VOCABULARY VITAMINS

Research continually highlights the relationship between vocabulary and comprehension as children progress in school. We know that:

- Rapid vocabulary acquisition occurs in pre-literate years (before children can read)

- Vocabulary is strongly related to reading and thus school achievement

- Systematic and direct instruction can increase children’s vocabulary

Here are some simple, meaningful strategies to add to your “vocabulary vitamin” bottle.

Attendance
Have a class puppet that gives a password every day. For attendance, the children say the password instead of “here.” Use this chant to introduce the password:
Liberty, Liberty (or whatever your puppet is named),
Oh, what do you say?
What is the password for today?

Hint! Tally the number of times children use the word during the day.


Visor
Write the vocabulary word on an index card and tape it to a visor. One child is selected to be the “supervisor” of the day and wear the visor. The “supervisor” stands at the door every time you leave and classmates must say the word before they can exit.

Name Badge
Put the word in a name badge and wear it (or let a student wear it) all day.
When the teacher says:
“Right now! Right now! Right now! Right now!
Whisper the password out right now.”
Children say the word.
Children then find a partner and use the word in a sentence.

Say, Spell, Sign
Look at the dictionary on aslpro.com to learn how to sign vocabulary words.
1. Children say the password.
2. Children fingerspell the password.
3. Children sign the password.

HERE ARE SOME "VITAMINS" THAT YOU CAN SHARE WITH YOUR FAMILIES.  THANK YOU LAURA PEARSON FOR SHARING THIS MEANINGFUL INFORMATION!!!

How Parents Can Foster Lifelong Healthy Habits in Their Children

Parents of school-aged children often feel squeezed between busy schedules and big hopes for promoting lifelong health. At this age, child development challenges, growing independence, stronger peer influence, picky preferences, and screen-time battles, can turn everyday decisions into friction. The hard part is that healthy lifestyle habits aren’t built in a single “right” moment; they’re shaped quietly through repeated choices at home, at school, and on the go. With steady, realistic parenting strategies, families can raise kids who learn to choose health with confidence.

How Parents Shape Healthy Choices at Home

Healthy habits grow from the small choices kids repeat until they feel automatic. The process of habit formation turns repeated actions into defaults, and parents influence those defaults through guidance, routines, and expectations. Children also learn by watching, so your everyday behavior becomes a quiet lesson in decision-making.

This matters because willpower is unreliable for adults and kids alike. When the home makes nutritious food, movement, and sleep easier to choose, children rely less on arguments and reminders. Over time, they build confidence by practicing the same good choices in many settings.

Think of your house like a “choice map.” If water is visible, fruit is washed, and screens have clear limits, the healthy path has fewer speed bumps. If you model a short walk after dinner, kids start to see activity as normal. That same role modeling can extend into lifelong learning and a growth mindset through structured study in elementary education.

Model Growth: Show Kids How Adults Keep Learning

When kids see you making healthy choices at home, they also learn from how you keep growing and improving as an adult. Setting an example of lifelong learning can be as simple as furthering your own education: earning an online degree shows your child that learning doesn’t stop after school, and it can help you advance your career at the same time. If you’re drawn to working with children, pursuing an elementary education degree is one clear path, you can build the skills and qualifications needed to become a licensed teacher and make a positive difference in students’ lives (here’s a good overview).

Use This 10-Minute Daily Plan to Nudge Healthier Choices

A short, repeatable routine beats big bursts of motivation. Try this 10-minute “health reset” each day, same order, same cues, so your child sees you practicing what you’re learning, not just enforcing rules.

1. Do a 60-second “today’s food win” plan: Pick one small, concrete upgrade for the day, add a fruit to breakfast, swap water for one sugary drink, or include a veggie at dinner. Give your child limited choices so they feel in control: the grocery store “healthy options, let them choose” approach works at home, too. Keep it simple, one change you can actually repeat tomorrow.
2. Schedule a 5-minute “movement snack” (and join in): Put it on the day’s timeline like homework, right after school or before dinner. Rotate easy options: dance to two songs, a hallway relay, 20 bodyweight squats split into sets, or a brisk walk around the block. Kids copy what adults do, so treat it like your own practice habit, “I’m working on consistency,” not “You need exercise.”
3. Set one clear screen boundary for the next 24 hours: Choose a single rule you can enforce calmly, such as “screens after homework,” “no screens during meals,” or “devices charge in the kitchen.” You’re not fighting technology, you’re shaping the environment, which often reduces arguments. It helps to remember American children spending four to six hours per day on a device is common, so small limits can add up quickly.
4. Teach a 2-minute stress reset you can do anywhere: Stress management techniques don’t have to be complicated to work. Try “box breathing” together: inhale 4 seconds, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4, repeat four times. Use it before tests, sports, or tricky social moments, and name the skill like a learning goal: “We’re practicing how to calm our bodies.”
5. Add a 10-minute outdoor “green break” when possible: Aim for a short outdoor play window most days, backyard free play, a quick park loop, walking the dog, or sidewalk chalk. Outdoor play benefits often show up fast: kids tend to move more, argue less, and transition to homework or dinner more smoothly when they’ve had fresh air. If time is tight, stack it with something you already do, walk while you talk about the day.
6. End with a 60-second reflection and tomorrow’s tweak: At bedtime or after dinner, ask: “What felt easy today? What felt hard?” Pick one tiny adjustment for tomorrow (earlier snack, different movement time, clearer screen cue). This growth-mindset wrap-up keeps you out of power struggles and sets you up to handle pushback, lost motivation, or peer pressure with a plan instead of a lecture.

Healthy Habits Q&A Parents Ask Most

Q: How do I help when friends pressure my child to eat junk or skip exercise?
A: You are not overreacting. 90 percent of teens experienced peer pressure, so plan a simple script: “No thanks, I’m good. Want to do something else?” Role-play it in the car, then brainstorm two alternative options your child can suggest.

Q: What can I say when my child isn’t motivated at all?
A: Try: “I’m not asking for perfection, just one small try today.” Offer two doable choices and let them pick, then praise the follow-through, not the outcome. Motivation often shows up after a streak of small wins.

Q: How do I handle pushback without turning it into a power struggle?
A: Keep your voice calm and repeat a short boundary once: “I hear you. The plan stays.” Then shift to choices within the limit: “Do you want water with lemon or plain?”

Q: When should I worry that resistance is more than normal kid behavior?
A: If you see intense, frequent rule-breaking or aggression across settings, it can help to learn what externalizing behavior problems can look like and talk with a pediatrician or counselor. You are not labeling your child, you are getting support.

Q: What if we start strong and then the changes do not stick?
A: Expect lapses and treat them as data, not failure. Reset to the smallest version of the habit for three days, then rebuild slowly. Consistency beats intensity, especially during busy weeks.

Keep Healthy Habits Going With One Simple Family Routine

Even with the best intentions, it’s easy for healthy habits to get crowded out by busy schedules, peer pressure, and the occasional pushback at home. What helps most is the mindset of steady, sustained parental engagement, staying calm, curious, and consistent while reinforcing healthy choices without turning every moment into a debate. Over time, that approach builds trust, strengthens skills your child can use independently, and supports child wellbeing in ways that last beyond this season. Small, steady choices, repeated with warmth, build lifelong health. 

HOORAY FOR RECESS

Ask any child what their favorite thing at school is and without a moment's hesitation they will say, "RECESS!" Well, those kids in New Jersey should be happy because there is a new law that will "require public school districts to provide a daily recess period of at least 20 minutes for students in grades kindergarten through 5. The recess period would be required to be held outdoors, if feasible." I hope this is a sign that other states will follow!

Here is some valuable information from experts that confirms why recess should be an essential component of the school day.

In “Give Students Time to Play” Debbie Rhea explains:

Kids are built to move. Having more time for unstructured outdoor play is like handing them a reset button. It not only helps to break up their day, but it also allows them to blow off steam, while giving them an opportunity to move and redirect their energy to something more meaningful once they return to the classroom.

When a human sits for longer than about 20 minutes, the physiology of the brain and body changes. Gravity begins to pool blood into the hamstrings, robbing the brain of needed oxygen and glucose, or brain fuel. The brain essentially just falls asleep when we sit for too long. Moving and being active stimulates the neurons that fire in the brain. When you are sitting, those neurons don't fire.

www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/02/26/22rhea.h33.html

In another article I found that Anthony Pellegrini, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Minnesota, emphasized that the new science of recess says that recess isn’t a waste of time at all:

Having recess is much, much, much better than not having recess…That’s unequivocal, I feel. That’s a no-brainer.
Pellegrini says, “because attacking recess has got this sort of intuitive feel: If you give kids more time doing something, they’ll do better in school. When in fact the opposite is probably the case.” Repeated studies have shown that when recess is delayed, children pay less andless attention. They are more focusedon days when they have recess. A major study in Pediatrics found that children with more than 15 minutes of recess a day were far better behaved in classthan children who had shorter recess breaks or none at all.

http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Recess_Elementary/

One more fascinating article I found was “Get Tech out of Schools.” Researcher Patricia Greenfield argues that:

Precisely because young people spend so much time with digital media outside of school, schools must offer them a very different kind of education in order to even the cognitive scales. In Greenfield’s view, this means reading copious amounts of old-fashioned literature—just what young people are not doing (according to research) on their own time…. schools could also strive to provide more of the face-to-face contact, the in-person social interaction, that has been largely displaced by young people’s use of Facebook, Twitter, and texting in their off-hours.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/08/technology_in_the_classr

I’m obviously a believer in play and recess, and you must be as well if read my blogs. This is some powerful information that I hope you can share with your parents, administrators, and legislators!

HOW PARENTS CAN RECOGNIZE AND PROTECT THEIR CHILDREN FROM ANXIETY

Here is a great article by Laura Pearson, and I think you'll agree with me that recess and  playing outside is a wonderful antidote for anxiety.

How Parents Can Recognize and Manage Anxiety to Protect Their Kids

Busy parents with anxiety often work hard to keep daily life steady, yet worry can slip into conversations, routines, and the emotional tone at home. The core tension is painful: protecting children’s emotional well-being while managing a mind that scans for threats and can’t always relax. Anxiety effects in families are rarely loud or obvious, but children notice patterns, absorb tension, and may start reacting in ways that look like “just a phase.” Naming the parental impact on children early makes it easier to protect family mental health.

Understanding How Anxiety Spreads at Home

Parental anxiety can quietly shape the emotional “signal” kids receive each day. When a parent is tense, rushed, or scanning for problems, children often mirror that state and routines can start feeling urgent or fragile. Many kids are emotionally porous, so noticing this pattern is about awareness, not blame.

This matters because anxiety in kids is easier to support when you catch it early, before it turns into daily battles over school, sleep, or separation. The fact that parent stress is a public health concern is helpful here, since your steadiness directly supports their well-being.

Picture a morning where you double-check everything and speak faster without meaning to. Your child might respond with tears, stomachaches, irritability, clinginess, or sudden perfectionism, especially around deadlines, transitions, or conflict. Those signs are clues to a trigger, not proof anyone is failing.

Turn Job Stress Into a Realistic Plan (Not More Pressure)

When work stress is the main “carrier” of anxiety in your home, changing what’s fueling it can be just as important as changing how you cope. If your current job is driving your anxiety, improving your career prospects can create real breathing room, especially when it’s done in a way that doesn’t add more pressure to your days. Online degree programs can make it more realistic to keep working full-time (or keep up with family responsibilities) while you earn a credential, because you’re not forced into a rigid, on-campus schedule. 

The key is choosing a school with strong support systems so you’re not trying to manage everything alone. Many adults balancing work, school, and parenting benefit from emotional support (encouragement and understanding), practical support (help navigating requirements and logistics), and workplace support (communication and flexibility when it’s possible). Paired with proactive planning, mapping a doable schedule and using available university resources, those supports can make the challenges of nontraditional students feel manageable and keep you moving toward your academic goals.

Use a 7-Step Reset to Calm Yourself and Support Your Child

When your anxiety spikes, your child usually feels the ripple, through your tone, pace, and decisions. A simple “reset” helps you steady yourself first, then respond in a way that builds safety and resilience, even on busy work-and-school days.

1. Name your stress out loud (privately) before you act: Take 10 seconds to label what’s happening: “I’m anxious about tomorrow’s deadline,” or “I’m overwhelmed and rushing.” This small self-reflection tool creates distance between the feeling and your next move, which makes it less likely you’ll snap, catastrophize, or over-control. Research showing that parental anxiety predicts child anxiety is a good reminder that your pause isn’t selfish, it’s protective.
2. Do a 90-second body reset (breath + shoulders + feet): Inhale for 4, exhale for 6, five times. Drop your shoulders, unclench your jaw, and press both feet into the floor to cue your nervous system that you’re safe right now. Use this before school drop-off, a hard email, or helping with homework, any moment you’re about to “leak” stress into the room.
3. Run the “Plan, not pressure” check from your work-stress map: If your schedule is already tight, don’t add a new wellness routine, attach the reset to the structure you built in your realistic plan. Ask: “What’s the next doable step, and what can wait 24 hours?” Then take one concrete action (send one message, set one reminder, choose one priority) so your brain gets proof you’re not trapped.
4. Model a healthy stress script your child can borrow: Say one sentence about your feeling, one sentence about your coping, and one repair if needed: “I’m stressed. I’m going to take three breaths and then we’ll talk. Sorry my voice got sharp.” This teaches kids that big feelings are manageable and relationships can recover, skills they’ll use at school and with friends.
5. Create a “safe emotional space” with a daily 10-minute check-in: Pick a consistent time (after snack, before bed) and use two prompts: “What was hard today?” and “What helped even a little?” Keep it judgment-free, no fixing unless they ask. If your child shares something small, treat it as practice for the bigger things later.
6. Coach resilience with the 3-step problem-solving loop: When your child is upset, guide them through: Name the problem, list two options, choose one “try-it” step. Example: “Homework feels too big” becomes “Do the first two problems, then take a 5-minute break.” You’re not removing stress; you’re teaching your child they can move through it.
7. Set a family “reset cue” for heated moments: Choose a neutral phrase like “reset time” and a simple action everyone recognizes, get a drink of water, hands on belly, then return. Use it when voices rise, especially during morning routines or work-from-home interruptions. It keeps boundaries clear without shame and shows your child that calming down is a normal, shared skill.

Questions Parents Ask About Anxiety and Kids

Q: What signs suggest my anxiety is affecting my child?
A: Watch for new clinginess, irritability, sleep changes, stomachaches, or a sudden need for constant reassurance. You may also notice your child scanning your face to “check” if things are safe. Start by tracking patterns for a week and naming one small change you can make, like speaking slower during transitions.

Q: When should we consider therapy instead of “handling it at home”?
A: Seek support if anxiety causes school refusal, frequent meltdowns, avoidance of normal activities, or lasts more than a few weeks. Therapy is also a good idea if family conflict is rising or you feel stuck in reassurance loops. Asking early can prevent anxiety from becoming your family’s default.

Q: How does treatment like CBT help kids and parents?
A: CBT teaches practical skills for handling worried thoughts, body sensations, and avoidance step by step. Research on CBT treatment shows family factors can strengthen how much child anxiety decreases, so parent involvement often helps.

Q: Can I talk about my anxiety without scaring my child?
A: Yes, if you keep it simple and pair it with a coping plan: “I’m feeling worried, and I’m taking breaths to calm down.” Avoid adult details and make space for your child’s questions. The goal is honesty plus steadiness.

Q: What should I do if I think my child’s well-being is slipping?
A: Start with basics you can influence today: sleep routine, movement, regular meals, and predictable connection time. Then loop in a pediatrician or school counselor if changes persist. Evidence linking parental stress and well-being is a reminder that caring for you is part of caring for them.

Turning Parent Anxiety Into Steady Support for Kids

When anxiety is running in the background, it can be hard to tell what’s protective parenting and what’s simply anxiety taking the wheel. A hopeful parenting approach starts with practical anxiety management: noticing patterns, naming what’s happening, and choosing grounded responses, along with self-care encouragement for parents and professional support when it’s needed. Over time, that steadiness changes the tone at home, kids feel safer, feelings become easier to talk about, and building resilience in families starts to feel possible again. Resilient families are built one steady choice at a time. 

LET'S HAVE A CONFERENCE

Ready or not, it will be time for parent conferences before you know it! I used to dread conferences because many of the parents didn’t want to talk about their child. They wanted to talk about the neighbor’s kid or their “ex” or whatever. Once I started using this questionnaire my conferences became much more meaningful for me and for the parents.

http://bit.ly/FamilyDrJean

A week before conferences I’d ask the children, “Would you like me to give your parents some homework? Well, here is something they need to fill out and bring to our conference next week.”

Note! If parents show up without the form, simply smile and say, “I’ll give you a few minutes to fill this out before we get started.”

CONFERENCE QUESTIONNAIRE

Please fill out this form and bring it to your conference on __________________at _________________.

Child’s name__________________________

1. My child’s favorite activity at school is________________

2. My child expresses concern about_____________________

3. My child’s strong qualities are__________________________

4. Areas I feel my child needs to work on are_____________

5. Something I would like to see my child do at school is _______

6. Is there any special information about your child that you think we should know about?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljYWFnNXNybFdyZVE/view?usp=sharing


Cheers and Goals
Here’s another idea for conference time. Ask parents to write down three things positive (cheers) about their child and three goals that they have for their child. This will give the teacher insight as to what is important to parents. It will also provide the teacher with the opportunity to say, “This is what I can do at school to help your child accomplish these goals. What can you do to help at home?”

Student Led Conferences
I must admit I never did these, but many schools are now using this approach and find if very successful. You can find videos and other useful information about student led conferences on the internet.

Conference Tips
Sit beside the parent at a table, rather than behind a desk.

Keep the conversation focused on the child.

Have samples of the child’s work to share with the parents. Focus on the total child, including intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development.

If there is a problem, brainstorm solutions and develop a plan for action.

End the conference on a positive note by reassuring the parents and thanking them for their support.

Provide an interpreter for parents who do not speak English.

Follow-up with the parents after the conference.

WINNING WAYS WITH PARENTS

In Amanda Ripley’s book THE SMARTEST KIDS IN THE WORLD, one of the most interesting findings was that what parents did at home mattered significantly. Reading to children and talking about school was very important. Parents showed their children they valued education by asking about school, what they learned, what they liked, etc. Parents who modeled reading also had a positive impact.

Here are a few tips to encourage parents to communicate with their children about school.

Journal
Make daily journals for students by putting white paper in a pocket folder. At the end of each day students draw what they learned and dictate or write a sentence to go with their drawing. The journal goes home each evening so children can discuss what they did at school with their parents. The parents sign the journal, write comments or compliments, and return it the following day.




Conversation Starters
Make copies of the attached conversations starters. (Adapt them to your age level and curriculum.) Cut them apart and put them in a bag. Children draw one as they leave at the end of the day and give it to their parents to prompt a discussion about what they did.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jlja2w2OWtzRjlIdkk/view?usp=sharing

Hint! One school suggested that parents "turn it off" in the car when they picked up their child. The quiet time might encourage children to talk about school because they'd know they had their parent's undivided attention.


Screen Time Survey
Ask parents to keep a log of how much time their child spends in front of a screen for a week. The following week ask them to “turn it off” and spend an equal amount of time reading, playing games, doing chores around the house, etc. with their child.

Brain Tickets
Run off brain tickets similar to the ones below. To earn a brain ticket children need to tell the teacher one new thing they learned at the end of each day. Explain to the parents that their job is to ask their child what she learned to earn the ticket.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljUmNfQTJld3VsV00/view?usp=sharing

HERE'S A GREAT ARTICLE BY LAURA PEARSON TO SHARE WITH PARENTS!

Building Friendship Skills at Home to Boost Kids’ Confidence at School

For busy parents of elementary and middle school kids, few things sting like hearing that making friends at school feels confusing or lonely. Many children face social development challenges that show up as missed cues, awkward starts, or conflicts that seem to come out of nowhere, even when they’re bright and kind. Children’s friendship skills shape daily comfort in the classroom, on the playground, and in group work, where peer relationships in childhood can either support learning or drain a child’s energy. A steady parental role in social skills helps kids build the confidence and habits that make school days easier.

Understanding Friendship Skills Kids Can Practice Anywhere

Friendship skills are small, learnable behaviors that help kids connect: starting a chat, taking turns talking, sharing space or materials, and noticing who is being left out. These are part of the social and conversational rules that make interactions feel smooth instead of confusing.

When kids practice these moves at home and in clubs or sports, they build social understanding they can reuse at school. Even a few extra back-and-forth exchanges matter, because conversational turns support the kind of listening and responding that friendships need.

Think of it like a rehearsal. If your child practices greeting a neighbor, sharing the remote with a sibling, and inviting a cousin into a game, school interactions feel less like guesswork. That’s why simple animated stories can make greetings, turn-taking, and including peers feel easy to repeat.

Create 5-Minute Animated Social Stories to Practice Friend Moves

Once your child can name “friend moves” like greetings, turn-taking, and inviting someone in, seeing them play out in a story makes the skills easier to remember and try. Parents and kids can use an AI animation generator to turn friendship lessons into fun visual stories you watch together and talk about. Tools like an AI animation generator can quickly transform simple text prompts, quick sketches, or images into lively 2D or 3D animations, no advanced design skills required, so it’s easier to bring your child’s ideas to life in an animated video. One day your story might show a friendly “Hi” at the classroom door; another might model a back-and-forth conversation where each person takes a turn; another could show how to invite a peer to join a game.

The process of creating shared comics, storyboards, or animation-style images is practice, too: kids get to share ideas, listen to yours, take conversational turns, and cooperate as you build the story together. That low-pressure teamwork can help them feel more confident using the same skills with classmates. If you’d like a simple place to start, Adobe Firefly AI animator can help you generate animated scenes from prompts or visuals.

Habits That Grow Friendship Skills All Week

Small, repeatable habits turn “friend moves” into automatic choices at school. When you practice briefly and consistently, your child builds confidence without feeling coached all day.

Two-Minute Connection Warm-Up

●      What it is: Practice one greeting, one question, and one compliment before school.

●      How often: Daily

●      Why it helps: It makes friendly openings feel natural in the hallway.

Model-It-First Moments

●      What it is: Let your child see you introduce yourself and include someone.

●      How often: Weekly

●      Why it helps: Kids copy what they notice, especially under pressure.

Coach-and-Release Script

●      What it is: Rehearse one sentence for joining play, then let them try.

●      How often: Per milestone

●      Why it helps: It supports independence while lowering anxiety.

Inclusion Check-In

●      What it is: Ask who sat alone, then plan one kind invite tomorrow.

●      How often: Three times weekly

●      Why it helps: It builds empathy and social-emotional development.

Screen-to-Scene Swap

●      What it is: Trade 10 minutes of scrolling for face-to-face talk or play.

●      How often: Weekly

●      Why it helps: It counters losing the opportunity to develop everyday connection skills.

Friendship Skills Questions Parents Ask Most

Q: How can I help a shy child without pushing too hard?
A: Keep it small and predictable: practice one greeting at home, then stop. Turning it into a game can lower pressure, and practice at home gives your child a “safe rehearsal” before school. Praise effort, not outcomes.

Q: What should I say when my child tells me they were left out?
A: Start with empathy: “That sounds really painful.” Then help them pick one next step they can control, like asking one classmate to partner up tomorrow. Avoid rushing to solve it immediately, which can make them feel powerless.

Q: Why does my child copy friends or act differently to fit in?
A: Wanting to belong is normal, especially in elementary and middle grades. Research with more than 350 fourth and fifth grade students shows fear of rejection can shape peer behavior. Try talking about “kind choices” versus “popular choices” and role-play a calm boundary.

Q: When should I step in with the teacher or school?
A: Step in if there is repeated exclusion, name-calling, threats, or your child seems anxious about attending school. Share concrete examples and ask what supports are available, like lunch buddies or structured group work. You can advocate while still building your child’s skills.

Q: Should I arrange playdates if my child struggles socially?
A: Yes, but keep them short and low-stakes, ideally with one child and a clear activity. Choose settings where taking turns is natural, like a simple game or craft. Afterward, ask one question about what felt easiest, then celebrate that.

Grow School Friendships by Practicing One Skill at a Time

Kids can feel stuck when friendships get confusing, especially after rejection or when shyness makes reaching out feel risky, and parents often worry about doing too much or too little. The steadier path is gentle parental involvement in friendship: notice patterns, reinforce social skills with calm coaching, and treat practice as ongoing rather than a one-time fix. Over time, that approach supports social success at school by helping children read situations, recover from bumps, and stay connected with peers. Small, repeated practice builds the confidence kids need to keep trying with peers. 

CHORES FOR KIDS

It can be a "chore" to get children to do chores, but housekeeping jobs help children feel "worthy" and a valuable part of the family unit. Chores can also be a powerful way to develop "task initiation and task completion" (aka the executive function).

One teacher explained that when she had parent conferences she emphasized the importance of having children do chores and take responsibility for helping their family. There are several good website with ideas for chores children can do:

www.webmd.com/parenting/features/chores-for-children

www.focusonthefamily.com/...kids-to.../age-appropriate-chores

parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/.../age-appropriate-chores-for-children

We often “assume” that children know how to do a task and then we get frustrated when they don’t do it correctly. That’s why it’s important to model expectations and demonstrate specific steps. Here's an activity that would be perfect for a learning center or housekeeping area.

Setting the Table
Bring in some plastic plates, utensils, and cups and demonstrate how to set the table. You might want to trace around the items on a paper placemat so the children can match one to one.

Training Tools
Go to the dollar store and purchase a dustpan, broom, duster, etc. Demonstrate how to use these and then invite children to help you keep the classroom clean.

Teeny Tiny Duties
Let children share the chores that they have at home. Make a list of these tasks on the board. Ask children to choose three or four that they could do to help at home and make a job chart. Tell them to hang it on the refrigerator and keep track for a week. Demonstrate how to make a check mark each day when they complete the task.

TO GIVE OR NOT TO GIVE HOMEWORK???

Every year around this time I hear horror stories about primary grade children having several hours of homework each evening. The child ends up crying - the parents end up yelling – what’s the point?

First of all, if a young child goes to school and sits and listens and works and learns for six hours, they deserve to do what they want when they get home. The need to play, move, laugh, yell, imagine, and be KIDS!

Homework should teach children responsibility. Homework should be a tool to help parents see what their child is doing at school. Homework should extend learning from the classroom to the home. Homework should be MEANINGFUL!

If I were in charge of the world, primary grade children would NOT be allowed to spend more than 30 minutes on homework each night. They might be asked to read 20+ minutes and then have ONE other assignment. I would try to make the assignment engage with the parent and connect the real world with what’s going on in the classroom. For example, the assignment might be to ask their parents what a veteran is and to find out who the veterans in their family are. The assignment might be to ask their parents how they use math in their jobs. The assignment might be to cut out a picture from the newspaper and write one or two sentences about it. Drill and kill worksheets should be banned!

My daughter brought up the point that many parents WANT homework and are impressed with lengthy assignments because they think it will make their children smarter. In the book Battle Over Homework: Common Ground for Administrators,Teachers, and Parents, Harris Cooper put together a variety of research studies on homework. He found that in elementary school, homework has almost no impact on academic achievement. In middle school, the results are mixed. In high school, moderate levels of homework can help the learning process.

Here are some ideas that might encourage children to develop responsibility and positive attitudes about homework.

Tic Tac Toe Homework
Make a tic-tac-toe grid and put a different assignment in each section. Children can do as many activities as they choose, but they must do at least 3 to get tic-tac-toe by the end of the week.
Hint! This is perfect for the parents and children who actually “like” homework because they can do all nine.



Homework Folders
You will need a pocket folder, crayons, and markers to make a homework folder. First, let children decorate the outside of their folders. Trace around their “left” hand on the left pocket. At the end of each day children put completed work in that pocket and it is “left” at home. Trace around their “right” hand on the right pocket. Use a homework sheet similar to the one below. Fill out assignments for the whole week and place it in the “right” hand side of the child’s folder on Monday. On Friday save homework sheets in children’s folders. Review with parents at conferences.

Weekly Homework Sheet

Monday ________________ Tuesday ______________

_______________________ ______________________

_______________________ ______________________

Parent Signature/Comments Parent Signature/Comments

_______________________ ______________________

Wednesday_____________ Thursday_______________

_______________________ ______________________

_______________________ ______________________

Parent Signature/Comments Parent Signature/Comments

_______________________ ______________________


Clipboard Homework
Each child will need a clipboard that she can decorate with her name, stickers, etc. Each night clip the homework assignment to children’s clipboards. (Think outside the box with interactive activities, rather than worksheets!) Make sure parents know that their job is to look at the clipboard each night, help their child with the assignment, and send it back to school the next day.




Monthly Calendar
Send a calendar home at the beginning of each month and ask parents to complete at least ten activities and return by the end of the month.
Note! You can download these free on my website drjean.org.

READ AT HOME

Here's an idea for active learning that will involve families and encourage children to read, read, read. You can buy these or just start simple by creating two book bags. You could rotate these through your class for a month so each child would have two turns with different books and animals. Children will anticipate "their turn" and taking the bag home.

BOOK BAGS
Directions: Place a book and coordinating toy in each bag. Add blank paper, crayons, and a pencil. Rotate allowing children to take home “book buddy” bags. Remind them to do each of the activities below before returning the book bag to school.

1. Read the book to yourself.

2. Read the book to your book buddy (stuffed animal).

3. Read the book in the mirror.

4. Read the book to someone in your family.

5. Read the book one more time to your pet, a toy, or something else.

6. Draw a picture of your favorite part of the story.

When children return the book bag to school, invite them to sit in the “teacher’s chair” or "reader's chair" and read a few pages to their classmates.

TAKE HOME TEDDY
Put a stuffed bear (or other animal), spiral notebook, and pencil in a backpack. Choose a different child to take home the backpack each evening. The child writes or dictates a story to their parents about the bear.
*Just for fun add a toothbrush, pajamas, and other items for the bear.


PARENT LETTER
Here is a letter for parents that you can adapt to reinforce the important role that they play in helping their children learn to read.

Dear Parents,

You’ve heard it before, and I’ll say it again. You are your child’s first and most important teacher! The best way to help your child learn to read is to read, read, read!

Model reading in front of your child. Read directions on recipes, the newspaper, labels on clothing, and street signs. Show your child the importance of reading, and also the pleasure we can get from reading.

Set aside a special time each day to read with your child. It might be right before bed, or you could wake your child up each morning with a story.

Point your finger under the words as you read them.

Talk about the title of the book, the author, illustrator, etc. What is the setting? Who are the characters? Could this really happen or is it just pretend? 

Take your child to the library. Help your child get her own library card and take responsibility for books.

Create a special basket or shelf in your home where you keep books and magazines for your child to read. You might also want to keep a backpack filled with books in your car.

Happy reading!