Making sense of...courses for pre-school parents

Making Sense of...Early Literacy Skills
Want to give your child a head start with reading? Haven't got the time or don't know how to help? This session will help parents to develop their child's pre-reading skills using a variety of games and activities.

Making Sense of...Early Numeracy Skills
This course will look at ways for parents of young children to gain confidence and increase their enjoyment of maths. We would look at fun activities for pre-school children which will give them a headstart when they begin school.

Making Sense of...Positive Parenting
There's help at hand when the kids are driving you up the wall. This session will show you how to turn your children into the little darlings you know they can be - by being positive, firm and consistent.

Making Sense of...Feeding Kids
Why is it that just because you're a mum or dad, you're expected to know how to provide healthy, delicious meals your children want to eat?
Just how do you cope with fussy eaters, food refusal and veggie-haters?
Cooking doesn't have to be a chore and mealtimes don't have to be stressful. A little knowledge, a few ideas and a bit of planning

Making sense of...children at school

Making Sense of...Literacy
For parents who want to help their children improve their skills and abilities in English. Find out how to encourage your child to read- and which books to choose. Discover ideas for creative writing and how to help your child write stories and poems. Learn ways to improve spelling punctuation and grammar.

Making Sense of...Numeracy
Develop an understanding of the maths your child is learning at school. Discover techniques, books and websites to make maths fun, interesting and easier to understand. Get to grips with decimals, fractions and pecentages.

Making Sense of...Transition
Transition is moving from an earlier to a later stage of development. Transition from primary to secondary school can be an anxious time for parents and their children. We will examine these concerns and look at ways to deal with them so that both you and your child are feeling confident about the move to secondary school

Making Sense of...Secondary School
Even parents who haven't been closely involved with their children's primary school feel a sense of alienation when they transfer to secondary school. This course helps parents to understand the changes that have taken place in schools in the past twenty years and suggest ways to help and support their child at secondary school.

Making Sense of...Homework / Study Skills
Many parents feel unable to help or advise their children with school work. This session looks at ways that parents can motivate their children to learn andhelp their children to study efficiently - without doing the work for them.

Making Sense of...Exams
This session helps parents understand ways that they can best help their son or daughter through exams. We offer guidance and practical tips on key revision and exam techniques, and how to cope with exam stress (Yours and theirs!)

Making Sense of...Career Guidance
There's a whole range of jobs, courses and careers out there. Many young people are either confused about the possibilities or don't have a clue what they'd like to do. This session helps parents make sense of all the options so they feel more informed and more able to advise their son or daughter

Making Sense of...Volunteering in Primary Schools
Many parents would like to volunteer in their child's primary school but feel that they do not have the necessary skills to be of any help. This course examines the skills needed; helps parents to understand what goes on in primary schools and looks at some of the ways they could help in the classroom.

Making sense of...communicating with children

Making Sense of...Building Self-Esteem
Like the rest of us, children and young people need to believe they are likeable, have skills and abilities, and have some control over their lives. This session provides an understanding of what self esteem is, why it's important and how to build self esteem.

Making Sense of...Assertiveness
Assertion involves accepting a number of basic human rights and using them in our daily lives helps us to develop confidence in ourselves. Being assertive means expressing ourselves simply and directly - it means we get away from bottling up our tensions and try to deal with them early on. Assertiveness also means accepting and respecting other people's rights as being as important as your own. It can help us grow in confidence so that we can tackle difficult situations without fear.

Making Sense of...Doing Things Together
When children move into their teenage years, it can be increasingly difficult to find ways to spend time together - to share interests and enthusiasms. This session looks at ways of spending time doing things together without tension and arguments. We identify fun and interesting (not naff) activities to share and enjoy together.

Making Sense of...Teenage Psychology
Teenage psychology is concerned with getting a better understanding of the mind and behaviour of a teenager. The course looks at theories and research that explain what is happening and why it's happening.

Making Sense of...Child Psychology
Child psychology helps us to understand more about how and why children behave in the ways they do. Child psychology looks at theories and research about children's learning and development.

Making sense of...keeping children and young people safe

Making Sense of...Personal Safety
Many children, and their parents, are concerned about bullying. It is one of the most common concerns when starting secondary school. This course helps parents to recognise the signs of bullying and looks at strategies parents could use to help their child deal with bullying.

Making Sense of...Personal Safety: Out and About
During adolecence, children become more independent and spend more time with their friends out and about. This session looks at ways to help minimise risks such as encouraging them to keep in touch, getting home, using public transport and what to do in difficult situations.

Making Sense of...Internet Chatrooms
Young people have embraced the internet revolution. Chatrooms can be a place to meet and make new friends. We identify the potential problems and look at ways that your child can use the internet safely