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Establish routines for your child. |
Establish routines for your child. Children thrive on orderliness. Keep a fairly regular schedule for meals, play, and work time. Set a regular bedtime. When a child is used to routine at home they can adapt to classroom rules and routines more easily. |
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Spend time every day talking with your child about their interests, hobbies, and friends. |
Spend time every day talking with your child about their interests, hobbies, and friends. Children learn language at home and spoken language gives children the foundation for better reading and writing. As children grow older, they need daily conversations as a way to develop values, test ideas, and share their thoughts. |
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Make reading special. |
Make reading special. On a winter evening, pop some popcorn and snuggle up together with a book. Or during the summer, plan a reading picnic. Give your child a book by a favorite author. |
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Take a walk through your neighborhood at least once a week. |
Take a walk through your neighborhood at least once a week. Talk about what you see or about anything that's on your child's mind. These walks become especially important as they grow older. Establishing the habit of communication when your child is young can build bridges that will promote talking and listening when they become older. |
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Give your child responsibilities at home. |
Give your child responsibilities at home. These might include: keeping their room clean. Caring for a pet. Doing at least one thing a day for the good of the whole family, washing dishes, picking up the living room, or washing the car, etc. |
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Make Sure you have plenty of reading material in your home. |
Make Sure you have plenty of reading material in your home. Library visits can provide a constant supply of books. Newspapers and magazines can also catch a child's interest. If possible, consider giving your child a magazine subscription to a children's magazine. Set a good example by reading instead of watching TV. |
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Don’t think you need to have all the answers. |
Don't think you need to have all the answers. Kids ask “zillions” of questions. That's how they learn. Say “I Don't know, let's go look it up.” Learning together can be fun. |
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Teach your child patience. |
Teach your child patience. Let them know that sometimes they have to wait for something. It is not always possible or advisable for parents to give children what they want. Teach your child that rewards often come after hard work and effort. |
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Display your child’s schoolwork. |
Display your child's schoolwork. Many families use the refrigerator door for this purpose. Others install a bulletin board in the child's bedroom. Let your child know that you are proud of what he/she accomplishes in school. |
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Plan activities the whole family can enjoy. |
Plan activities the whole family can enjoy. You might try a picnic in the part; a trip to the zoo; a visit to a museum; play a game; see a movie together; or an afternoon fishing. These family activities can broaden your children's interests and add to their intellectual stimulation, imagination, and academic achievement. |
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Check out your local library. |
Check out your local library. Make sure you and your child have a library card. Include a trip to the library in your weekly schedule. See if the library has any reading programs. |
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Know your child’s strengths and weaknesses. |
Know your child's strengths and weaknesses. All children are unique. Even in the same family, one child may love math and find it easy, while another finds it a challenge. Some may have trouble concentrating on reading while another constantly has his nose in a book. Challenge kids in their areas of strength and provide support in there are of weakness. |
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Talk about school everyday. |
Talk about school everyday. Ask specific questions. What was the funniest thing that happened today? What was the best thing that happened today? What was the hardest thing you did today? What do you think you can improve upon tomorrow? |
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Read to or with your children daily, |
Read to or with your children daily, Studies show this is the single most important thing parents can do to help their children achieve. Encourage older children to read to their younger siblings. This way, both are developing a habit of reading while they are forming a special bond with each other. |
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Learn a new sport or activity with your child. |
Learn a new sport or activity with your child. Show your child that learning is a life long activity. As your child grows older, let him choose the activity you will learn together. |
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Find time for one on one conversations with your children. |
Find time for one on one conversations with your children. Each week, try to set aside some special time. Schedule in on your calendar so your child can look forward to it. During this time, do something your child likes; play a game, watch a movie, take them to lunch, or go for a walk. |
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