I am firmly in the learning through play camp when it comes to preschoolers and early academics. Done in a good way, this doesn’t mean just let them play and they’ll be ready. It means thoughtfully providing academic experiences in fun, engaging and play based ways. Early Literacy Skills to Keep in Mind – Early … Continue reading Providing a Foundation for Academic Success in Preschool Friendly Ways
Continuing the theme of helping children become independent problem solvers, give hints and suggestions not outright answers. A few examples: When your first graders asks, “mommy, how do you spell elephant?” Avoid spelling it for them. Give hints and suggestions for how they can spell it. You might offer to help them learn to look … Continue reading Give Hints and Suggestions Not Answers
Throughout your child’s education, it is important to build a sense of home-school connection. There is benefit for your child’s academic motivation if they feel you value their school, and that their school welcomes you. There are so many ways you can work to build this bridge. Take an interest in their progress – Ask … Continue reading Building Academic Motivation
It is normal for young children to experience some level of separation anxiety at the start of a new school year. It often represents a change in caregiver, schedule, setting and classmates. As a parent, it makes sense to prepare yourself for some upset, and be pleasantly surprised if it is an easy transition. Take … Continue reading Tips for Separation at the Start of the School Year
As a follow-up to my Kindergarten Readiness workshop today, I wanted to post a few notes: Kindergarten teachers are not often as stressed as parents about an individual child’s readiness for Kindergarten. From the teacher’s standpoint, there are two main categories, academic readiness and social readiness. Across studies, social readiness ranks higher on teachers’ scales … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness
Parenting by Dr. Rene 