Learning Habits for Little Students
Good learning habits start early. If you have a preschooler or kindergartener, you might have noticed a HUGE desire to be like the big kids and “do” homework. If so, use it to your child’s advantage.
Young students can benefit greatly by identifying letters and numbers, sorting objects, and counting. Have “Homework Time” by reinforcing what’s being taught in school. If the color of the week is yellow, look for yellow fruits and vegetables at the grocery store or juice lemons to make lemonade. On “M Day” make muffins and macaroni for lunch. Use marshmallows to make a model of a mouse. When the class is studying autumn, take a family field trip to an apple orchard to pick apples or the nature center to see how maple syrup is made. Use everyday experiences as opportunities to learn too. Make pie with the apples you picked. Allow the kids to help rollout the crust the size of the pie plate, measure ingredient written in a recipe, and set the timer, all using math and reading skills.
Elementary school children will more than likely have assigned homework. The rule of thumb for this age group is ten minutes per grade level, 10 in first grade, 20 for second graders, and so on. If your child doesn’t have homework assigned use the allotted time to practice math facts or read. Youngsters who read for pleasure excel in school.
In parenting classes, I encourage parents to continue to read with their children even when kids become capable readers. My reasons are many! First, children want to dig into books Mom and Dad are reading, so choosing books at a higher level gives kids a goal. Second, adults model how to add interest to a story by using voice inflection, volume, and speed. Third, if Mom and Dad take time to read, it must be an important skill to master. Lastly, the time spent together is precious. Great conversations can be generated by the books we read to our children.
Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;
pay attention and gain understanding.
I give you sound learning,
so do not forsake my teaching.
Proverbs 4:1-2
© 2012 Becky Danielson. All rights reserved.
If you’ve been encouraged by this post, please take a moment to subscribe to the Faith First Parent e-newsletter, join in the conversation on the Facebook page or share the post with a friend.
by Aaron Burden on Unsplash