- Parents and guardians from Lavender Hill, Hillview, and Montague Village graduated from an eight-week Wordworks program aimed at improving parent-child relationships and literacy skills.
- The program, held at Levana Primary School, equipped participants with early literacy and mathematics skills to assist their children effectively.
- Graduates shared how the programme changed their communication with their children and improved their ability to assist with homework and daily interactions.
Armed with new literacy and life skills, 13 parents and guardians from Lavender Hill, Hillview and Montague Village graduated on Tuesday 4 June after completing an eight-week Wordworks programme.
The programme facilitated at Levana Primary School aims at improving the relationship between parents and learners, explained Wordworks workshop mentor Lavinia Davis.
She added that the skills shared include early literacy with a mathematics component.
Althena Ephraim, a teacher and Wordworks facilitator at the school, added once the programme is completed parents are able to assist their children with literacy and life skills in a patient, loving way.
“They come to the workshops where they are upskilled and then go home to assist their children with literacy, maths and life skills.”
Meanwhile, commenting on what she learnt through the programme, Charlene Abrahams, a parent to a Grade 5 learner, said the workshops changed the way she communicated with her son.
“I really enjoyed the programme, it was powerful,” she said. “When my child usually spelt wrong then I would criticise his writing, but the programme changed the way we communicate.”
Didn’t know how to assist
Carol Kock, who has two grandchildren enrolled at Levana Primary, said she did not know how to assist them during homework.
“I can now assist my grandchildren the correct way, which I was not able to before joining the programme.”
Cecilia Waterloo, whose son is a Grade R learner, said she was reminded of how important it was to tell a child daily that they were loved.
“I learnt to be patient with my child and to communicate because sometimes as parents we are so busy, we never have the time to communicate with our children,” she said.
Colleen Higgins, a grandmother of two from Hillview, said the workshop encouraged her to be patient.
“The programme was amazing because I usually don’t have patience, but it encouraged me and motivated me to help my grandkids, who are now achieving better results at school.”
Robert Young, guardian of an eight-year-old Grade 2 learner, said the most important take away for him was to spend quality time with one’s child.
he said.
“Now we have many tasks we can do together, I really enjoy the games we play and the lessons for being patient, instead of condemning a child with every look rather compliment him for the small things. We’re now having quality time.”
