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Teach Them to Pick Up

February 16, 2011 By

It’s amazing how quickly children learn the word “No.” At least, they learn how to say it, even if they have a little trouble understanding it. It seems like they can say no to just about anything, without you even having to prompt them.

Obviously, this isn’t something we want in them. So, we as parents need to break the habit of them always saying “no” when we tell them to do something. How? Simply by not accepting “no” as a response.

Let’s take the chore of picking up toys as an example. No child likes to pick up their toys, they think the world looks right when their toys are scattered all over the place. While we might be tempted to let them get away with that once in a while, we really can’t live like that. We need to train them to put their toys away when we tell them to.

Okay, so what should we do when they don’t obey? Aha, this is where it starts getting interesting. Let’s make a definition here; stating that putting toys away is part of taking care of them. Nobody deserves to have things that they can’t take care of. So, if our children can’t take care of their things, we need to “help them” by removing some of the things. That way, we make the job easier for them.

If you are going to do this, always pick something they really like to take away. Not the teddy bear that they cuddle up with at night, but some toy that they play with all the time. Make sure that your children see you take those things away, and explain to them that you are helping them, by making it easier for them to take care of what they have. Now they have less to have to take care of.

If that toy is really important to the child, they’ll quickly learn how to put their things away. Don’t give it back to them too quick though. You want to be sure they’ve learned how to take care of their things.

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Give Them a Head Start

February 1, 2011 By

As parents, we, not the school system are the primary educators of our children. The amount a child needs to learn, before entering kindergarten is much more than what they learn in school. At home, they learn to walk, talk, eat, dress themselves, and a myriad of other daily functions that as adults we take for granted.

The process of educating our children literally begins the moment they are born and seemingly never ends. But, how much should we teach our children at home? Are there limits? Or should we try and teach them everything we can, so that they will have an easier time when they start in school.

Studies have shown that the more a child knows when they start school, the faster and farther they can go in their education. While teaching your three-year-old their colors or the alphabet song doesn’t seem like a major intellectual feat, in fact it prepares them for the learning which they need to accomplish later on. The head start in the educational race which they gain by learning the basics at home will stay with them all through their academic years.

Nobody has yet determined the limit in how much a child can learn before entering formal education. Yet, there are numerous recorded cases of parents teaching their children to read before the age of five. There are even cases of non-genius children completing their high school education by the age of 12. How? By their parents starting to teach them early. While these cases may not be the norm, and may not be possible with every child, it is possible with some, possibly many children. The cost is one paid in time that the parents invest in teaching their child.

When you make that investment in your child’s education, you are making an investment in their future, increasing their chance of success in life. Just as in any other race, he who starts first has an advantage; why not give that advantage to your kids?

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Smart Cookies

January 30, 2011 By

Pre-school offers children an exposure to school in a way that makes the actual reality of school reasonably harmless. In fact, many educators are able to see a major difference between children that have attended pre-school, and children that have had no exposure to a school like setting before. This is especially true of those students that simply have not learned the importance of sitting in a chair, putting away toys, or completing work sheets.

If you are considering a pre-school, or teaching your little one at home, here are some ideas to help you navigate the important things that your child will need to know. Teach your child how to listen before speaking, raising their hand when they have a question or a need, and putting their toys away. These functions will go a long way in helping your child transition to regular, or pre-school. This will also make the information they need to learn come through easier, and eliminate certain behaviors that can prohibit your child from learning many important concepts.

As always, you will need to reward your child for his or her efforts in the learning. One idea is to give them a smart cookie award. This can either be a certificate, or a literal cookie. Your child will look forward to this reward, and this will be a highlight of the day. This also re-affirms to your child that he or she has done a great job on their tasks, and they you think they are smart. Telling your child that they are smart is a good way of letting your child know that they are capable of learning, and that you are pleased with what they have learned. Establishing that early with your child is an important approval that you will find that you child needs later on during their first official years in school.

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Proper Eating Habits In Pre-School

January 29, 2011 By

Pre-school offers your child a completely new world experience. Things that your child might have learned at home will change at school because there are different procedures or rules. This includes eating habits. For a child just starting pre-school, meal time is a new animal. All of a sudden a teacher is telling him or her when to eat, what to eat, and how to eat. This could come as a bit of a shock your little one because they might not be used to someone other than mommy telling them what to do. This is not a bad thing; it is just one that your child will need to get used to while being at school.  Many children have the hardest transition with only have one primary meal at school a day, and this is not if they are eating breakfast at pre-school as well. Most children when they are entering pre-school for the first time, they are coming straight from the home environment, and they do not deal well with some of the changes and rules that they are required to follow, at least in the beginning.

Some children acclimate quite well to the transition. This is because many children do truly thrive in structured environments. As far as eating is concerned, the biggest change, other than the schedule, and when he or she is allowed to eat, would be that now meals have a time limit. In pre-school, which is truly the preparation prior to school, it is important that all events, including meals have a schedule. This is one more aspect that will help your child transition well into school. You may find a difference at home, during non-school days, as your child begins to adapt to the school rules, the procedures, and of course the schedule.

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Dealing With Fussy Pre-Schoolers

January 27, 2011 By

Once children hit the pre-school age, usually three or four years old, they tend to develop a fussier than normal behavior. This is largely in part to the change in their situation with attending pre-school. Combine that with exposure to new illness likes colds and flu, and top it with their natural growing pattern, and viola! You have one fussy child on your hands. Many times children are affected by the fact that their main caregiver has either gone back to work full-time, or is no longer caring for the child solely at home. This can be a somewhat scary transition for many children, as they have never had to deal with this before. If your child has never been in day care, or been with another individual for care during the day on a regular basis, this can be when parents see the manifestation of separation anxiety.

Separation anxiety is when a child is feeling very insecure with being left somewhere, and they’re afraid that their parents will not return for them. This last a short time, usually until they realize that their parents will return for them everyday. For some children this can interrupt their sleep schedules, which can create a fussy child due to lack of sleep. Many parents find that if they are able to prep their children for day care by introducing the idea is small steps, the separation anxiety tends to be slight, if at all. When this is the case, it will help ease the stress of a fussy child, because sleep and the idea of being left with another caregiver is not such a scary concept. If your child is remaining quite fussy, and you are not sure what to do, it may be in your best interest to investigate the facility that you have your child at, to see if there is something happening with the other children that can cause your child any undo stress.

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Teaching Cursive

January 25, 2011 By

There have been studies that show that children that learn how to write in the cursive script first, can almost self-teach themselves how to print. This is an amazing realization, especially in a day where computers and spell check are taking over our need for writing in basic pen and pencil. This is a very important aspect of teaching for a child because it triggers certain functions of the brain that stem into other types of thinking processes. This would include art, math, and criticial thinking and logic skills. Teaching cursive can be an easy task for pre-schoolers. There are so many help aids available, and they all follow a certain formula.

You will notice that each sheet is a series of dotted lines that when filled in create the letter that is being taught on. You can incorporate this knowledge with a diverse lesson plan including what the letter is, what words start with that letter, and what objects that your pre-school child is familiar with. There are some great educational visuals that you can get that are relatively inexpensive, that will help re-affirm the concepts using both visuals, and full script of the letter being taught.

The studies have shown that when teaching this style first, namely the D’Nealian style, that many children have automatically adjusted to print script. This is especially important when children are learning to read concurrently. Many parents are ablet to help teach their children these concepts at home, and if you are interested in teaching your pre-schooler how to begin learning cursive, you can interview a pre-school teacher, or simply go online teaching software avaliable in market can be purchase using reach prepaid card to find resources that will help you teach your child the fundamentals of cursive writing. This is a great way to begin to get your child focused on the fundamentals of education.

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Fun Things For Kids

January 23, 2011 By

Have you ever made home-made play-doh, root beer, or ice cream? These three things are highly enjoyable for pre-school aged children, and they offer more than just a play thing or beverage, they offer very early lesson in things of science, cause and effect, and even chemical reactions. While your little one might not comprehend those concepts, you can provide a basic lessons on these subjects, while making it really fun for your child.

Play-doh has recipes on the internet, and in stores, and is a basic concoction to prepare. You are able to make it any color you choose, and you can have a purpose after completion. You can decide to use the play-doh for play, or for gifts for friends and family. This will give your child a sense of accomplishment, through hard work, when providing these to others that he or she knows. Homemade root beer is a very fun thing to make with your little one. It requires the use of dry ice, so it is important that you monitor the use of this product. The steamy like fog that comes off of the container is something that small children really enjoy. This is not a carbonated drink, so it is a fun treat that will not cause any undo harm to their teeth. Ice cream is a great manipulative for your child to engage in. With some salt, ice, milk, and flavoring, you can play hot potato while making it. Because you have to shake the bag or container that you make the ice cream in, the making part can be a game in itself.

Regardless of what you choose to make, it is important to realize that just spending time with your little one is a reward, and a fun thing. You will find that your child responds quite nicely.

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I’m A Big Boy Now

January 22, 2011 By

Small children love feeling like they are getting older, and that they are able to do more things because of it. For many parents, however, this is the point in which conflict begins, because there is now a struggle for independence. Even pre-schoolers want their independence, and parents notice that their little ones are acting out as a means of attaining it. So, how do you handle your big kid, even when they are not so big? This is not an easy answer because you are not able to make deals, or ask them to do things they require too much responsibility at this age. What you can do is start to train them to do little things like pick up their room, or put their plate in the sink. Remind your child that big kids do things like that, and if you want a toy, or to watch a video, he or she will need to start doing big kid things.

This will give your child a sense of accomplishment beyond being rewarded. You will find that your child will say things like, “I cleaned my room like a big boy (or girl).” It is with these types of acknowledgments that you will realize that your child is eager to be recognized, and to be able to do older kid things. This will also tell you that what you are doing as a means of training your child is working, and benefiting your child, as they are feeling like they have earned the right to be a big kid. You will find over time that your child will be more and more eager to do “big kid” things, because they like the reward-return on their behavior. This is not to say that your child won’t have bad days, but if you start training like this early on, you’ll find that your child is much more receptive later on to your training and discipline.

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How To Construct A Home Schooling Plan

January 20, 2011 By

When preparing to home school your children, it is best to have a plan in place on how you will go about instituting the schedule, curriculum, and assignments. This is a big challenge that you are taking on, and it is wise to have a plan in place before handing out homework. This way, you have adequate preparation to ensure the proper instruction for your child. There are many different types of curriculum you can use, whether you plan on implementing, or use an online school or survey software, you will still have to be conscientious about making sure the state standards are applied.

There are many help aids with home schooling, and one of the best that is there to help is online. Free online education is available so that lesson plans, day planner suggestions, and tutorials are all accessible for the student, and for you. This is a great resource, especially if you are new to the idea of home schooling. Also, many of the resources available are for students that have learning difficulties, and how you as a parent can help your child overcome challenges in learning.

Some of the challenges that you may encounter while home schooling is making sure that your child is working steadily, and applying effort. It is important that you implore to your child that during their scheduled school time, that they are to regard this as school. Home schooling is not intended to allow a child to crank out their work then go play video games. It truly is an alternative learning experience, and if done properly, can provide a child with an amazing educational career. Many children that have completed their schooling while in a home schooling setting tend to have higher test scores. This is in part due to the fact that there are not 20 other students that need attention.

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Socializing While Home Schooling

January 19, 2011 By

If you are considering home schooling your child, there are some great ideas that you should investigate before jumping right in. For instance, there is a socialization factor that needs to be addressed for your children. They can not just stay home and not develop friendships. Having a social life is very important for young people to develop. There are many home schooling groups that are available for you to join. This means that your child can be around other children that are home schooled, and they can have a commonality, and from there develop relationships.

Many of these relationships are developed by being part of the group of the homeschoolers that travel together. This means that all of the field trips that are conducted are done so with the same group of students and parents. Because home schooling is at home, there is a really great need for students to go out and explore hands on things, or museums, in order to see a real life application of education, and of what they are learning. These trips helps solidify the information students are being taught. Being part of a specific group that does these types of outings is key for not just learning, but for friendships.

The other thing that a child is eligible for is sports through their own school district. Whatever school district that student belongs to, even though they do not attend that school, they can participate in the extra-curricular activities. It is a state accepted aspect because of property taxes. This is another way for your child to become friends with the other kids that live within the school district. It also means that if there are certain electives that you cannot teach, your child can attend the local public school for those subjects, then return for the rest of the day at home.

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