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As
summer vacation winds down, parents gear up to get
their children back into the learning mode. After
two months off, many worry that their children have
forgotten basic facts and have let their reading,
writing and arithmetic skills slide. They also wonder
if their children are equipped to tackle the academic
challenges of the next school year. Some parents would
like to believe that buying school supplies and new
clothes will make everything run smoothly -- but this
is rarely the case. Dr. Andrea Pastorok, an educational
specialist with the Kumon Math & Reading Centers,
suggests the following tips for a successful route
back-to-school:
Focus
on the Positives
- Talk
to your children about what they achieved during
vacation. The summer gives a child the opportunity
to excel in athletics, explore the arts and form
relationships with friends and family. Be sure to
point out the skills that helped your child succeed
and explain how these skills can be applied to school.
- Reassure
your child that you believe in his or her ability
to learn. Don't put extra pressure on your child
or make unrealistic demands, which can hinder the
child's motivation and potential.
- Play
down your child's fears about the coming year and
prepare for any potential problems that may arise.
Create
an Educational Environment at Home
- Set
up a quiet, clean, smoke-free and well-ventilated
area for your child to study with minimal traffic.
Ideally, the area should be closed off to siblings,
pets, and free of stereos, TV, radio, telephone,
video games and other enticing distractions. Children
should have a neatly organized area with proper
seating and a solid flat surface on which to write,
paint, draw or type
- Provide
your child with ample materials for school work,
including pens, paper, rulers, scissors, erasers,
colored pencils or markers. The study area should
also contain an age-appropriate dictionary, thesaurus
and encyclopedias, and children should be given
easy access to newspapers, magazines, journals,
books and classic literature to support their studies.
- Develop
a consistent homework routine early in the school
year to help your child keep up and learn effectively
beyond the school day. Homework is often the first
challenge your child encounters. Set aside a common
"study time" period at home for studying, reading
and quiet activities, and do your utmost to avoid
and curtail arguments during that time
- Schedule
time to help your children by answering their questions,
explaining concepts, extending lessons and proofreading
papers, reports and projects. For younger children,
start a routine of checking what is in their bags
to help keep their materials neat and organized.
Form
a Partnership and Develop a Plan
- Make
time to get acquainted with your child's teachers
and relay to your child any academic goals you discuss
with the teacher. These partnerships will help ensure
that the student, teacher and parent are all striving
toward a common goal and will form a basis for resolving
academic challenges that may arise during the school
year.
- Think
ahead and plan for possible challenges. If your
child struggles with a subject, secure additional
help at the beginning before a problem becomes overwhelming.
Some parents choose to spend time working one-on-one
with their child, while others may hire an individual
tutor or enroll their child in one of the many after-school
educational programs, such as Kumon Math & Reading
Centers.
Balance Your Child's Lifestyle
-
Avoid overbooking your child in sports, dance, skating,
karate, music, second language training and other
organized activities. One leisure and one educational
activity a season may be sufficient.
- Be
there for your child by attending plays, field trips,
school events, teacher meetings and homework sessions.
- Give
your child up to two hours a day of "quality time"
to engage in learning, reading or even playing together.
- Let
your child play, be a 'kid' and develop creativity
independently.
- Try
not to make your child fulfill "your" dreams by
forcing them to be the 'gifted,' 'artistic,' 'athletic'
or 'beautiful' children.
About
Kumon Math and Reading Centers
Located in 45 countries and with more than three million
students, Kumon Math and Reading Centers is the largest
after-school supplemental education program in the
world. For more than 40 years, Kumon has helped students
strengthen math and reading skills, increase confidence
and develop study skills that last a lifetime. Kumon's
individualized, year-round programs are designed for
students of all ages and skill levels. In the U.S.
there are more than 1,000 centers with more than 100,000
students. For more information about Kumon, parents
can call 1-800-ABC-MATH or visit http://www.kumon.com.
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