Setting Your Child Up for Success this School Year
Written by Whitney Jordan of Polka-Dotty Place
It’s that time of year again: school supplies, packing lunches, new clothes and homework. The start of the school year often means busy schedules, after school activities and a faster pace of life for many families. There are numerous things you can do to set your child up for success in the classroom and I’m excited to share some ideas with you.
1. Inquire about what your child is learning each day. Many teachers write newsletters, blogs or have class websites for you to access. Explore these resources often to make sure that you are in the loop and involved in your child’s education. Ask your child about the highlights and the low points of their day. Kids often have a hard time verbalizing their feelings, summarizing their activities and they really benefit when you ask them specific questions. For example, “What did you write about today?, Who did you play with at school?, What activities did you do for math?, Which planet were you researching today?, How were you a good friend?, and Was anything challenging for you?” You can even ask them to describe or list things for you: describe your classroom, tell me about your seating arrangement, explain what you do in music class or tell me about your daily routine. Prompts will promote discussion in your home and give your kids a great launching point to go into detail about their day.
2. Encourage them to read! Ask about the reading they are doing at school, contact their teacher to identify their reading level, ask for suggested reading materials for your child, befriend the school librarian and ask for reading suggestions based on your child’s interests, check out books at the library, download e-books to their tablets or buy books from local bookstores or book orders. There are many wonderful children’s books and your child will likely need help discovering books that would be suitable for their reading level, have appropriate content and be of interest to them. You can also read books together. Most kids would love to enjoy a good book with their parents and reading together is a great way to get them excited about a variety books. You can read more challenging books aloud to them and talk through the characters and storyline to ensure they are comprehending the material.
3. Participate in the classroom. Volunteering in the classroom is helpful to the teachers and it allows you to get a feel for the environment that your child spends a significant amount of their day in. If you are a working parent, you could volunteer for field trips, help with before and after school activities or offer to help work on projects at home for the teacher. Each teacher is different and will provide you with varying opportunities to be a part of your child’s classroom. Be sure to investigate the options that you have to incorporate yourself in your child’s learning. Be proactive! Attend parent teacher conferences and get to know your child’s teacher. If you know your child struggles in math or reading, start seeking out help early in the year before they fall too far behind. Meet with your child’s teacher to ask for additional resources that you could work with at home, ask about special services at school if applicable, look into having your child participate in tutoring and be your child’s advocate. It is in everyone’s best interest to start working to help your child right away.
4. Have a homework routine. The majority of children thrive with a routine and enjoy having clear expectations for learning at home. There is no right way to do homework and you have to identify the set up that works best for your family. Some options would be: eat a snack right after school and then start on homework; do after school activities, dinner and then start on homework; or some families prefer to leave time before school to complete homework. It is important to schedule time to complete work and to make it as enjoyable as possible for everyone involved. Review any class work that comes home with your child. Ask your child to explain how they did an activity or to teach you how to do the concept that they worked on in class. It’s difficult for teachers to meet with every student to review each item that they missed, therefore, it is really beneficial for learning if parents can do this at home. Also, teach your child how to clean out their backpack regularly and to stay organized; this will save them tons of time searching through a mess and teach them a great life skill.
5. Find fun ways for your child to learn outside of the classroom. Doing the same thing over and over again would bore anyone so it’s important to be innovative when looking for learning opportunities for your child. There are many free educational apps for phones and tablets, tons of free learning games on-line when you search for a specific content area, you can purchase flash cards or educational games for your child to play at home, get them an educational magazine subscription, buy or borrow many books on a topic they are studying at school to enhance their learning or you could even take them on little outings to learn more about things they are studying. Change it up and let your child have some choice in deciding how they’d like to practice at home. Kids love to be given a choice in the types of activities they do. Give them a few options that you approve of and they will be excited to choose how they are going to learn.
Hello! My name is Whitney and I blog at Polka-Dotty Place. I taught 1st-3rd grade for the last 10 years and am crazy about teaching. I am a brand new mom to Olive; I love to blog, organize, make lists, bake, accessorize and watch football. I just moved to the South and am enjoying the sea of monograms, friendly people and crape myrtles.