Home / Guides / Page 4
All guides A-Z
240 guides across 20 corners. Each one opens with a routine card: the situation it is for, the system it builds, what you need and the first step. Page 4 of 6, guides 124 to 164.
Corner 05 - Talking to school Questions to Ask at a School Review Meeting A parent question bank for school review meetings: what is working, what has changed, what happens next, and how home and school will know if a change is helping. Corner 07 - School support in the UK: EHCP and SEND Questions to Ask at a UK School Review Calm, practical questions for a UK school review meeting, grouped by progress, provision, changes ahead and agreed actions, with notes on writing your own. Corner 19 - Questions to ask professionals Questions to Ask Before Any New Support Starts Questions to ask before any new support begins: who provides it, what it involves week to week, how you will hear how it is going, and when it will be reviewed. Corner 19 - Questions to ask professionals Questions to Ask Professionals: A Parent's Notebook A parent notebook system for appointments and meetings: prepare a one-page brief, ask clear questions, take simple notes, and keep a record of who said what, when. The answers always belong to the professionals involved with your child. Corner 06 - School plans in the US: Section 504 and IEPs Questions to Ask the School Team in the US A general question bank for US school plan meetings: questions about process, paperwork, timelines, provision wording and reviews, framed for families learning how the systems work. Corner 09 - Time and timers Race the Clock, Carefully: When Games Help Racing the clock can make a short, dull job playful - when the child chooses the game, the opponent is the timer rather than a sibling, and done is clearly defined. Corner 04 - Homework systems Reading the Planner With Your Child The school planner only works if it is read. A two-minute planner check at the start and end of homework turns a forgotten book into the familys shared memory. Corner 07 - School support in the UK: EHCP and SEND Reasonable Adjustments in UK Classrooms, Explained What people generally mean by reasonable adjustments in a UK classroom: everyday changes to teaching, environment and routines, and how they sit alongside SEN support. Corner 13 - Screens and gaming agreements Reviewing the Agreement: The Monthly Family Check-In A short monthly check-in that keeps a screen agreement fair and current: what to ask, how to change one thing at a time, and how to write changes down. Corner 02 - Morning routines Reviewing the Morning Routine With Your Child How to review the morning with your child in a short, kind family meeting: what to ask, what to change one thing at a time, and how to record wins so the system keeps fitting a growing child. Corner 14 - Chores and pocket money Reviewing the System When a Chore Is Not Working A calm review for a chore that keeps failing: check the job, the slot, the teaching and the tools in order, change one thing, and re-check in two weeks. Corner 10 - Transitions and warnings Reviewing Transitions: Keeping What Works A short monthly review that keeps the wins: which switches got easier, which phrase worked, which warning was too short - written down, with one change made at a time. Corner 14 - Chores and pocket money Saving, Spending and Sharing Jars Three clear jars or envelopes for pocket money: spending now, saving for a named goal, and sharing or giving, with a simple split your child helps choose. Corner 06 - School plans in the US: Section 504 and IEPs School Evaluations: How the Process Generally Works A general explainer of school evaluations in US public schools: how a process typically starts, consent and notices, the kinds of information schools gather, and how results feed into team decisions. Corner 15 - Holidays and travel School Holidays: Structuring Long Unstructured Days Long school breaks remove the scaffolding of the school week: a light daily shape, a weekly plan on the wall, anchor activities and plenty of deliberate downtime hold the days together. Corner 06 - School plans in the US: Section 504 and IEPs School Plans in the US: Section 504 and IEPs Explained A plain explainer of the two main school plan systems in US public schools: what Section 504 plans and IEPs are, how school evaluations generally work, and where official information lives. Corner 07 - School support in the UK: EHCP and SEND School Support in the UK: EHCP and SEND Explained A plain map of school support in England: SEND support in school, the graduated approach, EHC needs assessments, EHC plans and annual reviews, and where official information lives. Corner 02 - Morning routines School-Run Handover: What the Teacher Needs to Know How to hand over at the school gate in under a minute: the three things a teacher can actually use, what to send in writing instead, and how to keep gate talk warm, brief and rare. Corner 07 - School support in the UK: EHCP and SEND Scotland and Wales: Different Systems, Same Paperwork Habits Why the EHCP system described in this corner is England's, how Scotland and Wales organise additional support differently in outline, and the record habits that work in all three nations. Corner 13 - Screens and gaming agreements Screen Timers Children Can See Choosing and using a visible timer for screen time: why seeing time pass helps, where to put it, and who presses start. Corner 04 - Homework systems Screen-Based Homework Without the Drift Homework increasingly lives on screens, where the work and the distractions share a device. Separate tabs, one app at a time and a visible plan keep screen homework on task. Corner 13 - Screens and gaming agreements Screen-Free Zones and Times That Stick Choosing a few screen-free places and times your family can actually keep: the table, the first hour home, and how to protect them without policing. Corner 13 - Screens and gaming agreements Screens and Gaming: Family Agreements That Hold A calm way to run screens and gaming at home: one written family agreement, visible timers, a clear ending routine and a monthly check-in that keeps the rules fair. Corner 03 - Evening and bedtime routines Screens Off: The Last Hour of the Day The last hour before bed goes better without screens. A clear off-time, a charging place outside bedrooms and a planned replacement activity make the rule hold. Corner 04 - Homework systems Secondary School Homework: Handing Over the Reins Secondary school homework belongs increasingly to the student. Parents hand over the reins gradually: from running the system, to checking in, to being available on request. Corner 06 - School plans in the US: Section 504 and IEPs Section 504 or IEP: The Difference in Plain Language A plain side-by-side explainer of Section 504 plans and IEPs: the different laws behind them, what each document focuses on, and how their processes generally differ in US public schools. Corner 06 - School plans in the US: Section 504 and IEPs Section 504 Plans: What They Are in Plain Terms A plain explainer of Section 504 plans in US public schools: where they come from, what a written plan typically contains, who is involved, and how plans are generally reviewed. Corner 07 - School support in the UK: EHCP and SEND SENCO Meetings: Preparing and Following Up How meetings with a school SENCO generally work, what to prepare beforehand, what to write down during, and how to follow up so agreed actions stay visible. Corner 07 - School support in the UK: EHCP and SEND SEND Support in School: The Graduated Approach Explained What SEN support means inside a school, and how the graduated approach cycle of assess, plan, do and review organises it term by term. Corner 12 - Siblings and family fairness Sharing, Turns and the Timer Using visible timers and clear turn systems for the things siblings share: how to set turns fairly, what to do when a turn ends mid-game, and letting the timer, not a parent, be the referee. Corner 12 - Siblings and family fairness Sibling Meetings: Small, Regular, Low-Drama Running a ten-minute weekly sibling meeting that stays kind: a simple agenda, appreciations first, one niggle each, one small agreement, and an adult chair who keeps it low-drama. Corner 12 - Siblings and family fairness Siblings and Fairness When One Child Needs More How families handle fairness when one child needs more time, patience and systems: honest explanations, protected one-to-one time, sibling meetings, and space and belongings that stay respected. Corner 18 - Parent stamina Single Parenting the System: Doing It With Less Backup Run the family system with less backup: fewer, stronger routines, help built in advance, lower friction everywhere, and rest treated as essential, not earned. Corner 18 - Parent stamina Sleep for Parents: Protecting Your Own Rest Protect your own sleep with the same care you give your child bedtime: a wind-down of your own, screens parked, and a household plan for broken nights. Corner 03 - Evening and bedtime routines Sleep-Friendly Rooms: Light, Clocks and Cool Air A bedroom can quietly work against sleep: bright light, a hot room, a ticking distraction. Small changes to light, temperature, noise and layout make settling easier. Corner 02 - Morning routines Slow Mornings: Weekend and Holiday Versions How to keep weekend and holiday mornings pleasantly slow without losing the weekday system: what stays, what relaxes, and how the Sunday-evening bridge brings school mornings back gently. Corner 16 - Clubs, sport and activities Solo Sports and Movement Breaks at Home Not every child needs a team: solo sports, personal-best goals and everyday movement breaks at home can carry a child's activity, energy and confidence just as well. Corner 04 - Homework systems Starting Homework: The First Five Minutes The first five minutes decide a homework session. A small start ritual, sit, planner open, first chunk chosen, one easy win, turns the hardest transition into a routine. Corner 01 - Executive function at home Strengths First: Noticing What Your Child's Brain Does Well A practical habit of noticing and naming what your child does well - energy, ideas, humour, loyalty, hyperfocus on loved topics - and building home systems that use those strengths daily. Corner 19 - Questions to ask professionals Taking Notes in Appointments: A Simple Template A simple three-part notes template for appointments and meetings: what was said, what was agreed, and what happens next, with room for names, dates and your own questions. Corner 16 - Clubs, sport and activities Talking to Coaches and Club Leaders A short, friendly conversation with the leader at the start of term prevents most club problems: what to share, what to ask, and how to raise a wobble early and briefly.