After a foundation is laid, you will need to add a strong structure to fortify their growth.
Enjoy the bi-weekly articles below.
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.
Enjoy the bi-weekly articles below.
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.
A HAPPY MEAL for Your Family
Sharing a meal together should be an enjoyable time for you and your children, especially now when even school is upsetting. A meal that you can prepare and serve at home with the help of your children gives you satisfaction, valuable time together and time to share and get to know one another. Plan your meals ahead of time even with your children.
Alisha (yourkid’stable.com) offers some guidelines to make your meals a welcome addition to your family schedule.
Create a No Phone Zone. No phones, tablets, TV or other screens are to be allowed at the table. Make or purchase an attractive basket in which to park your tech at mealtime after you have turned off your screens. Neither Dad, Mom, or other family members are to answer phones while your family is eating.
Set the table. Having your children help you set the table not only teaches them placement of plates, silverware, glasses and napkins, but to pause other activities for time to eat.
Turn on the music. You might choose soft music to play in the background while you are eating. Maybe some piano or jazz would be better choices than rap or hip-hop. You could even use the beginning of the music as a signal to your family that their meal is ready. Music that is pleasant to listen to may keep your children calm and ready to sit at the table a little longer.
Sing a song or give thanks. This is also a ritual that should be consistent. Your children will associate this with the beginning of their meal and will make the transition from their previous activity easier. My grandson had become accustomed to beginning his meal at home with a little verse - “God is great. God is good. Now we thank him for our food. Amen.” Even though we were having a family meal at a restaurant, we all had to say this before we could eat.
Pass the potatoes. Allow your children to serve themselves from pots or serving dishes. This gives them the feeling of control and encourages them to try a “little” of each food served.
Start a conversation. Encourage each of your children to share by asking “What would you rather do...?” questions. Would you rather fly or become invisible? Talking about school-age children’s “highs and lows” of the day might also be a choice. This also reinforces the community aspect of sharing and eating together.
It's important to be consistent in establishing meals as family time so they become a habit that all your family looks forward to, especially now when an anchor is needed. Be patient and keep trying.
Summer Writing to Grow Creativity
Creativity is the central element that sets humans apart from other forms of life on earth. Dr. Kenneth Robinson
One of the most important jobs of parents as a summer teacher is to create an environment that nurtures creativity, innovativeness, perseverance and true grit without the restrictions of time and scheduling that the school year provides. Children should be free to explore their environment within secure boundaries and that is, within their own family.
By writing their thoughts and memories down, children will remember and be able to recall them later as they are asked to write for assignments in school.
Children should grow in creativity and be able to use it in their writing. Writing their reaction or thoughts to activities they participate in this summer and/or recording their actions in a journal or diary keeps their spelling and vocabulary as useful learning tools. Children can write reminder notes for you and themselves. Writing notes to send to friends and cousins brings joy to both the sender and the receiver.
Besides, handwriting is good for their developing brains. Handwriting helps children focus and uses both their left and right brain. It calms and centers their mind and builds their literacy skills as they write down and react to books they are reading this summer. By writing them down, they may discover a favorite author. They may not agree with the ending of the books they are reading. Using their writing ability, they can predict or change the ending to one more satisfactory for them. They might even write a play based on a book.
Writing down non-fiction books they read leads them to other books on the same subject for them to learn more or compare the information they need to grow their knowledge of a subject that interests them.
Handwriting is a valuable skill for children and should be grown along with keyboarding skills.
Goin' on a Scavenger Hunt!
Have you ever had the opportunity to go on a scavenger hunt? Did you like the challenge of finding different objects? Did you go alone or with friends?
A scavenger hunt is a game in which organizers prepare a list of specific items for one or more persons to find, not buy. The person or group who finds all the items first is the winner.
In the summer heat, many parents may be wondering what they can do to keep their children occupied (instead of video games) when children must be inside much of the time. When the children finish their chores, try a scavenger hunt!
www.fatherly.com/play/activities/scavengerhuntclues/ has “64 Scavenger Hunt Clues to Keep Kids Busy in Quarantine.” Some ideas on this site are something you can use to carry things, something soft (or hard), something that smells good (or bad), something spiky or something you can see through (or not see through).
goodhousekeeping.com has “22 Fun Scavenger Hunt Ideas to Keep Your Kids Guessing.” Some of these are Stay-at-Home Scavenger Hunt, Things-I-Love Scavenger Hunt, Secret Code Scavenger Hunt (for siblings to work together). Scavenger hunts can be outdoors also; art or flashlight scavenger hunts may provide challenge and entertainment.
Scavenger hunts (also called treasure hunts) should be a workout for the brain with hints that require some thinking (www.thespruce.com) Rhyming ideas or riddles provide time to figure out what the object is. “I have four legs, but I don’t have feet. I come in handy when it’s time to eat.” or “I’m filled with feathers or other soft fluff. To sleep without me can be quite tough.” Such objects can easily be brought for confirmation of the actual object. There are 28 more rhymes for you to consider if you can’t think of ones on your own. This website also suggests scavenger ideas for tweens and sleepovers.
Scavenger hunts give parents or an older sibling a chance to be creative. These games also give the parents time to do their own work or have some quiet time. Children can find these things mostly on their own and develop their problem-solving skills while they figure out what they need to find.. You may need to give an incentive, like extra screen time, if they are the first to find all the objects.
Sharing a meal together should be an enjoyable time for you and your children, especially now when even school is upsetting. A meal that you can prepare and serve at home with the help of your children gives you satisfaction, valuable time together and time to share and get to know one another. Plan your meals ahead of time even with your children.
Alisha (yourkid’stable.com) offers some guidelines to make your meals a welcome addition to your family schedule.
Create a No Phone Zone. No phones, tablets, TV or other screens are to be allowed at the table. Make or purchase an attractive basket in which to park your tech at mealtime after you have turned off your screens. Neither Dad, Mom, or other family members are to answer phones while your family is eating.
Set the table. Having your children help you set the table not only teaches them placement of plates, silverware, glasses and napkins, but to pause other activities for time to eat.
Turn on the music. You might choose soft music to play in the background while you are eating. Maybe some piano or jazz would be better choices than rap or hip-hop. You could even use the beginning of the music as a signal to your family that their meal is ready. Music that is pleasant to listen to may keep your children calm and ready to sit at the table a little longer.
Sing a song or give thanks. This is also a ritual that should be consistent. Your children will associate this with the beginning of their meal and will make the transition from their previous activity easier. My grandson had become accustomed to beginning his meal at home with a little verse - “God is great. God is good. Now we thank him for our food. Amen.” Even though we were having a family meal at a restaurant, we all had to say this before we could eat.
Pass the potatoes. Allow your children to serve themselves from pots or serving dishes. This gives them the feeling of control and encourages them to try a “little” of each food served.
Start a conversation. Encourage each of your children to share by asking “What would you rather do...?” questions. Would you rather fly or become invisible? Talking about school-age children’s “highs and lows” of the day might also be a choice. This also reinforces the community aspect of sharing and eating together.
It's important to be consistent in establishing meals as family time so they become a habit that all your family looks forward to, especially now when an anchor is needed. Be patient and keep trying.
Summer Writing to Grow Creativity
Creativity is the central element that sets humans apart from other forms of life on earth. Dr. Kenneth Robinson
One of the most important jobs of parents as a summer teacher is to create an environment that nurtures creativity, innovativeness, perseverance and true grit without the restrictions of time and scheduling that the school year provides. Children should be free to explore their environment within secure boundaries and that is, within their own family.
By writing their thoughts and memories down, children will remember and be able to recall them later as they are asked to write for assignments in school.
Children should grow in creativity and be able to use it in their writing. Writing their reaction or thoughts to activities they participate in this summer and/or recording their actions in a journal or diary keeps their spelling and vocabulary as useful learning tools. Children can write reminder notes for you and themselves. Writing notes to send to friends and cousins brings joy to both the sender and the receiver.
Besides, handwriting is good for their developing brains. Handwriting helps children focus and uses both their left and right brain. It calms and centers their mind and builds their literacy skills as they write down and react to books they are reading this summer. By writing them down, they may discover a favorite author. They may not agree with the ending of the books they are reading. Using their writing ability, they can predict or change the ending to one more satisfactory for them. They might even write a play based on a book.
Writing down non-fiction books they read leads them to other books on the same subject for them to learn more or compare the information they need to grow their knowledge of a subject that interests them.
Handwriting is a valuable skill for children and should be grown along with keyboarding skills.
Goin' on a Scavenger Hunt!
Have you ever had the opportunity to go on a scavenger hunt? Did you like the challenge of finding different objects? Did you go alone or with friends?
A scavenger hunt is a game in which organizers prepare a list of specific items for one or more persons to find, not buy. The person or group who finds all the items first is the winner.
In the summer heat, many parents may be wondering what they can do to keep their children occupied (instead of video games) when children must be inside much of the time. When the children finish their chores, try a scavenger hunt!
www.fatherly.com/play/activities/scavengerhuntclues/ has “64 Scavenger Hunt Clues to Keep Kids Busy in Quarantine.” Some ideas on this site are something you can use to carry things, something soft (or hard), something that smells good (or bad), something spiky or something you can see through (or not see through).
goodhousekeeping.com has “22 Fun Scavenger Hunt Ideas to Keep Your Kids Guessing.” Some of these are Stay-at-Home Scavenger Hunt, Things-I-Love Scavenger Hunt, Secret Code Scavenger Hunt (for siblings to work together). Scavenger hunts can be outdoors also; art or flashlight scavenger hunts may provide challenge and entertainment.
Scavenger hunts (also called treasure hunts) should be a workout for the brain with hints that require some thinking (www.thespruce.com) Rhyming ideas or riddles provide time to figure out what the object is. “I have four legs, but I don’t have feet. I come in handy when it’s time to eat.” or “I’m filled with feathers or other soft fluff. To sleep without me can be quite tough.” Such objects can easily be brought for confirmation of the actual object. There are 28 more rhymes for you to consider if you can’t think of ones on your own. This website also suggests scavenger ideas for tweens and sleepovers.
Scavenger hunts give parents or an older sibling a chance to be creative. These games also give the parents time to do their own work or have some quiet time. Children can find these things mostly on their own and develop their problem-solving skills while they figure out what they need to find.. You may need to give an incentive, like extra screen time, if they are the first to find all the objects.