After a foundation is laid, you will need to add a strong structure to fortify their growth.
Articles are updated frequently.
These sections are organized by age level, but the information is not restricted to that age group. 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 restricted to that age group. Consider looking at other age ranges as well. Also, make sure to check out the Archives.
Happy Handwriting Foundation for Happy Kids
Our handwriting and our children’s handwriting tell much about us. It begins with the little scribbles as your children model what they see you doing as you write your grocery list or reminders. Cursive handwriting can tell your personality, state of mind, traumatic events, hand-eye coordination, and even bone structure in the way you hold your pen or pencil.
Children who handwrite are better, more creative writers when they master handwriting as an automatic and comfortable skill. (learningwithouttears.com) They can write with speed and ease in all subjects and are able to generate more ideas. Handwriting promotes increased activity in the writing and reading areas in the brain. Handwriting helps in overall literacy development.
I like the process of pencil and paper as opposed to a machine. I think the writing is better when it’s done in handwriting. Nelson DeMille
Modern technology forces children to type, thus lessening penmanship skills. Young children need to write and sound the letters as they print. First, they need to hold their pencils correctly. With their index finger and thumb, they should hold the pencil against their middle finger.
Switching to keyboarding before children have developed handwriting skills may reduce their ability to recognize letters. Edutopia.com
Once children have learned to print their letters and write words, they can copy poems as one way to practice. Becky at www.thisreadingmama.com/poetry-copywork-pages) has copywork pages for younger children to practice reading comprehension, visualization, rhyming and fluency in reading. Copying longer poems gives older children practice in figurative language and making inferences (describing something without telling exactly what it is) as well as in reading comprehension and fluency.
There are other ways to help your children practice their handwriting also. They can write items you need to shop for. They can write reminders to you and for you to put on your refrigerator or family bulletin board. They can write thank you notes to teachers, relatives, community helpers and friends. Like my daughters, they can write their feelings to you when you are too busy to listen to them.
Handwriting is a useful skill when your childen do not have a computer or iPad in their hands.
CC for Reluctant Readers
A rapidly growing number of children, from preschool to grade school have improved their reading and listening comprehension, word recognition and vocabulary by using closed captioning during their TV viewing. Tm McMahon
Closed captioning enables viewers to read the words spoken on a TV show as they are displayed on the screen. Closed captioning is available not only on TV, but on computer screens also. It is frequently used as a choice for YouTube videos.
This is a multisensory approach to reading comprehension that has been found beneficial to children struggling to read as much as to adults struggling to hear. It is a method that may work with slow or reluctant readers because they can hear the words, see the words as captions and experience the meaning of the words by watching the action on the screen.
Because of their living in a three-generation household, one mother felt that her kindergarten child had developed excellent reading habits as a result of their use of captioned television.
Even toddlers can be introduced to the concept of print by seeing videos and TV that is closed captioned. Foundational reading skills, such as phonics, word recognition and fluency are enhanced for beginning readers when closed captioning is turned on for TV and videos. Growing readers with closed captioning is entertaining and children grasp the meaning of words used intuitively.
Some captions might even be in Spanish which would be helpful to those learning English as a second language as well as those seeking to learn useful Spanish.
Closed captioning was first used on PBS for their children’s show “3-2-1-Contact.” Now, it is available for viewing Sesame Street which is the longest running captioned children’s program.
Sometimes the captioning may move too rapidly across the screen or be a distraction to some viewers but if closed captioning is left on, eventually adults and children will become accustomed to the rhythm of the movement of words. The picture on the TV is helpful to all attempting to read the words and provides valuable clues to the meaning of words and emotions of those speaking or moving in the picture.
Another innovative resource for your reluctant readers is through audiobooks. www.learningally.org provides human-read audiobooks to build stronger reading habits—reading stamina and fluency, strengthen comprehension, critical thinking and vocabulary. Learning Ally provides a new level of access to knowledge.
Reading skills to be developed through closed captioning and audiobooks are reading speed and fluency, word recognition and knowledge, decoding, vocabulary, reading comprehension and the rate and expression of oral reading.
Why not take advantage of these wonderful learning tools?
Help Your Children be Above Average
Keep your feet on the ground, but let your heart soar as high as it will. Refuse to be average. Arthur Helps
When you love your children, you want the best for them. Mediocrity has become accepted as the norm and people who have tried to excel in any endeavor have been looked upon as odd or pushy. (Florence Littauer in her book It Takes so Little to be Above Average.) No wonder our children are sometimes not even working up to their potential. They are so susceptible to others’ opinions.
When they are home learning with you on their computers or iPads, you have a super chance to continue to help them become their best, not worry about the opinions of others.
The hardest struggle of all is to be something different from what the average man is. Robert H. Schuller
You can push them or encourage them, but you can also motivate them. You can help them set goals for their learning. The goal need not be difficult. Start with small steps and increase as their knowledge grows. It may be as simple as writing a sentence correctly with the right spelling and punctuation or memorizing their times tables.
Successful students are not afraid of hard work. They attempt to do their best in all things. They question, then research more to answer their questions. They seek challenges and take risks. They put above average effort in whatever they choose. They think before they choose. They consider all sides.
Plant the seeds of learning in your children by showing them how to do things and then letting them try on their own. Provide them with books instead of video games. Be sure they have a globe, an atlas, a dictionary, and a thesaurus. Teach them mindfulness, to keep their attention on the present task. If their mind or attention seems to wander or they get antsy on their computers, give them a short break.
If you model being curious about how things happen and how they work, your children will follow. Before you open your mouth, children can sense your attitude. If you have a good attitude toward learning, it will go a long way in motivating your children to learn. A little imagination and thinking aloud can show them how attractive learning anything can be. Watch that they have secured the basic skills needed to learn. Without the proper tools, they cannot do the job. Follow through and practice, practice, practice.
In play, a child is always above his average age, above his daily behavior; in play, it is as though he were a head taller th than himself. Lev Vygotsky
If children are above average in how the play, help them to be above average in how they learn. Encourage them to aim high, to prepare for the future even if they cannot see the target.
Use their time, and yours, to find a better way by learning all they can now to become the leaders of tomorrow.
Our handwriting and our children’s handwriting tell much about us. It begins with the little scribbles as your children model what they see you doing as you write your grocery list or reminders. Cursive handwriting can tell your personality, state of mind, traumatic events, hand-eye coordination, and even bone structure in the way you hold your pen or pencil.
Children who handwrite are better, more creative writers when they master handwriting as an automatic and comfortable skill. (learningwithouttears.com) They can write with speed and ease in all subjects and are able to generate more ideas. Handwriting promotes increased activity in the writing and reading areas in the brain. Handwriting helps in overall literacy development.
I like the process of pencil and paper as opposed to a machine. I think the writing is better when it’s done in handwriting. Nelson DeMille
Modern technology forces children to type, thus lessening penmanship skills. Young children need to write and sound the letters as they print. First, they need to hold their pencils correctly. With their index finger and thumb, they should hold the pencil against their middle finger.
Switching to keyboarding before children have developed handwriting skills may reduce their ability to recognize letters. Edutopia.com
Once children have learned to print their letters and write words, they can copy poems as one way to practice. Becky at www.thisreadingmama.com/poetry-copywork-pages) has copywork pages for younger children to practice reading comprehension, visualization, rhyming and fluency in reading. Copying longer poems gives older children practice in figurative language and making inferences (describing something without telling exactly what it is) as well as in reading comprehension and fluency.
There are other ways to help your children practice their handwriting also. They can write items you need to shop for. They can write reminders to you and for you to put on your refrigerator or family bulletin board. They can write thank you notes to teachers, relatives, community helpers and friends. Like my daughters, they can write their feelings to you when you are too busy to listen to them.
Handwriting is a useful skill when your childen do not have a computer or iPad in their hands.
CC for Reluctant Readers
A rapidly growing number of children, from preschool to grade school have improved their reading and listening comprehension, word recognition and vocabulary by using closed captioning during their TV viewing. Tm McMahon
Closed captioning enables viewers to read the words spoken on a TV show as they are displayed on the screen. Closed captioning is available not only on TV, but on computer screens also. It is frequently used as a choice for YouTube videos.
This is a multisensory approach to reading comprehension that has been found beneficial to children struggling to read as much as to adults struggling to hear. It is a method that may work with slow or reluctant readers because they can hear the words, see the words as captions and experience the meaning of the words by watching the action on the screen.
Because of their living in a three-generation household, one mother felt that her kindergarten child had developed excellent reading habits as a result of their use of captioned television.
Even toddlers can be introduced to the concept of print by seeing videos and TV that is closed captioned. Foundational reading skills, such as phonics, word recognition and fluency are enhanced for beginning readers when closed captioning is turned on for TV and videos. Growing readers with closed captioning is entertaining and children grasp the meaning of words used intuitively.
Some captions might even be in Spanish which would be helpful to those learning English as a second language as well as those seeking to learn useful Spanish.
Closed captioning was first used on PBS for their children’s show “3-2-1-Contact.” Now, it is available for viewing Sesame Street which is the longest running captioned children’s program.
Sometimes the captioning may move too rapidly across the screen or be a distraction to some viewers but if closed captioning is left on, eventually adults and children will become accustomed to the rhythm of the movement of words. The picture on the TV is helpful to all attempting to read the words and provides valuable clues to the meaning of words and emotions of those speaking or moving in the picture.
Another innovative resource for your reluctant readers is through audiobooks. www.learningally.org provides human-read audiobooks to build stronger reading habits—reading stamina and fluency, strengthen comprehension, critical thinking and vocabulary. Learning Ally provides a new level of access to knowledge.
Reading skills to be developed through closed captioning and audiobooks are reading speed and fluency, word recognition and knowledge, decoding, vocabulary, reading comprehension and the rate and expression of oral reading.
Why not take advantage of these wonderful learning tools?
Help Your Children be Above Average
Keep your feet on the ground, but let your heart soar as high as it will. Refuse to be average. Arthur Helps
When you love your children, you want the best for them. Mediocrity has become accepted as the norm and people who have tried to excel in any endeavor have been looked upon as odd or pushy. (Florence Littauer in her book It Takes so Little to be Above Average.) No wonder our children are sometimes not even working up to their potential. They are so susceptible to others’ opinions.
When they are home learning with you on their computers or iPads, you have a super chance to continue to help them become their best, not worry about the opinions of others.
The hardest struggle of all is to be something different from what the average man is. Robert H. Schuller
You can push them or encourage them, but you can also motivate them. You can help them set goals for their learning. The goal need not be difficult. Start with small steps and increase as their knowledge grows. It may be as simple as writing a sentence correctly with the right spelling and punctuation or memorizing their times tables.
Successful students are not afraid of hard work. They attempt to do their best in all things. They question, then research more to answer their questions. They seek challenges and take risks. They put above average effort in whatever they choose. They think before they choose. They consider all sides.
Plant the seeds of learning in your children by showing them how to do things and then letting them try on their own. Provide them with books instead of video games. Be sure they have a globe, an atlas, a dictionary, and a thesaurus. Teach them mindfulness, to keep their attention on the present task. If their mind or attention seems to wander or they get antsy on their computers, give them a short break.
If you model being curious about how things happen and how they work, your children will follow. Before you open your mouth, children can sense your attitude. If you have a good attitude toward learning, it will go a long way in motivating your children to learn. A little imagination and thinking aloud can show them how attractive learning anything can be. Watch that they have secured the basic skills needed to learn. Without the proper tools, they cannot do the job. Follow through and practice, practice, practice.
In play, a child is always above his average age, above his daily behavior; in play, it is as though he were a head taller th than himself. Lev Vygotsky
If children are above average in how the play, help them to be above average in how they learn. Encourage them to aim high, to prepare for the future even if they cannot see the target.
Use their time, and yours, to find a better way by learning all they can now to become the leaders of tomorrow.