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a little notepad to put notes in helps them to gather facts.

Research work may involve a visit to the local library or an Internet search. It may be necessary to have printing facilities so that when they find information they can print this off. If this is not an option because of cost, let them take notes from on-line and use those notes to make their project better.

Talking through the manner in which the project will be presented.

It is important to the development of a child that they are permitted the thinking process to envisage how to present their project. Of course parents will give ideas, though let the child do the thinking and encourage them to talk about their ideas rather than imposing your own. It is by allowing them the creativity that intelligence grows, and this is vital to the equation. If they seem stuck, make small suggestions, though let them develop the suggestions into solid ideas. Little hints work better than taking over what is essentially something they need in order to learn for themselves.

Your part as a parent is to be supportive and helpful and the role helps the child to feel more self sufficient. A child doesn't want to be better than everyone else. They just want to be themselves, and while everyone's ideas of presentation are different, that child needs this outlet in order to express their own ideals and ideology.

Sharing the knowledge of your child.

Let a child tell you what they have learned, and feel proud of that child who is learning to be their own person. One of the classic mistakes of parents is to say negative things like "That won't work", instead of discussing with a child and letting the child make suggestions relevant to their project. By using phrases like "Do you think that that will work?" instead, you are giving your child respect by actually being interested enough to know what they think. It's the child's job to build a project. It is your job to build their self esteem and confidence, and the dividing line is very clear indeed, though often crossed by parents too keen to impose their ideas on a child.

Talk about the lessons that lead to the project. Ask the child what they know about the subject so you can open up a discussion which leads them to discovery rather than ridiculing their inadequacies. Little by little, a child learns more by being allowed to learn rather than being criticized for not getting it right.

Encouraging them to use the knowledge gained.

Talk them through their notebook and encourage those

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