Secrets for Making Sure Homework is Done Efficiently and Effectively

Reading is Essential

It's back to school time. So let's talk about homework. Homework is about more than academics. It teaches children how to manage time. 

It reinforces the priority of learning and ensures that home and school are working together toward this goal. It's also your chance to find out what your child is studying in school and observe how he or she works and learns. 

Since children think and learn differently, it helps to customize a homework plan for your child. 

To get you started, here are 6 tips to help you to overcome homework hassles.

1. Consider giving your children an hour or so of relaxing playtime after school before they begin homework. Some children really need this time to unwind after hours of concentrating at school. Yet be sure that the kids know homework must be completed in a timely fashion.

2. Let your children sit at the kitchen table doing homework while you prepare dinner. That way, if they have any questions, you are right there to help them. Another way would be to organize a homework hour after the evening meal. Children can still sit around the kitchen table to do their homework. 

3.Set aside a "family homework hour" when your child sits at the table and does her schoolwork while you also sit at the table and pay bills or catch up on your reading. You're available to help or answer questions.

4. As children become teens, they need a quiet place to study, usually their own room. Some preteens develop more efficient homework habits if given their own private place to study. Other children regard homework as less of a chore and more of a family activity if they're allowed to do homework with you close by to encourage and help. 

5. To complete homework tasks efficiently, store needed supplies in a convenient place, easily accessible to all. Doing math problems is frustrating when it takes fifteen minutes to find a pencil with an eraser (yes, pencils and erasers). Stock up on poster boards, report covers, markers, and crayons to avoid last-minute runs to the store when special projects are due.  

6. If your child is struggling with a certain subject, take a special field trip or turn it into an arts-and-crafts project to make what's in the book applicable to real life. Many children drudge through homework because they don't see its relevance. Help your child make connections between schoolwork and the world around him. 

By regarding homework as a family activity rather than a chore that interferes with quality family time, you reinforce that learning is an expected priority and that it can be fun. It's up to parents to point this out. 

Although some parents complain that their children have too much homework, statistics show that most children spend more time watching noneducational tv or playing video games than doing productive homework.


Leave your comments below. 

Secrets of School Success Part 1

If you haven't been serious about your children's education, now it's time to do so. 

Here is the question: Why do some students succeed in school and others struggle? 

The answer lies in the student’s attitude towards learning both at home and school. 

Learning begins at home and parents are a child’s first teachers. In one sense all children are home schooled, even those who attend school. 

With that in mind, here are 2 ways that parents and other educators can help children become academic achievers.

1. Implant a love of learning

Not surprisingly, research shows little correlation between IQ, economic status, a privileged childhood, or even preschool and later academic success. 

The most influential factor in children’s academic success was parents who instill the love of learning early on. Learning is rooted in curiosity. 

Kids are naturally curious and from early infancy onward, parents, as teachers, act as facilitators, guiding those curious, exploring hands and eyes towards interesting objects. This doesn’t necessarily mean lots of educational toys. 

Babies learn a lot riding in a baby sling, where they can be in all of the conversations and see the world near adult eye level. 

Learning tools for toddlers can be as simple as a kitchen drawer or cupboard for the pots and pans, paper towel rolls, and plastic dishes that the child is allowed to play with. Basic balls and blocks are also great toys for stimulating and satisfying curiosity.

2. Foster Free Play

Let children play, for this is how they learn. While one-on-one time with parents are certainly important to facilitate early learning be sure to give your toddler and older child ample time alone to simply mess around with toys and safely explore the environment. 

Preschool children do not need to have every minute of the day filled with one planned activity or one lesson after another. Childproof your home and allow your child to take reasonable risks. 

Don’t constantly supervise your child by adult warnings such as “Be careful” and “Don’t Touch.” Learning usually involve some risk-taking.

Go to Secret of School Success Part 2 for more information.

Leave your comments on this article below.

7 Ways to Become Involved in Your Children's Education

Teach a Love for Learning

According to a study published in the American Educational Research Journal, parental involvement has been shown to influence children's achievement in language and mathematics, their academic persistence, and their behavioral problems.

As a single parent, parental involvement falls solely upon your shoulders. If doing this is a struggle for you, admit to it and ask a relative, a friend, your neighbor, or a pastor for help in keeping close tabs on how your children are doing and working with the school to implement an action plan for improvement.

However, if parent involvement is not a struggle for you, here are 7 Ways to Become Involved in Your Children's Education:

1. Establish and maintain an ongoing dialogue with your children's teachers. Learn how to make sense out of your children's report cards. Determine what type of question to ask at parent-teacher conferences. And, make sure you know what your child should be studying and the tests they are required to pass.

2. Set up regular time for homework completion. Establish appropriate routines at home like creating quiet time for homework as well as for recreational reading. Limit the amount of television they can watch or video games they can play.

3. Set a good example for your children. Let the children see that you value reading and lifetime learning by enrolling in classes yourself, and taking part in study groups, and just reading at home.

Moreover, if you have younger children, read to them and with them.  Don't forget to let them see you reading. Keep a close enough eye on them to know if they're doing it themselves.

5. Establish a relationship with other like-minded parents and community groups to strive for excellence in the school.

6. Expose your children to a variety of learning experiences. Get up on Saturday mornings and take your children to the museums or the library. Help them to turn their favorite hobbies into enjoyable learning experience.

7. Volunteer, if possible, in the classroom and accompany your children's classrooms on field trips. Go to the PTA meetings or other similar meetings and meet all your child's teachers.

The fact of the matter is your active involvement is your first step in creating a level educational playing field for your children. Parental involvement in the school can turn it from a failure into one of excellence. 

You can influence the choice of the principal, the type of curriculum, the quality of teaching, the expectations of teachers, and the security and safety of the classrooms.

Leave your comments below. What do you think about parental involvement?

6 Tips for Keeping Teens Safe On Social Media

More than 60 percent of teenagers in the United States have at least one social media account, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 

And, while being online is a good way to keep in touch with friends, it's important for you to be proactive about your children's internet safety.

Unfortunately, there are people who can and will use your child's personal information to steal identities, bully them or begin an inappropriate relationship.

Help protect your children from online dangers by following these safety tips:

1. Keep your children’s profile private so that only family and people you know can see photos, important dates, and other information.        

2. Make sure your children aren’t posting personal details, including phone numbers, home address, and the name of their school or Social Security number.

3. Only allow them to publish photos and videos that don't jeopardize their safety or their integrity.

4. Make sure they choose a strong password that can't be guessed and update that password every three months.

5. Never allow your children to accept friend requests from people they don’t know.

6. Keep an open dialogue with your children. Tell them to let you know if they've received private messages from a stranger or from someone at school who is teasing, harassing, or threatening them. Those could be signs of cyber-bullying or even a sexual predator.

Do you have any other tips you would like to add? Leave them below.

  

7 Signs of Bad Teaching and What You Can Do About It

    

You are your child's first teacher. This is not only true, but you as the parent remain responsible for 
your child's education throughout his or her total school experience.

Parental attitude have greater correlation with pupil achievement than material home circumstances or variations in school and classroom organization, instructional materials, and particular teaching practices.

Your attitude must be that  you want and deserve teachers who are competent and effective for your child.

A bad teacher can destroy your child's self-confidence, devastate his desire to learn, dampen his achievements, and leave emotional scars. You can't afford to allow your child to be subjected to incompetent teachers. You must keep tuned in to detect bad teaching.

Here are seven signs of bad teaching to be aware of:

1. The teacher has low expectations for your child.
2. The teacher can't communicate knowledge in an interesting way.
3. The teacher is not aware of your child's strength's, weaknesses, and interests.
4. The teacher gives disorganized lessons and vague, careless assignments
5. The teacher shows little enthusiasm in his or her work.
6. The teacher does not assign homework on a regular basis.
7. The teacher belittles your child's efforts.

Moreover bad teaching should not be the norm in your child's school. You have every right to understand what's happening to your child and teachers have the responsibility to share that information without prejudicial judgment. 

3 Things You Can Do To Improve your Children’s Grades

Does your style as a parent affect the grades your children receive in school? Is there anything that you, as the parent, can do to help your children improve their grades?

The answer to both these questions is a definite yes.

According to a Stanford University study, there is a relationship between parents' actions and their children's school performance. Parents can, and do, have an influence on their children's grades. 

Here are three actions you can take do to help your children get higher grades in school:

1.Be firm, yet encouraging. Set reasonable guidelines for your children and stick to them, but also take the time to explain the reasons for the rules. Try to give your children the sense that you have confidence in their capabilities and that you know they are trying. Even if they aren't always trying their hardest, they may put more effort into their work knowing you think so highly of them.

2. Communicate. Talk with your children in terms they can understand. Explain to them why you think school is important and why they need to do their homework. It may not make math any easier, but at least they know that you value what they are doing. And take time to really listen to what they have to say. You can let them know you're listening by giving a one-sentence summary of what they said before going on to what you want to tell them.

3. Let them play. Unlikely as it may seem, participation in school sports is associated with better grades. This is because children use play as a way of learning, rather than just as a diversion, as most adults do. They also have more energy than most adults and need a constructive outlet for it.

Now learn 3 more things you can help your children improve their grades.

Your Thoughts. Leave your comments below

Want an Exceptional Student? Here's the One Thing You Can Do

In their book, Pygmalion in the Classroom, psychiatrists Robert Rosenthal and school principal Lenora Jacobson describe a study they did involving children from kindergarten through fifth grade. They told the children’s teachers which students in their classrooms had “exceptional learning abilities.”

But the teachers did not know that the researchers had chosen these “exceptional” students at random. When the students were tested at the end of the school year, the students who the teachers had been led to believe had exceptional learning abilities had made much greater academic progress than their peers.

In essence, the teachers had been programmed to expect more from certain students, and these students thus expected more of themselves and delivered.

The message here for teachers is that you get what you expect.

Expect the best from your students and you’ll get the best. And, above all praise the efforts. The results will come. This is great advice for parents also.

What are your thoughts. Leave your comments below.

Secrets of School Success, Part 2

Another important feature that sets academic high achievers apart and assures their success in school is their love of learning. 

Rather than viewing learning as a navigational tool, they love to learn because of the feeling of self satisfaction it gives them. They view school as a privilege rather than a problem. 

These children who achieve academic success look forward to the opportunity to shine on tests. They make a connection between effort and good grades, and see themselves succeeding.

Academic high achievers' love of learning is most influenced by the family putting a high value on learning. 

Research shows that the homes of these children tend to be quieter with no blasting of TV, disc players, or emphasis on computer games. 

Noise gets in the way of learning. Children reared in a noisy home are slower to develop language and cognitive skills. Students tend to achieve better in school when family life is harmonious and stable. 

You may not think of your relationships as a tool for your child’s academic success, but studies show that children who perceive harmony and commitment in the household feel less anxious and more grounded – – freeing them up to do better at school. 

Academic outcome studies have also shown that students who eat meals with their families more often enjoy greater academic success. 

Here is Part 1 of the Secrets of School Success in case you missed it. What are your thoughts? Leave your comments below.

8 Ways to Help Your Child Remember Math Facts

As your child progresses from kindergarten through eighth grade, the knowledge and skill to be learned in math will not come become automatically unless your child is exceptional.

To acquire these skills require frequent practice and sustained effort. If you do not see your child consistently practicing the rudiments of
math, -- that is, working sets of challenging problems on a daily basis – then do not expect him or her to be particularly good math student.

Here are the 8 Ways to Help Your Child to Remember Math Facts: 

          

1.  Reward your child for improvement retention of math facts. Possible rewards include verbal praise (e.g. I am so proud of you for knowing five new math facts ” or a kiss on  the cheek.

2. Provide practice of math facts using a computer with software programs that provide immediate feedback for your child.

3.  Use daily drills to help your child remember math facts (e.g. written problems, flash cards, etc.)

4. Allow your child to keep basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division charts to use in solving math problems.

5.  Build upon math facts your child already knows, reinforcing facts your child has mastered. Add one fact at a time as your child demonstrates success.

6.  Have your child complete math facts and then have your child use a calculator to check and correct the problem.

7. Have an older brother/sister, an older friend, etc., work with your child each day on drill activities (e.g. flashcards.)

8. Review on a daily basis, those skills, concepts, tasks, etc., which have been previously introduced.

Overall, emphasize the importance of studying and the joy of learning through words and examples. Your children may acquire and keep this as a value for the rest of their lives.

What would like to add to these ways? Leave your comments below.