Summary
Know your child’s curriculum and reinforce it at home with fun activities, promoting homework, reading together, and more.
Teachers work hard to give children a good education during the school day. Is that enough for your child? Here are some things you can do at home to boost your child’s learning.
Find the fun in learning
Know your child’s curriculum and reinforce it at home. Each grade level’s content is likely to include core courses such as language arts, math, science, and social studies. The teacher can provide a list of grade-specific skills and monthly units that your child will be working on. If you don’t know where to start, ask the teacher for ideas. Be sure to choose activities that fit your family’s interests. Perhaps you can start in the kitchen. Baking cookies together can be a tasty way to teach math skills:
- Talk about measurements as you prepare the dough.
- Count the cookies as you place them on the tray.
- Teach multiplication by comparing rows: 4 x 6 and 6 x 4 both equal 24
- Teach division when it’s time to eat the cookies: 24 cookies divided by a family of 6 =?
The whole family can think up fun, creative ways to explore a school subject. You know what’s best for your learner as well as what’s available in your area, but here are a few more suggestions:
- Language arts—Teach a new vocabulary word each night at dinner.
- Science—Plant a flower in a window pot or collect/identify bugs together.
- Social studies—Visit local museums and historic sites.
- Fine arts—Take your child to plays and concerts.
- Technology—Play games, use apps, look at trusted websites together
The power of the word
Teach your child to love reading and you’re off to a great start! Read to younger children daily. As you read, point to pictures, follow the text with your finger and ask the child to identify pictures.
Encourage older children to read to their younger siblings. Schedule family reading time for 30 minutes on the weekend. Read the newspaper or magazines together. Visit the library regularly.
Homework is not optional
Teachers already provide a way to extend learning beyond the school day—it’s called homework! Most schools are very structured. There are regular schedules and routines. Children have assigned seats at desks or tables. There are rules to follow. Try to create a homework space at home similar to school. If possible, set aside a homework desk or table stocked with school supplies. Also, designate a daily homework time and stick to it!
Be positive
As homework piles up and tests get more challenging, support your child. Be encouraging about learning. You may not always see the relevance in a school subject or assignment. Just remind your child that learning how to learn opens the door for all sorts of fun and adventure.
Summary
Know your child’s curriculum and reinforce it at home with fun activities, promoting homework, reading together, and more.
Teachers work hard to give children a good education during the school day. Is that enough for your child? Here are some things you can do at home to boost your child’s learning.
Find the fun in learning
Know your child’s curriculum and reinforce it at home. Each grade level’s content is likely to include core courses such as language arts, math, science, and social studies. The teacher can provide a list of grade-specific skills and monthly units that your child will be working on. If you don’t know where to start, ask the teacher for ideas. Be sure to choose activities that fit your family’s interests. Perhaps you can start in the kitchen. Baking cookies together can be a tasty way to teach math skills:
- Talk about measurements as you prepare the dough.
- Count the cookies as you place them on the tray.
- Teach multiplication by comparing rows: 4 x 6 and 6 x 4 both equal 24
- Teach division when it’s time to eat the cookies: 24 cookies divided by a family of 6 =?
The whole family can think up fun, creative ways to explore a school subject. You know what’s best for your learner as well as what’s available in your area, but here are a few more suggestions:
- Language arts—Teach a new vocabulary word each night at dinner.
- Science—Plant a flower in a window pot or collect/identify bugs together.
- Social studies—Visit local museums and historic sites.
- Fine arts—Take your child to plays and concerts.
- Technology—Play games, use apps, look at trusted websites together
The power of the word
Teach your child to love reading and you’re off to a great start! Read to younger children daily. As you read, point to pictures, follow the text with your finger and ask the child to identify pictures.
Encourage older children to read to their younger siblings. Schedule family reading time for 30 minutes on the weekend. Read the newspaper or magazines together. Visit the library regularly.
Homework is not optional
Teachers already provide a way to extend learning beyond the school day—it’s called homework! Most schools are very structured. There are regular schedules and routines. Children have assigned seats at desks or tables. There are rules to follow. Try to create a homework space at home similar to school. If possible, set aside a homework desk or table stocked with school supplies. Also, designate a daily homework time and stick to it!
Be positive
As homework piles up and tests get more challenging, support your child. Be encouraging about learning. You may not always see the relevance in a school subject or assignment. Just remind your child that learning how to learn opens the door for all sorts of fun and adventure.
Summary
Know your child’s curriculum and reinforce it at home with fun activities, promoting homework, reading together, and more.
Teachers work hard to give children a good education during the school day. Is that enough for your child? Here are some things you can do at home to boost your child’s learning.
Find the fun in learning
Know your child’s curriculum and reinforce it at home. Each grade level’s content is likely to include core courses such as language arts, math, science, and social studies. The teacher can provide a list of grade-specific skills and monthly units that your child will be working on. If you don’t know where to start, ask the teacher for ideas. Be sure to choose activities that fit your family’s interests. Perhaps you can start in the kitchen. Baking cookies together can be a tasty way to teach math skills:
- Talk about measurements as you prepare the dough.
- Count the cookies as you place them on the tray.
- Teach multiplication by comparing rows: 4 x 6 and 6 x 4 both equal 24
- Teach division when it’s time to eat the cookies: 24 cookies divided by a family of 6 =?
The whole family can think up fun, creative ways to explore a school subject. You know what’s best for your learner as well as what’s available in your area, but here are a few more suggestions:
- Language arts—Teach a new vocabulary word each night at dinner.
- Science—Plant a flower in a window pot or collect/identify bugs together.
- Social studies—Visit local museums and historic sites.
- Fine arts—Take your child to plays and concerts.
- Technology—Play games, use apps, look at trusted websites together
The power of the word
Teach your child to love reading and you’re off to a great start! Read to younger children daily. As you read, point to pictures, follow the text with your finger and ask the child to identify pictures.
Encourage older children to read to their younger siblings. Schedule family reading time for 30 minutes on the weekend. Read the newspaper or magazines together. Visit the library regularly.
Homework is not optional
Teachers already provide a way to extend learning beyond the school day—it’s called homework! Most schools are very structured. There are regular schedules and routines. Children have assigned seats at desks or tables. There are rules to follow. Try to create a homework space at home similar to school. If possible, set aside a homework desk or table stocked with school supplies. Also, designate a daily homework time and stick to it!
Be positive
As homework piles up and tests get more challenging, support your child. Be encouraging about learning. You may not always see the relevance in a school subject or assignment. Just remind your child that learning how to learn opens the door for all sorts of fun and adventure.