happen next? At all stages, encourage them to think and articulate their thoughts as best they can.

Ages four to six years

At this age, children should start to have more ownership over their learning process. Encourage them to keep a daily journal to log their feelings and experiences. This can start as simply as a picture encapsulating part of their day, and build up to include words over time. They should choose books that they like to read, both independently and with you. Read the same books over again and discuss different themes each time: How do they think the character feels? Why? How would they feel in this situation? Discuss with them moral choices both in literature and in their own lives. Why is sharing important? How could they resolve arguments they may be having with friends? This is also a good age to introduce a children’s newspaper to broaden their reading to new and diverse topics, to expand their horizons and to encourage inquisitiveness.

Ages six to eight years

At this age, try to encourage a breadth of learning. Introduce reading in many different forms to look at how language can be used for varying purposes: fction, factual books, articles, plays and poetry. Discuss the topics that these pieces bring up and ask children for their opinions and reactions to what they are reading. Extend this to other areas of their lives, too – discuss plays or performances that they have seen. Perhaps they could write a book or flm review that not only summarises the plot but also explores their emotional reaction to it. They might even discuss these with friends to see how their responses differ.

Ages eight to 11

Read newspapers or watch the news with your children and discuss issues raised both locally and globally. What are the contrasts and comparisons between Hong Kong and other countries? What makes Hong Kong different? Might people from a different country view the same piece

of news in a different way? Read about and discuss other cultures, perhaps choosing books about children their own age who live in different countries or from different periods of history. How can they relate to them and what sets them apart? Perhaps they might like to write to a foreign pen pal to discuss these issues.

Secondary students

As your children move into secondary education, they should begin looking at history, science, literature and geography with a more critical eye. At all stages of their education, encourage opinions, discussion and debate. In essays, as in life, there is usually no such thing as being right or wrong, but rather being effective or not in making your argument.

Olivia Hungerford and Eleanor Smallwood are the managing directors of British Tutors Ltd, a company which brings the highest standard of academic, one-on-one tuition to homes in Hong Kong. For more information, see www.britishtutors.com.

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