1) Wherever you are, make life a “letter hunt.”  Be it the grocery store, drug store, the zoo, or in the car, pick a letter and find it in signage and brand names.   See if you can get all 26 letters.  Or choose a letter from the alphabet and search your home for words that start with that letter.  Try labeling those objects using a labeler or post-it notes. (Please be forewarned!  Pets exhibit a near-universal discomfort in being labeled.)  After naming items individually try using a different colored labels to group them by type, shape, color, or size.  For example, “couch” could also end up with the labels “brown,” “soft,” “rectangle,” and “furniture.”

2) Read to your child every day.  Demonstrate for your child how to read with expression.  If a book has pictures, relate the words to the pictures.  Even if you’re tired of a book, “Read it again!”  If you are repeating an old favorite, change the words in silly ways and let your child catch you “messing it up.” (more…)

1) Do what your teacher asks you to do. Complete all assignments to the teacher’s exact specifications.  Come prepared to class.  You know you need a writing tool no matter what.  How about some paper?  And of course, your completed homework does no good sitting on your desk at home.

2) Show you care about the class even if you don’t. Sit near the front, avoid distracting classmates, sit up straight, and make eye contact.  Listen for verbal clues, and watch for non-verbal clues.  For those less engaging classes, make sure you get enough sleep; nodding off is a big no-no. (more…)

How to Know When it’s Time to Go Pro

“Does my child need help?”  It’s one of the most challenging questions we face in supporting our kids’ development.  We watch rising and falling grades, the roller coaster of emotion, peer relationships, shifting interests and activities, and so on, all in hopes of truly knowing our children and providing them with what they need.  Still, our doubts nag us: Is he really doing okay?  Is she truly happy? If we suspect all is not well, the question becomes: What can I do about it?  It can be difficult to tell if a child needs more help than is being provided.  Rare is the pre-adolescent who says to his dad over the breakfast cereal box “I’d like to retain a learning specialist to guide me through the murky waters of my teenage years.”   This leaves parents to sift through the sometimes subtle, sometimes overt, clues in their children’s behavior. (more…)