Tips for Parents, by Parents to Support your Child in the Transition to Secondary Education

Have a child going to Secondary 1 soon? Here’s how you can play a role in providing positive guidance for him/her.

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More than 700 parents and their children attended our “Preparing for Your Child’s Transition to Secondary Education” Seminar over the last two weekends in July. The seminars helped them gain a better understanding of the support their children may need in their transition journey to Secondary education.

Our panellists, consisting of Mdm Choy Wai Yin, Director of Guidance, MOE; Dr Yvonne Lek, Counsellor, Psycare Consultants; Dr Lim Choon Guan, Psychiatrist, IMH; Mr Sanjay Patel, parent of two children; and Mr Tan Chin Hwee, parent of three children, shared their stories and experiences about how parents could help their children maintain positive physical and mental well-being, and support their aspirations.

Missed the seminar? Here are some quick soundbites:

1) Equip our children with life skills to handle stress and beyond

“Make use of casual settings such as meal times to start a conversation with your children. When they talk, look out for underlying emotions. We could also share our own stories at work, so that they can relate. It is important to help our children develop social-emotional skills, so that they can face other challenges in life.”

Director of Guidance, MOE, Mdm Choy Wai Yin

2) Provide positive support for our children

“We can help our children prepare as they receive their PSLE results by not being anxious ourselves. It helps if we could first rehearse and process our own reactions, so that we can show positive and appropriate support for our children.”

Psychiatrist, IMH, Dr Lim Choon Guan

3) Recognise physiological symptoms of stress

“Learn to recognise sudden changes in your child’s behaviours and actions. When overwhelmed, kids may display extreme and chronic symptoms of mood swings, appetite changes, emotional outbursts, a lack of focus and hypersensitivity etc.”

Counsellor, Psycare Consultants, Dr Yvonne Lek

4) Listen and talk to our children regularly

“We need to find the right moment to listen and have regular conversations with our children so that they know who they can speak to and seek help from in times of need.”

Father of 3, Mr Tan Chin Hwee

5) Play a part in our children’s decision-making process and be open to their suggestions

“I offer my ‘help’ by providing guidance. For example, I gave restrictions such as a maximum of a one-hour travelling time and created a matrix or framework with them to map out the CCAs available etc. This helps them make better decisions.”

Father of 2, Mr Sanjay Patel

For more information on supporting your child’s transition to Secondary education, please download our guide and e-resources.