PARENTING TIPS TO HELP YOUR STUDENT GROW AS A LEARNER:
(adapted from Promising Partnerships, by Lisa J. Harpin)
1.) Encourage Your Child to Read.
- Get the whole family involved
- Act as a reading role model. Let your children see you reading.
- Go to the library and take your children with you.
- Search for ways to teach your children to love stories and storytelling.
- Tell them stories about their family and culture.
2.) Help Your Children Become Familiar with Vocabulary That Will Benefit Them in Life.
- Identify important/helpful words at the market, pharmacy, bank, etc.
3.) Improve Your Children's Writing/Communication Skills.
- Encourage them to write letters and thank-you notes.
- Encourage emails and telephone calls with a specific and meaningful purpose.
4.) Improve Your Children's Math Skills.
- When visiting various stores, have them add up the prices as you shop.
- Teach your children to estimate the cost of the shopping while you are adding items to the shopping cart.
5.) Play Learning Games with Your Children.
- Find a word in a thesaurus and see who can list the most synonyms.
- Read a newspaper article together and determine the five W's (Who, What, When, Where, and Why).
6.) Use TV Time Wisely.
- Remember that children who watch more than 10 hours of television a week or an average of 2 hours per night decline
academically.
- Select educational programs; watch and discuss TV shows together.
7.) Take the Time to Talk with Your Children.
- Ask them questions about school and their schoolwork ("What was the most important thing you learned today? What new
assignments did you get? What do you think your teacher will ask you on the test?")
8.) Monitor Your Children's Schoolwork.
- Check their assignment pads/agendas each day.
- Establish a scheduled homework time.
- Ask questions about their homework.
- Check homework over to be sure it has been completed.
- Review material for upcoming tests with them.
9.) Monitor Activities and After-School Jobs.
- Be sure that your children are not spending too many hours with things that may interfere with schoolwork.
- Limit watching TV, playing computer/video games, or talking on the telephone
10.) Attend Parent Conferences and Parents' Nights.
- Read school newsletters sent home.
- Familiarize yourself with and use your children's school website.
- Consider joining organizations for parents.
11.) Send a Message to Your Children That School Is Important.
- Find ways to show your children you are proud of them when they do the best they can.
- Express high expectations for your children. Encourage them to work to their full potential and meet challenges.
- Encourage regular school attendance. Allow your child to stay home for serious illness or only when necessary.
- Show respect for your children's teachers by not criticizing a teacher in front of them.
12.) Encourage Healthy Habits.
- Be sure that your children get enough sleep.
- Be sure that your children eat three meals each day.
- Provide healthy snacks in between meals.
- Be sure that your children have some exercise time built into their day.