Sunday, August 15, 2010

Getting the School Year Off To a Great Start!

It's so true that the role of the family takes center stage when it comes to supporting the learning process in a child's life! I recently listened to an interview of educator Cheri Fuller, author of 'School Starts at Home- Simple Ways to Make Learning Fun' talking about equipping kids for lifelong learning. She stated that more than 50 research studies show that when parents get involved in their child's learning, their kids are more likely to stay motivated. But what does that look like practically?

Establishing worthwhile routines can help. Just like the athlete who needs to put a regimen in place to be at his peek, your first grader needs basic routines to stay motivated.'Rou-tine':is defined as "an unvarying and constantly repeated formula." Consistency is the main ingredient!

Parent educator, Barbara Colorosso puts it this way:

"Our children are counting on us to provide two things: consistency and structure. Children need parents who say what they mean, mean what they say, and do what they say they are going to do. Our goal as a parent is to give life to our children's learning—to instruct, to teach, to help them develop self-discipline—an ordering of the self from the inside, not imposition from the outside."

Here are my picks for the top four daily routines to establish with a first grader:

1. Get studying! Set up a daily study time. Get into the habit of sitting down in a quite location, free of distractions, same time, same place where you and your child can focus on the homework assignments and get that sense of accomplishment from finishing a task. Remember to affirm your child for genuine effort rather than intelligence. Intelligence praising can lead to an attitude of 'I don't need to study."

2. Value writing! Good thinking and good writing go together. Reading and writing go hand in hand. Write notes to your child and value what they write, displaying those precious pieces.

3.Practice communicating! Ask your child to share a highlight of his/her day. Children who are communicative and respectful to parents will be to other adults as well. Daily face-to-face conversation, free of distractions can help a child relax and focus at home and at school.

4. Enjoy reading together with 'paired reading'! "Paired Reading" is a practice strategy that helps children improve their reading skills. It combines two powerful techniques:
*the tutor and the child reading together and * the tutor letting the child read alone while providing encouragement and supportive coaching.
1.) Start out by agreeing on a set time each day to read together for about 5 to 15 minutes.
2.) This technique can be used with assigned reading. After that, let the child choose from a selection of grade level appropriate books from your home collection or the library.
3.) Use a starting signal where you will both read the text aloud. "Together Reading" means you will have to adjust your speed to meet the child's needs. The reading should still have some flow so it sounds natural.
4.) If the child hesitates or misses a word, give the child the correct pronunciation and,if needed, the definition.
5.) Your child can tap you at anytime to signal that he/she wants to read independently. At this point you become a cheerleader, making lots of positive comments and giving help when needed.
6.) At the end of your session have a simple, relaxed conversation about what has been read.

I would love to hear of what works in your home! Please share a comment or two about the routines you find helpful.We're all in this together, for the children's sake!

No comments: