Time to Evaluate

Now is a great time to evaluate your children’s school year. Did they meet the goals you hoped for? If not, don’t panic – there’s plenty of time to prepare for the coming school year. Your job is to provide coaching, encouragement, and some discipline.

Schoolwork can easily seem like meaningless drudgery when it’s not connected to real-world outcomes. What does your child most enjoy? Try to tune in to your child’s emotional triggers and find areas of interest that you can use to make learning more enjoyable.

This term’s grades are a done deal. Overcome discouraging grades and get on with developing better study habits over the Summer. Set a few short-term goals that your child can easily reach. Like reading one book each week. Offer rewards for each goal and up the ante if they exceed their goals!

Demonstrate the usefulness of schoolwork by showing how skills learned in school apply to your child’s hobbies or career interests, and help your child to recognize opportunity within adversity.

Build good work habits by scheduling study time in brief, 10 or 20 minute blocks. Staying on top of daily or weekly goals will help your child avoid stress. Encourage them to read or learn about things they are interested in. It won’t seem like schoolwork if they’re learning about stuff they like! Make sure your child has a designated work area away from any distractions like video games, the television, and cell phones.

Work with your child’s teachers and see what areas need improvement. If materials have a way of getting lost, spend an evening creating an efficient and organized place to study. The way to better grades comes much easier with an organized approach!

Help them develop a lifelong love for reading. Let your child see you reading. If they are still young enough – read with them as frequently as you can. You’ll both cherish the time together! Lead by example – your actions speak far more effectively than any words. Learning to read will benefit them for a lifetime!

Step in if your child is spending too much time playing video games or hanging out on Facebook. Encourage balance. Make it easy for them to develop and strengthen their growing bodies! Take them outside and play with them! Your Child's health plays a big role in their success in school and life!

Learning to Read

On the first day of class, right out of the gate he let us have it – “All men were NOT created equal” he boldly stated. Despite what we may have read in our history books – this High School Latin teacher ( yes, Latin ) was introducing us to the real facts – at least according to him.

His point was that we were a privileged few. We had the opportunity before us to learn. We had access to a great store of knowledge. Of course, what we chose to do with that wealth of information was up to us. Just that fact that we were in those hallowed halls of learning made us different ( not better, mind you ) than ninety percent of the children on this planet.

We had an opportunity to learn. To benefit from the wealth of information our teachers were prepared to share. Surely every parent wants his or her children to have the opportunity to learn. Our teachers here in the USA do a mostly wonderful job with our youth. And wouldn’t you argue that – in the end – the responsibility is ours, as parents, to help our children learn?

Half way through the Pastor’s message on a recent Sunday evening my ten year old gently tugged on my arm and whispered - “Daddy, Can we read a verse after Church is over?” I quietly nodded and smiled – assuring him that we would. Like so many parents I often find I’m at a complete loss when attempting to understand what sometimes goes through his little head.

He has somehow acquired a thirst for learning more about the lessons in the Bible. He and his little brother both enjoy the Sunday morning and Wednesday evening lessons the youth leaders share. His excitement for learning about God is no less than amazing! This is the same 10 year old who usually shuns my efforts to read together at home. Reading is reading – Anything ( within reason ) he actually wants to read is fine with me!

What is it that those volunteer youth leaders teach these highly impressionable little ones? How did this interest in the Bible happen? Whatever they do - Whatever happened – I’m very grateful and encouraged. Maybe the lessons they are learning will help them develop into loving, caring youngsters. Maybe they will share the love they get with others. Maybe they will even help others learn to read!

Learning to read is one of the greatest lessons we can hope to share with our beloved youth.