Tip of the Month
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Summer |
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Summer – ten weeks that your child will be off from school. Is your child going to camp? On vacation with the family to a beach or mountain cabin? Or just enjoying time outdoors with friends? Whatever you have planned, please do include some time for activities that include some reading, writing, or math skills. Children forget a great deal of what they have learned when they do not use their skills; help cut back on this down sliding by having them find opportunities to use their knowledge.
Here are a few suggestions:
- Have your children help you plan your vacation –
find places of interest to visit, use a map to estimate
distances, etc.
- Keep a few books packed in your “beach bag.” When you are at a pool, beach, etc. and the family is taking a break from being in the water, use this time to read (either together or separately).
- Combine activities with books. When you go to the park, ballgame, movie – have your also read a book about the activity (or a favorite ballplayer or movie star).
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- Borrow books on tapes from the library and listen to them in the car. This is a great way to introduce kids to new authors, genres, or information.
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March/April |
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March is Reading Month. March 2nd was the birthday of Dr. Seuss and across the country many readers celebrated by having a Read Across America Day. Did you know that this year the Cat in the Hat turned 50? To celebrate reading – during March and all year long – the National Education Association offers some tips to reading to your kindergarten through third grade child. Among their suggestions are:
- Continue reading to your child even after he can read. Read books that are too difficult or too long for him to read by himself.
- Read chapter books. Talk about what is happening in the story and have your child predict what will happen next.
- Make connections. How is the book you are reading similar to other books or stories (characters, events, etc.)?
Here’s a suggestion of my own: share your favorite book(s) from your own childhood. You never can tell – your child might love it too.
For further ideas, go the parents’ page of NEA’s Read Across America website (www.nea.org/readacross/parents.html). There are tips to use with children of all ages as well as booklists.
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January/February |
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Those of you who have both sons and daughters are well aware that, no matter how similarly they are brought up, boys and girls are NOT the same. This is true of learning styles as well as all other aspects of being. The information below came from research from the NASSPE (admittedly an organization in favor of single-sex education). Please note – this does not make one sex “better” than the other – just different. Vive le difference!
- Girls have a better sense of hearing than boys. Consequently, they hear female teachers better and think that male teachers are yelling. In a co-ed classroom, boys are best off in the front, with girls in the back.
- Girls have higher standards in the classroom and are more critical of their own performance. They do better in school but have much lower self-esteem. Boys often have unrealistically high estimates of their own academic accomplishments.
- Girls want to please adults; boys need material that is interesting.
- Girls work better in small groups than boys do. Boys like to present to an entire class while girls prefer to present jointly.
- Math and science: girls like to build things; boys like to break things or blow them up.
- Girls use language (and have a greater vocabulary) more than boys. They do better with story problems. The two sexes also process material differently.
- Boys like non-fiction better than fiction. They like to read descriptions of real events. Girls prefer books that focus on relationships, while boys prefer action.
- Assignments for boys should be objective and fact-oriented. Girls, on the other hand, enjoy role-play exercises.
So, please don’t expect your sons and daughters to regard school similarly, or do well on the same assignments. Do encourage them to follow their own interests and relax and be themselves.
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November/December |
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The holiday season is coming up fast – and the problem of what gifts to give your children. We have all spent money on the latest “hot” toy – only to find that it was abandoned quickly – or broke far too soon. Here is a list of some types of toys that stretch children’s imagination or problem-solving abilities, or simply appeal to their interests. They need not break your budget and should be appealing far longer than the latest “fad.” Warning: not every child will like every type of gift. Know your own child!
Blocks or building sets
Board games
Camping equipment
Chess or checkers
Computer software (go beyond pure gamies)
Crafts
Origami
Puzzles of all kinds
Realistic toys for imaginative or pretend play
Science kits
Sports equipment
Sudoku
Tangrams
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September |
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It’s back-to-school time. Your
child is excited – and perhaps a little nervous or unsure of what will be
happening. To help make this school year
the bet ever, try these ideas:
1.
Get to know your child’s teacher. Here at
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2.
Be
organized. Nothing gets a day off better
than a smooth, unhurried morning.
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Gather
all needed school materials (and pack them) the night before. Put them in the same place every day – so no
time has to be spent looking for them.
If you have little ones at home, make sure you put the backpack and/or
other materials out of reach.
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If your
child takes a sack lunch, pack as much as possible the night before. Do the same for the snack.
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If your
child brings lunch money, put it in the backpack (or wherever your child keeps
it) at night.
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Lay out
clothes at night.
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Shower
or bathe at night if possible.
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Leave
enough time for breakfast. Children who come
to school having eaten breakfast function much better than those who come on an
empty stomach.
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3.
Be
prepared.
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Have a
place where you child can put his/her school and library books.
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Have a
special area where your child does his/her homework (a desk or table is best).
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Have a
certain time as “homework” time – right after school, or before or after
dinner. Try not to leave assignments for
the morning; it’s too rushed.
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Make
time to talk to your child and listen about what happened that day. If your child is one of those who says, “Nothing,” ask a specific question, such as, “Tell me
one thing you learned today.”
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AND
FINALLY, MAKE TIME TO READ TO OR WITH YOUR CHILD. The bonds you create are priceless.
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