I know I promised to share our summer homework routine much earlier, but if I’m being honest, this summer term has been a little hectic, a little chaotic, and incredibly busy.
A lot of that is because we’ve been focusing heavily on athletics.
I was an athlete when I was younger, and my dad was an athlete too, so perhaps it’s no surprise that my boys have developed an interest in sports. Over the past few months, Olly in particular has shown a real passion for athletics, and we’ve spent a lot of time training, practising, and preparing.
Don’t worry, we haven’t abandoned academics!
We still do our daily reading. We still complete Kumon and IXL. Learning remains a huge part of our home. But alongside that, athletics has become a major focus.
Yesterday, we attended our first competition of the season. I’m officially an athlete's mum, lol!
The event brought together athletes from across our club, with children from both the Shrewsbury and Telford sides competing in various events.
And honestly?
I had the most wonderful time.
One of the unexpected highlights wasn’t even the athletics itself.
It was learning to never give up.
Learning Not to Give Up
One of the biggest lessons from yesterday came during Oliver’s long jump event.
Long jump is one of his strongest disciplines.
On his first attempt, he produced an excellent jump but unfortunately went over the board, making it a foul jump.
You could immediately see how disappointed he was.
On his second attempt, that disappointment followed him onto the runway. He didn’t attack the jump with the same confidence and didn’t perform as well as he could have.
Afterwards, he came to me and said he wanted to withdraw.
As a parent, those moments matter.
I told him he couldn’t give up.
I reminded him that success isn’t always about winning. Sometimes it’s about showing up again after things haven’t gone your way.
I told him that even if the final jump wasn’t perfect, even if he didn’t achieve the distance he wanted, he needed to finish what he started.
So he went back.
He took a breath.
He tried again.
And not only did he complete the event, he also achieved a new personal best.
I was incredibly proud of him.
Not because of the result.
But because he chose resilience over disappointment.
That’s a lesson that will serve him far beyond athletics.
Finally,
Preparing for Year 4
The summer holidays begin next week, and this summer will look a little different from previous years.
As Oliver prepares to move into Year 4, we’ll also begin preparing for grammar school entrance exams.
This is completely new territory for me, so I’ll be speaking with parents whose children have successfully gained grammar school places to learn how best to support him.
If you’ve been through that journey yourself, I’d genuinely love to hear from you.
Please feel free to reach out and share any advice.
What We’ll Be Doing This Summer
Alongside athletics training and competitions, our summer plans include:
* Daily reading
* Kumon and IXL
* Grammar school preparation
* Learning Canva
* Continuing Python programming
* Developing design skills
* Using his Epson printer more independently
* Learning how to design in Canva and bring those creations to life using his Cricut machine
I’m a huge believer that children should be encouraged to create, build, experiment, and explore their interests.
And that’s exactly what we’ll be doing.
A Note to Parents
If your child has shown an interest in something, nurture it.
It doesn’t have to be football.
There are so many opportunities available to children.
Athletics includes:
* Sprinting
* Long jump
* High jump
* Javelin
* Shot put
* Relay races
* Cross country
And so much more.
The confidence, discipline, resilience, and friendships that come from sport are invaluable.
For parents in Shrewsbury, Telford, and the surrounding areas, I genuinely recommend Wrekin Harriers.
The coaches know exactly what they’re doing.
Oliver is now registered with England Athletics, and we’ve seen tremendous growth in both his confidence and performance.
Watching him continually beat his personal bests has been amazing.
One thing I did notice yesterday, however, was that I was the only Black parent present.
That made me pause and reflect.
Our children have incredible talent, resilience, determination, and strength. I’d love to see more Black families exploring opportunities like athletics and discovering what their children are capable of achieving.
If you’ve been considering it but aren’t quite sure where to start, feel free to reach out.
I’m always happy to chat about our experience.
Because sometimes all it takes is one conversation to open a door you didn’t even know existed.
With Love,
Ayo
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If this post resonated with you, share it with one person stepping into something new this month. We have a 10k goal. Let’s make it happen.
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