Back to School – What a Great Time of Year!

Summer is definitely the finest time of year.  But in my house, everyone is always ready for the anticipation and excitement of back to school time.  My kids are in 1^st and 4^th grade (and I also have a preschooler), and I am certain that some of the tricks and techniques I have used throughout the years have helped ensure that my kids love school and to keep my kids reading.

Connect with the teacher:  If you are lucky enough to learn who your child’s teacher will be, try to connect with him or her early in the year.  I always reach out to my kids’ teachers in the first weeks of school and sit down for a one-on-one chat.  Every child is different, and yours surely is.  So help your child’s teacher understand those differences (in a positive, friendly way).  Do so from the perspective of “partnering” with your child’s teacher to help him be successful in school.  Constant communications with teachers is vital to school success.

Connect your child with classmates to be: Ask around to find other kids who will be in your child’s class.  If you can arrange playdates before the school year starts to make some early friendships, any anxiety about the first week of school will be much lessened.  Most kids care about their friends and free time in school. If you can help smooth the way to some early connections, this time can be much easier.

Show interest in your child and his or her schoolwork:  Throughout the year, maintain interest in what your child is doing in school, both academically and in extra-curricular activities.  Be sure to ask your child what she is working on in school, and when you see school work well-done, offer praise and encouragement.  Resist the urge to be overly critical (but of course, if you have concerns, raise them with your child’s teacher – did I mention the importance of communication?…)  Staying connected and aware of what is going on with your child at school is an important part of helping her to maintain a strong sense of confidence and self-esteem with regard to academics.

Listen to your child:  Your child will send lots of messages and signals about what is going on in school.  If he is bored, getting bullied, having trouble, or doesn’t click with the teacher, at a minimum, you should make sure he knows that you hear him raising the issue, and you are thinking about it. Make time over dinner or some other time in the evening to chat with your child if he is having problems.  You won’t always be able to take action about an issue, but do take your child’s complaints seriously and engage him in conversation about what is going on.  You are your child’s main advocate at school.  If you feel something is not right, be sure to address it with the teacher or others at the school.

Enjoy the excitement and novelty of this time of year – it can be lots of fun!  If you can, send your child to school with some new school supplies, a nice pair of socks or some other little goodie to start the year off fresh.  And get psyched for the return of routine.  Ahhhh….

Tags: earlyreading, back to school, ready for kindergarten, teaching kids to read, kindergarten literacy

Oprah wants kids to read, too!

Oprah’s famous book club has added a section for kids!  Check it out at this link. 
It looks pretty great -  there are separate sections for different age
levels, and also a section for books that are Classics.  This is
definitely worth a look-see!  The best way to get kids reading is to get the right books into their hands!

Tags: Oprah, kids, reading, teach kids to read

Reading isn’t everything…

By now, surely you have heard how incredibly important it is to read to your child as much as possible.  I mean, it’s critical.  According to Literacy and Reading News, “”Reading aloud to children helps them develop oral language…It teaches them how to listen and how narrative is structured. They also learn vocabulary and how print works and that it is read from left to right.”

Reading to children also helps them develop a love of great stories.  But reading isn’t everything.  Another key to teaching preschoolers to read is telling them great stories.  It’s important for kids to see you use your imagination – to dream up a story from your mind.  Better yet, ask them what the story should be about (that also makes it easier), and come up with a fun story based on that.  If you don’t like telling stories, or just aren’t very good at it, play “Round Robin”.  You start the story with a couple of sentences like “Once upon a time, there was a sweet little girl who lived in a…” – and then let your child continue from there.  After a few sentences you say “Round Robin” and then the story passes to the next person (or back to you).  You create a story together that can take lots of fun twists and turns, and your child can see how powerful your imagination is for story-telling.

One thing I’ve observed is that kids who have one or two stories read to them each night become accustomed to the immediate gratification of a story that starts and ends in 10 minutes or less. You can help prepare your children for longer books by telling them stories from your imagination that are continued from one night to the next.  The first time I did this with my children – started a really exciting story about Bobby, the Intergalactic Dentist – and then stopped abruptly at a very exciting point to say “…and you’ll find out what happens next tomorrow!), my kids nearly fell off the bed with excitement.  The next night, they took their baths and brushed their teeth at a record pace to hear the next installment of the story.  The story continued for about 3 weeks, and each night they were thrilled and excited.  And shortly after, I was able to read them “The Mysterious Benedict Society,” a terrific book with 512 pages that I enjoyed just as much as they did.  Even my 4 year old was consumed with the story.

So give it a try – tell a story once in awhile!  It’s a great way to get your kids reading.