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When children start school, they begin to engage more with their environment, they show new interests and their friendships become more intense and enduring. Laughing together, experiencing adventures and sharing secrets: Friendships at primary school age are particularly important when it comes to your child's development. This is when the first deeper friendships are formed. They provide emotional support and are an important training ground for developing social skills - to name just two positive characteristics. On the Familienportal.NRW you will find helpful and varied suggestions on the topic of friendship in childhood. An important task for parents now is to strengthen their child and support them in building self-esteem and self-confidence. This makes it easier for them to face challenges and form relationships with other people more quickly. In this section of the family portal, you can read about how to give your child inner strength and which tricks you should look out for as parents.

From a gentle start to school to the transition to secondary school, parents and children have four eventful primary school years ahead of them. How exciting! If your child is about to start school, it's important to prepare for the transition from kindergarten to elementary school early on and ease your child's fears. You can find lots of advice and tips on how to make it easier for your child to settle in, how to encourage and motivate them to learn with joy and curiosity on the Familienportal.NRW. In North Rhine-Westphalia, parents can decide which elementary school their child attends. There are different school concepts to ensure that your needs as a family and parent are optimally met. You can find out everything about school registration, an overview of all school concepts in NRW and which aspects you should pay attention to when making your choice here. Before the first day of school arrives, there are other very practical questions that you will have to answer: Have you already thought about the right school bag? And what about school route training so that your child can soon make their way to elementary school safely on their own? Below you will find information and recommendations on all of these topics. Family centers are a place to promote and support children and families. They offer easily accessible services and advice for almost all aspects of everyday family life. We have summarized for you how you can benefit from this and how you can get help there.

"What are we doing today?" This is probably the most frequently asked question by children of primary school age at weekends, on public holidays and during vacations. At this age, children are particularly curious, adventurous and keen to have fun with their parents. Luckily, North Rhine-Westphalia has so much to offer. The varied nature, exciting museums, natural wildlife parks and many sights are just waiting to be discovered - whether on foot or by bike. And if the weather doesn't really want to play along, you can download free classic games from us - including sinking ships and cheese boxes. The Familienportal.NRW has all kinds of tips and ideas for joint activities that are also easy on the wallet. The summer vacations are coming up - hooray! But what if you haven't planned a vacation with the family? No problem, we've collected some tips for fun-filled vacations at home. From forest bingo and geocaching to moonlight hikes. These family adventures are guaranteed to keep boredom at bay. As wonderful as vacations are, they are always a challenge for working parents. You may ask yourself: "How do we bridge the time off school?" Find out how you can ensure reliable childcare for your child during the school vacations in our article on vacation care.

At home, children experience love, security and care, can grow with new challenges and develop self-confidence. However, there are also arguments and disputes in everyday family life, for example about household rules or school topics. Conflicts are part of social coexistence and, ideally, they can be resolved together. Is your child not sticking to the agreed screen time? And bedtimes are only accepted with a lot of discussion? Every family knows them: the stressful and challenging phases as a family, which sometimes last shorter and sometimes longer. On the Familienportal.NRW you will therefore find easy-to-implement tips for dealing with family stress - with a wide range of suggestions to help you reconnect with each other. Children can also encounter arguments, conflicts or even bullying in other places: at school, after-school care or in clubs, for example. If your own child becomes a victim, parents can support their child in dealing with such conflicts and help them to avoid them. Here you can find out which solution strategies can help and where you can find specialist services and advice centers to turn to if you need professional help. Valuable tips are also provided by expert Tanja Honka from the "School Psychology and School Psychological Crisis Management" regional office.

What a milestone: your child is going to school! A new stage in life that changes the way we live together as a family and brings with it new challenges. Many new questions arise, such as whether your child will be able to cope with all the demands in class or how family life and school life can be reconciled? Or are disagreements creeping in between parents because new parenting issues are arising at this stage of life that they can't agree on? Our free parenting advice service can help you with all these and many other questions - on site, by phone or online. Don't be shy: every question is justified and your concerns will be taken seriously. Everyday life with children can be stressful, and parents need to manage their time well for hobbies, friendships and their partner. Ups and downs in a couple's relationship are quite normal under these conditions. However, if everyday family life is characterized by arguments and frustration over a longer period of time, free marriage and family counselling can help couples find their way back to each other. Because sometimes couples simply have to learn to talk to each other again, to really listen to each other and to understand each other's needs. You can find information on counseling services and contact points in your area here.

A lot of questions in the family revolve around money: How can families save money? In which areas do families receive tax relief? How high are the tax allowances for parents and children? You can find the answers to these questions in a well-structured overview on the Familienportal.NRW. You will also find an overview of state benefits for families and how to apply for them. Did you know, for example, that you can claim some of the school fees for private schools as a special expense against tax? Have you been wanting a nice home of your own for your family for some time, but don't know how to finance it? Our expert will give you tips to help you buy your own home. Pocket money is a good opportunity to talk to children about finances for the first time. But how much pocket money is appropriate for primary school children between the ages of 6 and 10? And how can I teach my child to handle money responsibly? You can find helpful information on this topic on Familienportal.NRW.

As parents, it is important for you to support your child as they grow up in a health-conscious way and help them to stay healthy, become self-confident and resilient. A healthy lifestyle and physical and mental well-being do not necessarily come automatically, especially during periods of major change. The phase from teenager to adult is one that is characterized by experimentation and trial and error. The first beer, the first all-nighters, the first self-created dishes with friends and the first dramas in relationships and with friends. Much of what young people try out during this time does not necessarily fall into the "healthy" category - both in terms of nutrition and mental health. But many things are (in moderation) part of growing up. As a parent, how can you help your child develop an understanding of a balanced diet and a good level of exercise? How can you help them to deal responsibly with stress and pressure? Find out on the Familienportal.NRW how you can promote your child's independence and health awareness and what role you play in this as a parent. Let yourself be inspired by our tips and information and support your child in growing up healthy

As children get older and more independent, family models can be renegotiated. Where previously a lot of support from parents was required, young people who are about to reach the age of majority become increasingly independent and organize themselves. This also means more freedom and more self-determined time for parents. After all, the offspring can take on one or two age-appropriate tasks in the family household within an agreed time frame and thus contribute to the community. Maybe now is the time to return to work after a longer family phase. Or you may be considering increasing the number of hours you work part-time to full-time. From the initial idea to the final implementation, a number of questions will come to mind, for example: How can I successfully return to work? Do I want to go back to my old job or reorient myself? Do I have the right skills for this or what knowledge do I need to acquire? How can family life remain harmonious even with new challenges? Information and tips on reconciling work and family life and returning to work can be found in this section of the family portal.

A big issue at this age is: Who am I and what's next? Growing up is not always a piece of cake. Young people between the ages of 16 and 18 ask themselves many questions and grapple with numerous issues. They are intensively concerned with their identity, their future and their role in the world. While they took their personality for granted as a child, external perception is now becoming increasingly important. Do I already seem mature enough? Do I know where I want to go in life? What values do I stand for and where do I want to develop in the future? This form of finding one's identity and discovering and weighing up perspectives can feel overwhelming. The step from "teen" to adult is a special one in the lives of the whole family. Especially the young people themselves, who have to deal with feelings, dreams and visions of the future during this phase of their lives. Parents remain important confidants and contact persons during this time, with whom these thoughts can be shared in an atmosphere of trust. After all, they know their children best. Because even mothers and fathers who give advice sometimes need good advice, we have compiled information and suggestions here that can help you support your child in their self-discovery.

School-leaving certificate (soon) in the bag and now what? Young people today have a wealth of options: continuing school, internships, voluntary service, a year abroad, training, studying or a combination of both in the form of a dual study program. It's not easy to make the right decision! Parents are important partners at their children's side during this orientation phase. What does a convincing application look like? What are the requirements for different courses of study and which paths lead abroad after leaving school? Some young adults have a clear idea of what they want to do after school and can hardly wait for the last day of school. Others don't really feel ready for a new stage in their lives and are rather overwhelmed by the multitude of options. Then there are the general questions that need to be clarified within the family: What is financially possible? Do I feel ready to move out or would I rather stay at home for a while longer? Find out more about the various options on the Familienportal.NRW. With the information and tips, you will receive support with the upcoming decisions on the path to your offspring's professional future. Here you will also find information on programs and online offers that can support your child during the career orientation phase.