Encouraging Parents to Support Learning: What Works?

Bridging the Gap Between Home and School

Implemented in partnership with Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa and UNICEF, Catch Up is an accelerated remedial learning programme that follows the TaRL approach, using playful, activity-based methods that are easy and effective for both teachers and learners. While its main focus is classroom learning, the programme has created new opportunities for parents to engage, sometimes in unexpected ways. 
 

Many parents want to be involved in their children’s learning but do not always feel equipped to help. Some assume it is solely the teacher’s responsibility. Others may lack time, confidence, or access to tools that make learning at home possible. But, research shows that children whose parents engage in their learning tend to do better in school, develop better socio-emotional skills and have a more positive attitude toward learning.  

Building Confidence Through Parental Engagement

Simon Gomah, a father from Lusaka Province, Zambia, used to believe that learning was solely the responsibility of teachers. He did not know how he could help his son, Frank, until he signed him up for Catch Up: “I observed he was lagging behind, not performing well and thought that the method of playing in Catch Up could really help my son to learn,” Simon recalls.  

The games and hands-on activities helped Frank build his skills in maths and as his confidence grew, so did Simon’s involvement. The two began playing together at home, using the same activities introduced in the classroom. “He couldn’t solve problems or speak up before,” Simon says, “but now he does. He’s more assertive and confident.” 

Megan, too, began to notice changes in her daughter. At the market, she watched her daughter count out coins without hesitation. At home, she started pointing out words on TV and even helping younger siblings with schoolwork. These everyday moments became quiet markers of progress, and Megan’s own confidence grew alongside her daughter’s. 

Lessons in F.U.N.

This idea, that learning can happen through play and that parents do not need formal training to support it, is yielding results in other countries too. In South Africa, VVOB’s F.U.N. project takes a similar approach. Early childhood educators are supported to equip parents with simple, playful strategies to engage their children in learning at home, regardless of their own schooling background. Like Catch Up, the goal is to make learning accessible, joyful and collaborative. Through online courses and professional learning communities, early childhood teachers and leaders engage in different ways to strengthen parents' involvement in learning through play, at school and at home. 
 

The approach is designed so that even children can teach their parents games at home, bridging the gap between home and school in a fun and engaging way. The result? Parents feel confident and capable, and children benefit from learning that continues well beyond the classroom. 

Inclusive Learning: When Parents and Schools Work Together

Initiatives like Catch Up and F.U.N. are not just improving academic skills through play-based learning, they are also changing relationships between schools and families. This connection becomes especially critical in communities facing economic hardship or other pressures that affect school attendance and learning. 

Teacher Mary Lungu in Tunduya Primary School, Lusaka Province, Zambia, has witnessed firsthand the struggles children face when parents are disengaged or absent. In rural areas, attendance drops sharply during farming season.  “You will not see the learners coming to school,” Mary explains. “They will be absent because they have to help their families.” 

Some parents may not see the long-term consequences of missed school days or may assume children can catch up on their own. Others keep children at home to do house chores or care for siblings.  “Most of the children, they are being left alone,” Mary says. “Their parents, they go for work. So at least we talk to the parents to put measures in their homes. We call their parents, we discuss.”  

Direct engagement like this is key. Teachers like Mary reach out to parents to talk about their children’s learning, encourage school attendance and discuss how learning can continue at home. These efforts can help shift mindsets and create a shared sense of responsibility. 

The Zambia Open Community Schools (ZOCS) model

Prioritising direct parent-teacher engagement is also at the heart of the Zambia Open Community Schools (ZOCS) model. ZOCS, a key partner in scaling and sustaining Catch Up in Zambia, supports the development of schools in rural areas where access to formal education is limited, and places community ownership at the centre of its model. 

In ZOCS-supported schools, parents are not just observers, they are actively involved in planning, maintaining and improving the school. “Within the ZOCS model, schools are part and parcel of the bigger community,” explains Cleopatra Muma Chona, Executive Director of ZOCS. "Every member of the community feels part and parcel of the school community.”  

Parents are not just involved in discussions about their child's education, they actively contribute to the construction and development of the school itself: “Parents feel proud and they feel it is their school”, Cleopatra shares. This active participation, whether through attending meetings, contributing to school improvement plans or maintaining open communication with teachers, results in better learning outcomes and a sense of shared responsibility.

Learning Begins at Home

Parents do not need formal education to play an active role and make a difference in their child’s learning. What they need is support, encouragement and the belief that their involvement matters.  

“Promoting partnerships between educators, parents and community leaders is important to create a strong foundation for children’s education” Cleopatra says. When these partnerships are in place, learning does not stop at the school gate. If schools, policymakers and donors prioritise parental engagement initiatives as a core pillar of education reform, significant strides could be made in improving learning outcomes globally.  

For Megan, the journey did not stop with her daughter. Inspired by the impact education can have, she extended her support to other children in her community. “I took care of a child from my village who wasn’t in school,” she says. “She was 13 and had no opportunity for education, but I made sure she pursued it. Now, she’s in grade 11, and I continue to support her, making sure she stays in school and doesn’t give up.” 

Whether it's through formal programmes like Catch Up and F.U.N. or grassroots efforts in rural areas, the message is clear: when parents are engaged, children thrive. After all, if education is the key to opportunity, then parents must be empowered to unlock the door for their children and for future generations. 

Thanks to the support of the LEGO Foundation and the Belgian Government, and in collaboration with other dedicated partners*, initiatives like Catch Up and F.U.N. are making a meaningful difference in the lives of parents and children across the globe. 

Find out more about the role of parental and community engagement in our technical brief on play-based learning. 

Read our technical brief on play-based learning
 

*Our partners for Catch Up and F.U.N. include UNICEF, Zambia Open Community Schools, World Vision, the Ministry of Education in Zambia, Hempel Foundation, Teaching at the Right Level Africa, Co-Impact (through TaRL Africa), the Department of Basic Education in South Africa, the South African Council for Educators, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education and Ntataise.