Preparing Your Child for School
The new school year starts soon. Is your child ready for his first day? By preparing your child for his first day of the school year, you can help him succeed. As with so many events in our lives, the more prepared we are, the better the outcome. The following practical tips can give your child a good start to the school year.
1. Learning Tools. Pick up school supplies before the first day of school. Most stores have lists of the supplies children are expected to have.
2. Dress for Success. Have your child pick out what they will wear for their first day at least a day before school starts. Wearing a favorite outfit helps a child feel more at ease and ready to take on the challenge of a new year of learning. In addition, this helps alleviate delays during the morning rush.
3. Keep your child reading all summer. Reading is an essential skill for learning. Like all skills, reading (especially when you are starting out) is a perishable skill. Give your child plenty of practice time. Have your child enroll in the summer reading program at the local library. Many schools offer summer reading lists (some even have mandatory summer reading). Make weekly visits to the library so your child can pick out fresh reading material. Set aside time each day for reading.
4. Learn a new word each day. Working vocabulary is one of the prime indicators of success in school. The more words your child knows and feels comfortable using, the more likely it is that he will do well in school. So put a new word on your family bulletin board or refrigerator each day. Have your child look it up on the INTERNET or in the dictionary. Have everyone in the family use the word in a sentence at the dinner table. Make the word a regular part of your family’s vocabulary.
5. Act the part. Play the role of the teacher and have your child play the role of student. Make sure your child knows about the class rules like raising his hand in order to ask a question, helping the teacher hand out papers, or how to be quiet when asked. You may also want to explore any situations that your child is concerned about. What does he do if someone is mean to him? What should he do if the teacher asks him a question and he does not know the answer? Once you know his concerns, give him possible solutions to the problem and then practice those solutions with role playing.
Adopt these five strategies today. They will better prepare your child for the new school year and impart confidence and solutions which will help him succeed.