education
Concern: THEY WON’ T KNOW WHAT A BOOK IS.
What helps: READING WITH YOUR KIDS, EARLY AND OFTEN
Have avariety of books on-hand at home and read them to your kids when they’ re young.“ They hear the language, and are looking at the words while you read,” saysRobin Halpern, a counselor in Short Hills. This allows them to immerse themselves in the story and form mental pictures otherwise provided by screens.“ If your house isfull of books, and you’ re often sitting there reading, it’ s easy to give your child a book,” she says. Takeyour kids to book stores andlibraries from a young age and select books of interest to your child, or read the same one and discuss it together. If you recommend a text that isn’ t too hard and is about an area of interest, he’ ll get a sense of accomplishment from finishing it. When he has reading assignments, ask questions about them during car rides and meals.
Concern: AFTER SCHOOL, MY CHILD’ S ENERGY GOES INTO SOCIAL MEDIA, NOTHOMEWORK.
Concern: THEYARE ON THEIR DEVICES ALL THE TIME.
What helps: MODELING GOOD SOCIAL MEDIA BEHAVIOR
Kids learn by watching their parents, so your example is important.“ Do they see you reading, engaged in different areas ofinterest, pursuing what you’ re curious about?” asks Nancy Distel, a licensed clinical psychologist and founding partner of Positive Developments, Associates in Psychology in Millburn. Setting your phone aside during mealtime and other family events shows that there’ s a time and place for everything.“ My 14-year-old and I werehaving dinner at a restaurant, and she pointed out a table with two adults and two kids, and everyone was on their phones,” she says, gratified that her daughter had internalized her message.
What helps: INSTILLINGGOODHOMEWORK HABITS
Good time management is key to academic success, and that includes limits on social media usage. When kids come home, they can check their social media, then put their phones in another room and settle in to do homework in a setting where there are other people around, as opposedto behind closed doors.“ Good study hygiene is important,” Halpern says.“ Ideally, one screen should be open at atime, and theyshould stick with a single subject for a certain amount of time.” After an hour of homework, they can go back and check their screens, so they don’ t feel anxious that they’ re missing out, and lose concentration. >
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