14 TIPS To Prepare Life Long Learners
for Academic Success
4 ) Try holding D-E-A-R times at your house . “ DEAR ” stands for “ Drop Everything and Read .” During DEAR time , everyone in the family sits down for some uninterrupted reading time .
5 ) With young children , try reading to them during bath
6 ) Have children make a “ book ” about themselves , with
7 ) Help your child discover their roots by talking with
8 ) Let kids overhear you praising them to others , particularly about how impressed you are with how they are learning .
9 ) Encourage children to read biographies about successful people . As children learn about the traits that made others successful , they are often motivated to adopt those same success patterns in their own lives .
10 ) Motivate your children in math by challenging them
11 ) Encourage kids to collect things . Whether they collect rocks , shells , leaves , or bugs is not important . By collecting ,
12 ) Estimating is an important math skill . We estimate
13 ) Talk about geography in terms children can understand : Go through your house and talk about where things came from . A calculator may have come from Taiwan . A box of cereal may have a Battle Creek , Michigan address , or White Plains , New York . Talk about where the wheat for your bread came from . Where was the cotton for your blue jeans grown ? Tell your children where your ancestors came from . Find the places
14 ) Show your child that writing is useful . Have them
Back to school preparations go beyond school clothes purchases and new backpacks filled with # 2 pencils and spiral notebooks . Creating and supporting the habits of life-long learners is the best investment you can make in your child ’ s academic success . The Parent Institute , the U . S . Department of Education , and the non-profit , Reading Is Fundamental ( RIF ) have ideas for creating a learning rich , home environment . Their ideas have been combined together for this simple , home learning list to advance your child ’ s literacy and mathematic acuity this school year .
1 ) Want your children to be good readers ? Let them see you read . Share their love of books and reading . Parents may say to children , “ This was my favorite book when I was your age ” or “ I can ’ t wait to start my new book .”
2 ) Try relaxing your family ’ s bedtime rules once a week on the weekends . Let your children know that they can stay up as late as they want , as long as they are reading in bed .
3 ) Cook with your children . Have them use measuring spoons , cups and tools for a hands on lesson in volume and science vocabulary , like liquids and solids .
6 WNY Family September 2018
14 TIPS To Prepare Life Long Learners
for Academic Success
— by Laura Lyles Reagan
4 ) Try holding D-E-A-R times at your house . “ DEAR ” stands for “ Drop Everything and Read .” During DEAR time , everyone in the family sits down for some uninterrupted reading time .
5 ) With young children , try reading to them during bath
time . Careful with the splashing .
6 ) Have children make a “ book ” about themselves , with
their own illustrations and wording . “ A Book About Me ” is a
great way to help your child see themselves as “ somebody .”
7 ) Help your child discover their roots by talking with
family members . Then ask your child to write that family member a thank you letter and share all they learned that they didn ’ t
know in the letter .
8 ) Let kids overhear you praising them to others , particularly about how impressed you are with how they are learning .
Always praise their reading efforts .
9 ) Encourage children to read biographies about successful people . As children learn about the traits that made others successful , they are often motivated to adopt those same success patterns in their own lives .
10 ) Motivate your children in math by challenging them
to figure out how much change you should get back from a purchase . If they get the amount right , they get to keep the change .
11 ) Encourage kids to collect things . Whether they collect rocks , shells , leaves , or bugs is not important . By collecting ,
children are learning new ways to make sense of their world .
12 ) Estimating is an important math skill . We estimate
how much our groceries will cost . We estimate how much time we ’ ll need to complete a project at work . You can help your child learn to estimate at home . Here ’ s one idea : As you ’ re driving , estimate the distance to your destination . Then estimate how much time it will take to get there . Use the odometer or a
map to check your work .
13 ) Talk about geography in terms children can understand : Go through your house and talk about where things came from . A calculator may have come from Taiwan . A box of cereal may have a Battle Creek , Michigan address , or White Plains , New York . Talk about where the wheat for your bread came from . Where was the cotton for your blue jeans grown ? Tell your children where your ancestors came from . Find the places
on a map , together .
14 ) Show your child that writing is useful . Have them
help you write a letter ordering something , asking a question , etc . Then show them the results of your letter .
Laura Reagan is a parenting coach and author of “ How to Raise Respectful Parents .” She can be reached for questions and comments through her website , LauraLReagan . com .