The elementary school years play a very significant role in a child’s life. It builds a foundation for a child to be successful be it academically, socially, or emotionally.
Parents do realize this and are always on the lookout for what they think would be beneficial for their child. However, not knowing what exactly might help, or the time constraints, are two issues that could be a source of stress or frustration. With so many things out in the market, it is very easy to get overwhelmed or confused as to what would be the right thing for your precious child.
I am hoping with these articles, that I can give tips on how to manage some of the issues you as a parent might face, and how to help the child get the most out of their elementary years. Things do not have to be expensive or time-consuming. Just simple things incorporated into your daily life.
Read the articles, see if it is something you can incorporate easily, and give it a try. Consistency and open-mindedness is usually the key to all things. The very fact that you are interested, involved, and take an interest, is by itself a motivating factor for a child to succeed, or do their best in school.
Did you know the extent to which your (parent/guardian) attitude towards learning or school greatly influences your child?
Very often, we see children disliking a subject, doing homework, or school in general. The odd thing is there is usually no reason for such intense dislike in the elementary years.
Subjects are taught in a way that applies to all modalities of learning, there is a lot of socializing, etc. Yet, there are quite a few times we see intense dislike towards a subject or just school in general.
Here are some examples of statements made by students.
“My parents don’t think it is important for me to pass with a high score, as I will be joining my dad’s party business. He makes a lot of money, you know.”
“Both my mom and I hate Math. She is not good at it and finds it boring.”
“My uncle says I don’t have to bother about school as I am good at soccer. I can be a great soccer player. I don’t need school for that.”
“Even my parents hate homework.”
Now the irony is that these students are really quite bright and capable of doing great work. However, with the statements mentioned above, one can imagine the conversation at home and how it impacts the child.
At conference time, I sometimes hear sentences such as these:
“I know how you hate homework, buddy. I hated it too.”
“I never liked Math as a kid. I still don’t.”
“You know kids. He just plays his games all evening. I can totally understand that. I wish I could do that. That is why he sleeps late and finds it hard to get up.”
Children are keen observers and listeners. They know when to use what they hear to get their point across. They might be feeling justified about their attitude towards their learning. After all, their parents felt the same way too. This is without even trying and judging things for themselves. Sometimes, it sounds like the child takes pleasure in how similar they are to their parents in their attitude towards learning. As a teacher, I often worry that a disservice is done to the child when another’s opinion is internalized. Very often, the sentences are just a mirror copy of the parent or someone they look up to. They have given up on something, or dislike something without even giving themselves a chance to see if their stand really holds any truth.
Parents, as an adult you have a right to form an opinion. You have years of experience to base it upon. However, when it comes to your child, I would urge you to refrain from making negative comments towards learning or school. Your child looks up to you. They will take your stand at face value and internalizes it. This will deter them from taking a chance, and judging for themselves how they feel towards learning and school.
Young children are greatly influenced by the parents attitude towards school.
Today, I would like to share with you a simple way to boost your child’s reading in a fun, inexpensive way. It is a tool that almost all families have access to either on their cell phones or the computer.
Did you guess what it could be?
YouTube!!
Usually, parents complain about their child wasting time with YouTube. However, besides the fact that that it can be a huge distractor for both adults and children, I also have to admit how valuable it can be to help your child learn.
I am not talking about the countless videos and educational lectures that we see.
I am talking about music. Yes, music is a great way to boost your child’s reading speed and ability. What kind of music? Songs that interest your child and you, and shows the lyric. Pick the setting as name of the song with lyrics. This way the words of the songs will pop up with the music.
You could make learning with music a family experience. Here is what I would do. Pick a song, which both of you would like to learn. Make sure it is a song where both of you do not know most of the lyrics.
Start singing with the lyrics showing on the screen. By association, seeing the words in text form and hearing what they sound like, you start to improve your reading skills. Singing with music also helps improve reading speed. Once you have mastered reading at least 50 percent of the words, start singing the same song in karaoke style. This will reinforce the speed and the text-sound connection of the word.
I have used this technique several times in the classroom. All students enjoy it, as everyone likes to sing. I go one step further and then make a mini worksheet using some of the words in the songs.
Give it a chance. At first, it may be hard to get into it. Don’t use this method as a learning time. Instead, make this fun activity a bonding or family time.
