Today’s world is so rushed. Everyone seems to be in a hurry to get somewhere, do something….or just hurrying children to learn. This rush is creating a society in which children and adults are constantly in a rush. Why are we in such a rush? We grew a Learner My oldest child went to preschool…
Do you want to know what get’s a good workout in my house? Hint: It’s not me. Do you give up? The answer is my checkbook. That’s right. Over the school year, my checkbook is put through it’s paces. I’m constantly hauling it out to buy this or that. Doesn’t matter whether it is morning,…
We typically enjoy lunch time at our house as a break from the academic school day (or a chance to enjoy an educational video). However, from time to time, we use lunch as a learning opportunity. Ways to Incorporate Learning into Lunch Time The food pyramid and other nutrition topics this meal is from…
As parents, we all know how frustrating it can be when our kids are not listening to us, when they have tuned out and our words have become nothing more than noise. Is there anything more aggravating than repeating ourselves a thousand times a day? Our children’s attention spans are more fragmented today than ever…
Punctuation, along with its companion visual cues of capital letters and spacing, captures key aspects of language that go beyond words themselves (such as posing a question, emphasizing an idea, pausing, and so on). The tools for representing this information (periods, question marks, exclamation points, etc.) are generally not taught until the children are way…
Recognizing words and knowing immediately what it says is important for children to properly learn to read. Visual memory is what helps a child recognize a word. Parents often want to know how to improve their child’s memory and improve their reading skills. (For a more in depth description of all the techniques needed to…
Is reading a measure of intelligence? Many people think so, but in reality, how soon a child learns to read has nothing to do with his IQ. In fact, there tends to be little, if any, relationship between intelligence and the acquisition of initial reading. (For a more in depth description of all the techniques…
To put together letters and read is one thing, but to understand what you are reading is a totally different skill. Understanding the message represented by words is called comprehension. Reading Comprehension Reading comprehension means the child understands language at a fairly sophisticated level. What are some activities to encourage the language skills that will…
There are lots of suggested strategies for helping a child figure out a word. For example, when a child stumbles over a word in a book, the advice is often given to say “look at the picture and guess what it may be.” But this strategy is rarely helpful and efforts on the part of…
