At times there may be weakness in the structure, and here you will find the tools to solidify learning.
Articles are updated frequently.
These sections are organized by age level, but the information is not confined to just this age. Consider looking at other age ranges as well. Also, make sure to check out the Archives.
Articles are updated frequently.
These sections are organized by age level, but the information is not confined to just this age. Consider looking at other age ranges as well. Also, make sure to check out the Archives.
Foundation for an Emerging Author
How do you encourage your children to use their handwriting? Do you know your children might be the future authors of TV shows, articles, stories, even books? Do your children seem to have a vivid imagination even at an early age? How do you get them to put their ideas into writing?
As children grow older and more ready to write on their own, encourage them to write in a journal or diary. Such writing materials are not just for writing their emotions but also for recording ideas they want to write about. Their ideas might be real or imagined which will develop into fiction or non-fiction stories in the future. When they are ready, have them make their own books by simply stapling sheets of paper together.
Your children can act out a story or book they have written. You may need to be the narrator as they perform the actions or emotions which may prompt them to write even more to make their story more exciting. Other family members might even suggest ideas to be accepted or rejected by the original “author.”
Children can make up stories about events or happenings they have shared with grandparents and give them to grandparents as gifts for special occasions. Creating greeting cards drawn and written by them become precious mementos for grandparents, aunts, and uncles, especially if they are about their grandparents’ homes, trips taken, or pets.
You might even get the whole family involved by putting a notebook in a special location in your home. Drafting a story starter or one suggested by one of the members of your family, have each person write what can happen next. Share this “made-up” story at your family dinner later in the week.
Mary Amato shares more ideas on how to encourage your children to write on the website www.readingrockets.org. Your children might even share or publish their stories on websites such as imagineforest.com.
Mental Health for Your Children
Even if the goal is academic, when we teach young people emotional skills, social skills, we see
better mental health. Shimi Kang
If we want our children to succeed in life, there are social and emotional skills we must teach them. As parents and caregivers, our time is important, but taking time to help children learn to control and use their feelings and emotions properly in society is worth every minute of our time. Children need to learn coping strategies so they can handle the problematic situations they encounter as they grow. This generation is growing up with tech time, but not parent time.
Children who feel like they can’t do things or are not good enough or that they are not worth anything experience mood swings, loss of pleasure and poor concentration. These feelings are made worse by a tech-based society in which children experience social isolation and disconnection.
Social and emotional skills parents/caregivers are expected to teach at home include the following: self and impulse control, expressing their feelings with words, being able to listen and pay attention, asking for help when needed, being aware of other people’s feelings and having pride in their accomplishments, (www.danvilleschools.net)
Impulse control is one of the skills with which we can help our children. Children cannot be aggressive toward others, destroy others property, or be mean to their animals. They cannot be allowed to act compulsively. Children must get enough sleep which may be the reason for their out-of-control behavior. If parents notice that there are certain situations or actions that trigger undesirable reactions, they should also help their children’s teachers be aware and seek professional help from teachers, school counselors, or family doctors if necessary. Helping children control their emotions and impulses demands parent and caregiver direction and time.
Mastery of impulse is all about self-discipline and choice. The mind is a powerful tool with which we have the ability to be in control of ourselves. Alaric Hurchinson
Children need balance in their lives which parents and caregivers can give. Creating routines, providing the right amount of nourishment in the form of fruits and vegetables with fewer calorie-rich snacks, limiting the amount of time children are on screen, providing time for physical activity, enough sleep, and family time at meals and conversations are needed for children to grow successfully and to achieve in their studies. Listen to your children in order to help them.
You are always responsible for how you act, no matter how you feel. Anonymous
Ways to be a Tech-savvy Parent
Parents and caregivers, have courage! You are the first generation to supervise cyber children!
It is a giant task because what your children are doing on their smartphones, iPads, or Chromebooks, is so familiar to them. They know how to manipulate all the keys and icons; they know the language of their peers; they see much that they don’t need to see because they are curious about certain websites or blogs that may be dangerous for them. They enjoy chatting, even if they do not know with whom they are communicating.
Parents themselves need to model and practice good social media skills. Some adults often model bad mobile usage habits like sending a message while they are driving or talking too loud or using language their young children do not need to hear or imitate.
Parents can control the ages and time at which they allow their children to have and use cell phones.
I find myself worrying most that when we hand our children phones, we are stealing their boredom from them...raising writers who will never start writing, artists who will never start doodling, chefs who will never make a mess in the kitchen... Glennon Doyle
According to Debbie Gordon in Today’s Parent? “Are you a digitally savvy parent?" --
Establishing rules for how children handle tech in your family is key to their safe use of devices. She suggests reading and gaming time must be equal; homework first, then chores, then tech time; no sites that require the posting of personal information. By using Canada 411, anyone can find your home address or alter passwords pretending to be your children. Your children must get your approval before entering contests because such sites require loads of personal information.
Your children must understand that social networks are not a parent-free zone. Digital respect and safety include the parent’s right and responsibility to go behind their children’s backs to regularly check for safety and privacy. Your young children may only play on sites you have bookmarked for them. Your older children must show you settings on YouTube and social-networking sites respecting age limits and discussions that are appropriate for them. If you need to use your devices to check, try nortonsafeweb.com or mywot.com
You as parents or caregivers need to limit the time your children spend on screen. When children use technology without a break, other activities suffer. Children need time for face-to-face socialization, exercise and outdoor play. They need time for healthy meals with your family. You must also insist that there are no phones or digital devices in their rooms at night so that your children get adequate sleep.
Take time to enjoy the technology and games with your children. Involve your children in creating rules and consequences around technology so that they are more motivated to follow the rules. Have no-media days when none of you use your devices unless necessary.
Technology is a great tool that can help the younger generation achieve success in the future. Allie Cooper
But only if you supervise it.
How do you encourage your children to use their handwriting? Do you know your children might be the future authors of TV shows, articles, stories, even books? Do your children seem to have a vivid imagination even at an early age? How do you get them to put their ideas into writing?
As children grow older and more ready to write on their own, encourage them to write in a journal or diary. Such writing materials are not just for writing their emotions but also for recording ideas they want to write about. Their ideas might be real or imagined which will develop into fiction or non-fiction stories in the future. When they are ready, have them make their own books by simply stapling sheets of paper together.
Your children can act out a story or book they have written. You may need to be the narrator as they perform the actions or emotions which may prompt them to write even more to make their story more exciting. Other family members might even suggest ideas to be accepted or rejected by the original “author.”
Children can make up stories about events or happenings they have shared with grandparents and give them to grandparents as gifts for special occasions. Creating greeting cards drawn and written by them become precious mementos for grandparents, aunts, and uncles, especially if they are about their grandparents’ homes, trips taken, or pets.
You might even get the whole family involved by putting a notebook in a special location in your home. Drafting a story starter or one suggested by one of the members of your family, have each person write what can happen next. Share this “made-up” story at your family dinner later in the week.
Mary Amato shares more ideas on how to encourage your children to write on the website www.readingrockets.org. Your children might even share or publish their stories on websites such as imagineforest.com.
Mental Health for Your Children
Even if the goal is academic, when we teach young people emotional skills, social skills, we see
better mental health. Shimi Kang
If we want our children to succeed in life, there are social and emotional skills we must teach them. As parents and caregivers, our time is important, but taking time to help children learn to control and use their feelings and emotions properly in society is worth every minute of our time. Children need to learn coping strategies so they can handle the problematic situations they encounter as they grow. This generation is growing up with tech time, but not parent time.
Children who feel like they can’t do things or are not good enough or that they are not worth anything experience mood swings, loss of pleasure and poor concentration. These feelings are made worse by a tech-based society in which children experience social isolation and disconnection.
Social and emotional skills parents/caregivers are expected to teach at home include the following: self and impulse control, expressing their feelings with words, being able to listen and pay attention, asking for help when needed, being aware of other people’s feelings and having pride in their accomplishments, (www.danvilleschools.net)
Impulse control is one of the skills with which we can help our children. Children cannot be aggressive toward others, destroy others property, or be mean to their animals. They cannot be allowed to act compulsively. Children must get enough sleep which may be the reason for their out-of-control behavior. If parents notice that there are certain situations or actions that trigger undesirable reactions, they should also help their children’s teachers be aware and seek professional help from teachers, school counselors, or family doctors if necessary. Helping children control their emotions and impulses demands parent and caregiver direction and time.
Mastery of impulse is all about self-discipline and choice. The mind is a powerful tool with which we have the ability to be in control of ourselves. Alaric Hurchinson
Children need balance in their lives which parents and caregivers can give. Creating routines, providing the right amount of nourishment in the form of fruits and vegetables with fewer calorie-rich snacks, limiting the amount of time children are on screen, providing time for physical activity, enough sleep, and family time at meals and conversations are needed for children to grow successfully and to achieve in their studies. Listen to your children in order to help them.
You are always responsible for how you act, no matter how you feel. Anonymous
Ways to be a Tech-savvy Parent
Parents and caregivers, have courage! You are the first generation to supervise cyber children!
It is a giant task because what your children are doing on their smartphones, iPads, or Chromebooks, is so familiar to them. They know how to manipulate all the keys and icons; they know the language of their peers; they see much that they don’t need to see because they are curious about certain websites or blogs that may be dangerous for them. They enjoy chatting, even if they do not know with whom they are communicating.
Parents themselves need to model and practice good social media skills. Some adults often model bad mobile usage habits like sending a message while they are driving or talking too loud or using language their young children do not need to hear or imitate.
Parents can control the ages and time at which they allow their children to have and use cell phones.
I find myself worrying most that when we hand our children phones, we are stealing their boredom from them...raising writers who will never start writing, artists who will never start doodling, chefs who will never make a mess in the kitchen... Glennon Doyle
According to Debbie Gordon in Today’s Parent? “Are you a digitally savvy parent?" --
Establishing rules for how children handle tech in your family is key to their safe use of devices. She suggests reading and gaming time must be equal; homework first, then chores, then tech time; no sites that require the posting of personal information. By using Canada 411, anyone can find your home address or alter passwords pretending to be your children. Your children must get your approval before entering contests because such sites require loads of personal information.
Your children must understand that social networks are not a parent-free zone. Digital respect and safety include the parent’s right and responsibility to go behind their children’s backs to regularly check for safety and privacy. Your young children may only play on sites you have bookmarked for them. Your older children must show you settings on YouTube and social-networking sites respecting age limits and discussions that are appropriate for them. If you need to use your devices to check, try nortonsafeweb.com or mywot.com
You as parents or caregivers need to limit the time your children spend on screen. When children use technology without a break, other activities suffer. Children need time for face-to-face socialization, exercise and outdoor play. They need time for healthy meals with your family. You must also insist that there are no phones or digital devices in their rooms at night so that your children get adequate sleep.
Take time to enjoy the technology and games with your children. Involve your children in creating rules and consequences around technology so that they are more motivated to follow the rules. Have no-media days when none of you use your devices unless necessary.
Technology is a great tool that can help the younger generation achieve success in the future. Allie Cooper
But only if you supervise it.