Family & Education | South China Morning Post

Pitfalls of over-rewarding children's achievements

Many parents give their children a small treat, or a gift, when they do well in school as encouragement. Some resort to giving cash or a coveted gadget as an incentive to work harder.

Up close & personal: finding your place in your child's affections

"I love you daddy," my son told me the other week. It was a heart-warming moment. That is, until he went on to list everyone else he loved

Rookie Mum: sibling jealousy

Recently, we held a children's party, which was a great success. However, one person seemed a little less than enthralled by the event - my 18-month-old son, Tom.

Between the lines: children's picture books

A quick scan of the title pages of picture books in our home revealed that many are published by Walker Books, the leading independent publisher of children's books in Britain, or Candlewick Press...

Learning Curve: bilingual education for the IB diploma

Bilingual education loosely refers to programmes in which a native language and a second language are taught as subject matter and used as medium of instruction for academic subjects.

Insight: when mothers are jealous of helpers

Recently, a young mother shared with me her struggles to control her envy of the close relationship her foreign domestic helper has with her one-year-old son.

Class Action: quality homework should be balanced with downtime

Some educational research indicates that homework makes little difference to a child's ability in most areas of the curriculum and, in the worst case scenario, can actually turn students off...

Dentists reinvent the energy bar

As a health-conscious vegan, Stephen Costello rarely gets snacks from supermarket shelves.

Road Test: Institute of Etiquette

It was with some trepidation that I introduced Francesca, my nine-year-old daughter, to Kristine Stewart, director of the Hong Kong Institute of Etiquette, for her 2½-hour dining lesson at Chez...

Shop Window: Walking

Push and pull toys help strengthen walking skills in many ways, by working on those already mastered.

DIGITAL LIFESTYLE

School's out there

Its students pay as much as HK$500,000 per year and often end up in the best paid jobs, but now Princeton University in the US has become the first educational institution to invite students from...

The issue of breastfeeding in Hong Kong

More than 100 women and their infants protested outside his studios, staging a "Nurse-In" to promote women's rights to feed their babies.

Escaping a failing system

Mark Kitto has made China his home for the past 16 years, but he has decided to call it quits.