How to Help Your Children Succeed in School

Written by Barbara Freedman-De Vito


Introduction

As a parent who wantsrepparttar best for your children, there are undoubtedly many things that you already do every day to help your children succeed in school. The purpose of this article is to provide some practical ideas for you to try. Some of these suggestions may be new to you, many will be familiar, and some are just plain common sense but, hopefully, they will all serve as reminders ofrepparttar 135462 many simple steps you can take that are too often taken for granted or forgotten about, due torepparttar 135463 hectic pace of everyday living.

Read to your kids, whatever their ages

First of all, read to your children. We all know that this is important, but I'd like to point out that reading aloud should begin in infancy. It can contribute to your baby's developing attention span and receptive language skills. In addition, I'd like to encourage parents to read to growing children, even once they are able to read on their own. Don't stop once your kids are in elementary school for, whateverrepparttar 135464 status of their reading skills, hearing a good book read aloud is an experience apart.

Being read to allows children to focus more onrepparttar 135465 descriptive passages andrepparttar 135466 action, rather than having to struggle with understanding every single word. It also allows them to hear great children's stories that are beyond their current reading level, and it's a wonderful way for a family to share a magical experience. Choose a children's book that can also be enjoyed by you as an adult, and have a family reading session each evening or each week. A classic children's story, such as "The Wind inrepparttar 135467 Willows," orrepparttar 135468 Harry Potter books might be perfect for your family, depending onrepparttar 135469 ages and interests of your children.

Encourage independent reading and library use

Offer quality children's literature to your growing children and encourage them to read on their own - at their own level and at their own pace. Fiction and nonfiction can both open up new worlds of knowledge and experience and help prepare kids for success in school and in adult life, and don't forget that online children's stories are an exciting new resource to add to your reading repertoire.

Take your children torepparttar 135470 local public library. Be sure that each member ofrepparttar 135471 family has his or her own library card. Help your children seerepparttar 135472 public library not just as a place associated with homework and drudgery, but rather as an exciting doorway to interesting information and adventure. Encourage library book borrowing related to any special topic that interests your kids - from astronomy to adventure stories, from fact to fantasy.

Get your kids to participate in some ofrepparttar 135473 special free extra activities and programs that are regularly scheduled in many public libraries, like storyhours, craft projects, films, and summer reading clubs. Take your children to museums, concerts, puppet shows andrepparttar 135474 like. Expose them to any forms of entertainment and cultural enrichment that you may be lucky enough to have access to.

Develop effective research skills and good study habits

Help your kids develop research skills that will serve them well, not only on school projects, but later in daily life as an adult. For instance, if you're planning a family trip, letrepparttar 135475 kids conduct library and Internet-based research on possible destinations, sites of interest, driving or flying routes, and how to dress appropriately forrepparttar 135476 climate of your destination spot. If you're thinking of buying a new car, let your kids take part in your consumer research, comparing different car models according to a variety of pertinent criteria.

Mom's Car Stereo

Written by Sherri L Dodd


Do you rememberrepparttar car stereo days of youth - windows down, hair wildly blowing andrepparttar 135398 radio blaringrepparttar 135399 latest and greatest musical hit? Depending on which friend was with me atrepparttar 135400 time, my in-dash could be playing dance, hip hop or even heavy metal. But no matter which music was selected,repparttar 135401 purpose of volume was to drown out your own exuberant impressions ofrepparttar 135402 coolest music sensations. With allrepparttar 135403 pleasure that my melodic actions used to bring me, I have to wonder what has happened to my car stereo.

In my transition to motherhood my stereo has also taken on a new life. I find myself usually working with two options,repparttar 135404 first of which is talk radio. Now, I need to tell you that I have never intentionally strived to be an intellect. I did what I needed to get by, but generally to me, ignorance was bliss and anything that required a logical conversation seemed boring and stifling to my spirit. Then I had kids and took onrepparttar 135405 career of a full-time, at-home mom. When you go from constant adult interaction to negotiating and teaching your children, it is no longer impressive and a sign of intelligence to use ‘big words’ or rational reasoning. In fact, a simple four to five word sentence is typical protocol for conversing with a baby, and toddler-hood only merits a few more jabs in your vocabulary’s database. And in conversing with either, you must speak slowly, purposefully and with wide-eyed emphasis. This is why I absorb talk radio – reaching back toward adult discussion. Sure, I get together with other moms here and again, but even that is not necessarilyrepparttar 135406 appropriate place to hear views on politics, social issues or even current headline news. After all, a difference of opinion could makerepparttar 135407 rest ofrepparttar 135408 playdate a little awkward, even well after changingrepparttar 135409 subject. Talk radio, onrepparttar 135410 other hand, offers complex viewpoints and evenrepparttar 135411 opportunity to phone in and recapture some of that assertive argument skill that put you atrepparttar 135412 head of your debate class. Radio option number one isrepparttar 135413 chance to use perception and feel adult in dialogue again.

Now option number two was not initially so much my idea. Cutesy, bouncy rhythms and rhymes, clever

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