by Stephanie Partridge
I personally think I have some of the neatest kids in the world. They are intelligent, friendly, articulate, compassionate and fun. As they swiftly approach adulthood, we are drawn into new and challenging situations that sometimes push me to my limit. I must admit, there are days that I long for a return to the toddler days. They were tough at times then, but in retrospect we had many years ahead of us, a lifetime it seemed. Now I am preparing my teens to leave the nest. Where have the years gone? I sit with my 17 year old daughter as we discuss, gasp! College.
How did we get here so quickly? Just yesterday she was an adorable little girl with bright, wide green eyes and a mop of curly honey colored hair. It seemed that she never stopped talking and she was into everything. Now as she sits with me, she is beautiful, still the same bright green eyes, her hair is darker, a little straighter and much longer. She still has that always ready smile and easy laugh, so full of joy. I watch her, her eyes dancing as she looks at her options for college. My baby girl is going to college! More on The Great College Search
If you are seeking summer reading recommendations for kids, this article may help to assist you in discovering some great reading materials for kids. All too often this is a challenging task for parents. The good news is, it does not have to be! There are several resources both online and offline to assist you in creating a summer reading program that can be beneficial for children of all ages. To make things a little easier, we will try to highlight valuable information that your family can use to make reading the highlight of your summer!
Instilling a Sense of Excitement for Reading
Prior to starting a summer reading program, it is absolutely essential that you know and understand the importance of instilling a sense of excitement for reading in your child. Whether your child is five or fifteen, there are many things that you can do as a parent to ensure that they develop a sense of value in exploring the written word. The following represents some of these ideas:
Filed under Reading Skills by More4kids
by Angie Shiflett
Teaching the autistic child or homeschooler can be quite a challenge. This disorder is considered to be “neurobiological” in nature. When a child experiences autism, the skills that are social, physical, mental, and even those that are directly related to language are often affected. While this condition is most often diagnosed in boys, girls can suffer from the condition as well. If you are a learning coach for your child, and you homeschool your child, you will likely face numerous challenges on a daily basis. However, as disheartening as it may sometimes seem, it is completely possible to be successful in teaching the autistic child.
What Is Autism?
Autism is considered to be one of “Pervasive Developmental Disorders” that impact the ability to properly develop. This is actually a very complex condition that generally comes out in the early years of a child’s life. In cases of autism, the brain of the child does not function appropriately. As a result, it is extremely difficult for the child to communicate appropriately, socialize in an appropriate fashion, and even learn according to the stages of development. Studies have indicated that for every 150 births that occur, there will be at least one child that is diagnosed with autism – although it may not occur until several years after birth.
Teaching Tips
1. If your child is autistic, it is absolutely essential that you obtain teaching tips from the doctor that sees your child on a regular basis. The doctor may even be able to refer your child to a specialist that is noted in working with and tutoring children with autism. Your doctor and any referrals to specialists can prove to be a valuable resource if you are the learning coach of an autistic child.
Filed under Homeschooling by More4kids
by Angie Shiflett
Building confidence in your homeschooler is an essential component to instilling success in the child. It has been established that the child who has a high level of confidence will excel in the area of academics, socialization, and emotional intellect. As a parent who interacts with their child on a continuous basis, it is important that you know and understand the value of assisting your child achieve a positive sense of self – not only in the homeschool classroom, but other areas of the child’s life as well! Here, I will provide some effective strategies for building confidence in your homeschooler.
Knowing What NOT To Do
In order to learn the things that you should do when it comes to helping your child develop confidence, knowing what NOT to do is essential. The first thing that you should avoid at all costs is negativity. This is negativity in response to their actions, the actions of others, and even the actions of yourself. Children often reflect ideas, thoughts, and behaviors that are exhibited in their environment. For example, if you slip up and refer to a child who attends a public school as making a “stupid” mistake by failing a test that could have been studied for, and your homeschooler slips up and does not take the time to study and does the same, they may automatically believe that they, too, have made a “stupid” mistake. Be sure to remain positive in every single way that you can. More on Building Confidence in Your Homeschooler
Filed under Homeschooling, Learning Skills by More4kids
When your child brings home that report card showing grades that are less than great, sometimes it's difficult to know what to do. Do you act like it doesn't matter, have a long discussion with your child about the importance of grades, or automatically punish them for having bad grades? While all of these may seem to be tempting options, it's important that you actually work with your child to help them start improving their grades. Bad grades can be a result of a variety of problems.
Your child may have trouble paying attention, they may be a bit lazy and may not be doing their work, or they may be having trouble grasping the concepts that they are learning in school. No matter the reason that your child is dealing with bad grades, here are some helpful tips for parents that will help you work with your child to improve their grades.
Tip #1 - Remember Your Child May Not Learn Like You Do
The first thing you need to do is remember that your child may not learn like you do. You may find math easy and have a very analytical mind, but your child may have a hard time grasping these concepts. If you try to help your child with the idea that they learn in the same way that you do, your attempts to help them succeed will probably end in disaster.
Filed under Learning, Learning Skills, News by More4kids
There are several different homeschool ideas for physical education. Unfortunately, many homeschool families place such an emphasis on the academic assignments that physical education is often neglected. If you homeschool your child, it is important to know and understand that each state has standards that children must meet according to grade level in the area of physical fitness and education. Here, I will provide you with some homeschool ideas for physical education.
Limbo Lights
Everyone loves the limbo! If you are looking for homeschool ideas for physical education, limbo lights are a great activity to pursue! This activity is best performed in a room that is dark. You do not have to worry about setting up any type of structure for this game. All you have to do is grab a flashlight, some music, and you are all set! Simply line up your homeschool students and get the music started! The beam of the flashlight serves as the “limbo bar”. Whoever gets hit by the beam is completely eliminated from the game. You may want to select a prize for the winner that makes the game more exciting.
Filed under Homeschooling by More4kids
If you are a parent that has been noticed low test scores in your child’s academic work, it may be time to learn how to help your child overcome test anxiety. This is especially true if you are certain that your child studied for the exam. In a typical school day, several students will experience at least a small bout of anxiety when it comes to testing to one degree or another. However, if this rolls over into general performance complications, it could be an indication that test anxiety is being experienced. In this educational how-to guide. Here are some strategies that can be used to successfully help your child overcome test anxiety.
Step 1:
There are many different things that can lead to the onset of test anxiety. Lacking in the area of preparation is often a major culprit. When a student is preparing for an exam, they should devote a certain amount of time each day to studying the material that the test will cover. Time management skills often play a large role when it comes to actually studying, and comprehending the material. If your child tends to procrastinate a little in this area, then attempts to absorb all the material in at once, it is quite likely that they will encounter anxiety when the actual test is put on their desk.
Filed under Education, Learning, Learning Skills by More4kids
by Angie Shiflett
Teaching your child how to effectively communicate with teachers is an essential in today’s educational environment. While the school has a set curriculum that it follows to educate your child, you also have the responsibility of teaching your children certain things. Then, there are those lessons that should be mutual between your home as well as the school. An example of one of these lessons is that of communicating effectively. In order to ensure the success of your child, it is important that you know the basics when it comes to teaching your child how to effectively communicate with teachers.
First and foremost, your child needs to understand that the teacher that they have is an adult and should be respected as such. Remind them that it is important to be polite and courteous at all times, even if they are frustrated or even angry at themselves, someone else, or the teacher directly. By doing this, you are teaching your child to carefully guard their words and truly think about what they want to say before they say it. Children who fail to carefully consider their words may put up a wall between them and their teachers, which can actually hinder successful communication.
There are a large number of beginning science experiments for the homeschooler. Parents should ensure that these types of projects are worked into the curriculum of the homeschool classroom because of the fact that these experiments enhance and develop the critical thinking skills, experimental curiosity skills, and basic research skills of the students in the home.
It is important to integrate these experiments as early as kindergarten. Science plays a large role in our day to day lives, and it is absolutely essential to provide both young and older students with the ability to work with it and excel in the subject. Here, I will provide some beginning science experiments for the homeschooler in the kindergarten to first grade bracket.
Rock Candy
Creating rock candy is a big hit among homeschoolers that are in kindergarten and the first grade level. You will need to gather a few supplies in order to do this project. The following will detail the essentials needed for one student. If you have multiple students, it is essential to ensure that increase the materials as appropriate:
Filed under Homeschool Activities, Projects by More4kids
by Kevin Heath
Creating a positive reading environment at home is an endeavor that each parent should have. This is an essential component to the educational growth and development of your child. There are many things that you can do as a parent to ensure that your child is enthusiastic when it comes to learning, specifically in the area of reading. In turn, the child will become proficient in reading, as well as other academic subjects that they introduced to. Here, I will offer some strategies that you can use in creating a positive reading environment at home!
Filed under Reading Skills by More4kids
by Angie Shiflett
Many homeschooling families face the challenge of teaching their child to read. While this is a very exciting time in both the life of the child and the parent, it can present some obstacles. If you are reading this article, you have probably already passed the stage of teaching your child the alphabet and how to recognize letters. Chances are, your child can even write a few letters – possibly even their name. Now, it is time to move on to the ever-popular sight words. You will learn important information regarding these words, and how to implement exciting games when teaching sight words. Whether or not you are a homeschool parent these games can be a great way to help your child learn to read.
Filed under Homeschool Activities, Homeschooling, Reading Skills by More4kids
