Q & A
Telling the truthQ: For the third time this week,my child told a lie. They weren’t big ones, but how can I get her to stop? Why is she doing this?A: Youngsters have vividimaginations and are learningthe difference between fantasyand fact. Talk with your daughter about what’s real and what isn’t.“Do talking purple dinosaurs really ex-ist? Let’s look updinosaurs in the encyclopedia and findout.”Kids also lie to avoid embarrassment.Confronting your child abouteating a cookie without permissionmay prompt her to say a monster ate it. Remind her to tell the truth,even if she’s done something sheshouldn’t. “It’s fun to pretendthere are monsters, but they aren’treal. What is our rule about havingsnacks before dinner?”Pointing out when your youngster tells the truth will help buildhonest behavior. Write down whenshe admits to doing somethingwrong or tells you about what shehas done before you are aware of it.Review the list withher, and tell her you’re proud of her honesty. ♥Examples: up, down, left, right.Take all the change out of your pocket and let your youngsters sort it.Then, show them how to count it out.Count the pennies. Look at the coins.One side is called the head, it has thehead of a former president. The other side is called tails. Play a game andhave your child call heads or tails. Youflip the coin and have them call it.Practice counting. If your child cancount to 100, count by 10’s. Say eachnumber and ask them to repeat it after you.Try an alphabet search. One personfinds an object that begins with theletter a. The next person finds some-thing beginning with b, and so on.
Waiting games
Waiting has become a part of our every-day lives. The next time you hear,“How much longer?” try oneof these ideas to occupy your children:Play word games. Start with a simpleword like up, and take turns thinking of opposites or alternative words.(peeling a banana) and Honey horse(galloping). Show the action thatthey do. Tell me the sound thatGordo and Honey say.
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Limit time on electronic game devices.Try to give equal time to developingvocabulary or playing outside.
My daughter Amy always seemed tobe “bouncing off the walls”—
athome, at school, just about everywhere.I didn’t know what to do. Since myWhen parents get involved in learning,kids are more successful. Help your youngsters get off to a good start inschool by creating habits like these athome:
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Make time each day to look over school papers with your youngsters.Be on the lookout for notes fromtheir teachers, and mark importantdates on the calendar.
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Sharing at dinnertime is helpful. “Isee that you have Gordo gorillasister’s son is also very active, I askedher for some advice. She suggested thatAmy get as much exercise as possible.So, we try to go for a walk or play inthe park almost ever y day. On other days, Amy rides her bike or plays run-ning games with the other kids on our block. I’ve noticed that Amy is espe-cially “wired” when she’s overtired, soI make sure she gets plenty of sleep.The difference these changes havemade to her behavior is wonderful — and I’m calmer, too!
October 18,, 2010
Learning Guidelines from “Resources for Education”
www.rfeonline.com
Helpful Hints from “Resources for Education”
www.rfeonline.com
Family Games from “Resources for Education”
www.rfeonline.com
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