For Parents - Page 22

As an ESL teacher, English Literature graduate and an experienced journalist I am incredibly familiar with the English language with all of it’s idiosyncrasies. I understand the extensive conventions that need to be mastered in order to use it fluently - specifically in the written form. I think sometimes, as adults and fluent speakers, we can forget the amount of time and effort it took as youngsters to perfect our written communication skills.

Rhyming poems are popular with pre-schoolers and kindergarteners; they’re playful, they’re interactive, and they help lay a foundation for reading. 

Learning to read is an essential skill that opens the doors to the world of knowledge for children. It allows them to take charge of their learning, become more adaptable and self-sufficient in their academic study, as well as boost their imagination and creativity through exposure to various types of literature. As young students progress through elementary school, their knowledge of specific subjects should increase and deepen to ensure a stronger comprehension of the academic material at each successive grade level. 

For toddlers and preschoolers, temper tantrums are often met with annoyance and discouragement. But what parents and teachers must remember is that these behavioral outbursts are usually due to kids just not knowing how to cope with their biggest feelings. To help children deal with everyday stressors, utilize Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) strategies to improve both behavior and learning. Keep reading to find four fantastic ideas for incorporating SEL into your child’s day.

Ensuring children develop their handwriting skills is important not just for their educational progress, but also for their ability to express themselves and communicate with others. 

As children grow up, their desire to communicate by mark-making advances, and there are many tools and techniques you can adopt during their early attempts to do so. Whether you are a child’s parent or guardian, caregiver or teacher there are many ways you can support the little writer. Let’s dive into some of them. 

There’s a woman in my neighborhood who runs a home daycare. I often see her attending to five or so children, sometimes on a trip to the wading pool, or on a nature walk. Never a tantrum, never a tear, everything about her brood is always calm and joyful. One day I had to ask her how she does it. She told me, “I have three words for you. Routines, routines, routines.” This article tells you about building the routines for your child and why it is important.

Are your child’s sleeping problems creating havoc in your home? Does your child’s caregiver or teacher inform you that they have trouble concentrating at school or seem to always be tripping over their own feet? Have you noticed that they tend to doze off on the way home, or cranky or irritable with family members? Many of these symptoms can indicate that your child isn’t receiving enough sleep according to their age. Children ages one to three need 12-14 hours of sleep per day (including naps), ages three to five need 10-13 hours per day, and ages six to twelve need 9-12 hours.

Parents often notice that the toddler's speech is clear only to them. Other toddlers and people around them do not understand it. It means the toddler's speech delays in its development in comparison with the peers` speech. Read more to get to know what the delayed speech development is and how to avoid it.

Technological advances made in the past 30 years have changed how the world shops, communicates and works. But just as significant, modern technology has vastly affected education and how parents now help their kids with their homework and growing academically.

Could your child be bilingual? Music is often referred to as the universal language. As parents, we try to provide opportunities to a wide variety of activities that stimulate cognitive brainwork, like engaging in music-related activities. Getting musical brings your child the following benefits. Read more to find out which ones.