President Tinubu directed the Fund to extend interest-free loans to Nigerian students interested in skill-development programs.

Tinubu emphasized the importance of accommodating those who may not want to pursue a university education, highlighting that skill acquisition is as crucial as obtaining undergraduate and graduate academic qualifications.

“This is not an exclusive programme. It is catering to all of our young people. Young Nigerians are gifted in different areas. This is not only for those who want to be doctors, lawyers, and accountants. It is also for those who aspire to use their skilled and trained hands to build our nation,” Tinubu stated.

“Following this, I have instructed NELFUND to explore all opportunities to inculcate skill-development programmes because not everybody wants to go through a full university education.”

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Education

Teenager, Dr Dorothy Jean Tillman II who started college at age 10 bags PhD at 17

Published

21 hours ago

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May 16, 2024 3:40 pm

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A Chicago-based female teenager, Dr Dorothy Jean Tillman II, has just set a remarkable academic record after receiving her doctorate from Arizona State University, in the US at the age of 17.

She disclosed this on Tuesday via her Instagram post, sharing that she started college when she was 10 years old.

In an interview with ‘Good Morning America’ that she posted, Tillman said the remarkable feat felt “surreal” and “full of reflection and inspiration”.

In 2020, Tillman earned a Master of Science degree, and the following year, at the age of 15, she gained admission to the Doctorate of Behavioural Health Management program at Arizona State University.

After her successful completion of the doctoral programme, at the age of 17, Tillman defended her dissertation, earning her doctoral degree in Integrated Behavioural Health from ASU’s College of Health Solutions.

Tillman, now 18, was celebrated during ASU’s spring commencement on May 6, 2024, when Tillman joined her classmates in person.

“Everything that we were doing didn’t seem abnormal to me or out of the ordinary until it started getting all of the attention,” she said on Tuesday.

Tillman attributes her educational pursuits and successes to the guidance of her grandmother and the trust she placed in her mother’s advice.

According to Leslie Manson, the associate professor who supervised Tillman’s dissertation through ASU’s online program, Tillman holds the distinction of being the youngest person to complete a doctoral degree in integrated behavioural health at ASU.

“It’s a wonderful celebration … but this is still something so rare and unique.

“She has innovative ideas and motivation, which is wonderful, and truly, I think what is inspiring is that she embodies that meaning of being a true leader,” Manson said.

Having completed her degrees, Tillman expressed her plan to continue reflecting on her specific goals.

She also plans to devote attention to her other interests, such as public speaking and a leadership institute she established.

“I’m really just grateful that the world is my oyster, and that I’ve done so much so young.

“And I have time to kind of think that through,” she said.

“I didn’t have the everyday school things like homecoming dances or spirit weeks or just school pictures and things like that … that kind of create unity with my peers,” Tillman said.

Aside from her academic prowess, the 18-year-old has found time to dance and do choreography, she disclosed in her interview.

Tillman also is founder and chief executive of the Dorothyjeanius STEAM Leadership Institute. The programme includes summer camps designed to help young people in the arts and STEM subjects.

She said her plans include public speaking engagements and fundraising for the camp, which Tillman said she hopes to franchise one day.

Tillman is motivated and has innovative ideas, said Manson, adding, “And truly, I think what is inspiring is that she embodies that meaning of being a true leader.”

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Education

JAMB releases additional 36,540 UTME results

Published

2 days ago

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May 15, 2024 3:01 pm

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released an additional 36,540 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results which were withheld over irregularities.

Last week, JAMB released 531 results from the 64,624 results under investigation.

The exam body said the investigation includes verification anomalies, centres suspected of infractions, and cases of exam malpractice.

According to Fabian Benjamin, the board spokesperson, in a statement released on Tuesday, the total results released now stand at 1,879,437.

About 26,000 results are still being withheld over possible examination misconduct.

Benjamin also dismissed claims purporting to emanate from the board that the outstanding 2024 UTME results, currently being subjected to intense scrutiny by its team of experts, had been compromised on account of a cyber security breach and that it is considering rescheduling the examination.

He urged the public to disregard the report, adding that it was created by fraudulent people.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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