Should Your Kids Make New Year’s Resolutions?
Considering only a small number of people who make resolutions actually accomplish them, it makes one wonder if this is something children should do. Resolutions typically imply there is something we need to do to improve ourselves because we are not quite so good enough as we are right now. This definitely might not be the message we want to give if we encourage our children to make resolutions.
Rather than making one or more resolutions, instead, encourage your children to focus on a goal or two for the coming year. Working to achieve a goal can give children a feeling of accomplishment. Goals should be reasonable and not too broad. While the ultimate goal for a child might be to become a better baseball player, it is far better to have the smaller goal of playing catch every Saturday morning to improve one’s baseball skill. Another trick to accomplishing a goal is to write down on a calendar every time a goal is worked on. This gives a child a visual picture of progress.
The selection of a goal or goals does not necessarily have to be something to improve oneself. Your child could make a bucket list of things that he or she would like to try in the coming year. This could be things like taking a special hike, doing something specific to improve the environment, or taking dance lessons. The bucket list can be posted in a conspicuous spot so things can be crossed off when they are accomplished.
A Timely Reminder
Half the school year will be over shortly. It is time to take stock and review how things have gone so far, and to think about any changes that may need to be made to help your children succeed in school. Consider the following:
- Is a chat with the teacher needed?
- Is the child participating in so many activities that they interfere with his or her schooling?
- For older children, should they be enrolled in a more- or less-challenging class load?
- Is the family’s daily routine—from homework to mealtime and bedtime—efficient?
The Right Books for Beginning Readers
Parents: With the holidays rapidly approaching, you may be contemplating giving books to your beginning readers. However, you may want to think twice about giving them books with a lot of engaging and colorful illustrations, even though they may be very attractive.
A project supported by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education discovered that by limiting extraneous illustrations and only having relevant illustrations, children can have an easier time focusing on the story as well as better reading comprehension. When there are entertaining illustrations not relevant to a story, children’s gaze tends to shift away from the text.
A Look at Reading Problems
Nothing is more important to success in school than for children to be good readers. Parents usually have a good idea if their children are having problems learning to read. One indicator that a child could have problems is if a parent had difficulties learning to read.
Don’t sit back and wait for a child to pick up the necessary reading skills for his or her age. While this could happen, it’s far better to be proactive and find out if your child really needs some extra help. It is not too early to seek help for a preschooler who is having trouble naming letters, can’t retell stories, and has a limited vocabulary. Preschoolers can be evaluated for free through the “Child Find” program if a problem is suspected. Your school district will have information on how to get your child evaluated.
When children start elementary school and parents get an inkling from the child’s work, teacher comments, or grades that the child might have a reading problem, it is time to talk to the reading teacher. The parent needs to know two things: (1) is it a serious problem requiring testing and special help, or (2) can the problem be resolved with some extra help from the teacher or at home.
Serious problems require a diagnosis of a learning disability and all of the special services schools must offer. This will not be an overnight solution to improving a child’s reading. For lesser problems, you will find on our website, in the Skill Builders section, “Improving Children’s Reading Skills with Techniques that Work at Home.” These are the techniques that most reading experts consider to be effective, and they can show rapid improvement in reading skills.
Depending on the severity of a reading disability, outside help from a tutor or learning center can be helpful. Another avenue of help — usually free — is a college reading clinic.
Parents should send questions and comments to dearteacher@dearteacher.com. To learn more about helping children succeed in school, visit the Dear Teacher website.
©Compass Syndicate Corporation, 2024