Practical Parenting

School is out!

It's that time of the year again! School is almost over and children will be off for over two months. At this time of the year, parents are often anxious and wonder about the kinds of things they can do with their children to engage them for such a long period of time. This is especially the case when parents work more than one job or if they are doing shift work. My best advice to all parents is to try to spend as much time with children as possible, and this can be done as you engage in your day-to-day routine work. For example, when you go shopping, take your children with you to the mall and the grocery store. Point out "nutritious foods" and ask them to find the letter "s" in the names of the stores they see at the mall. Take them to your place of worship and spend time talking about things that are important in your culture. Talk to them in your home language and realize that fluency in the first language greatly enhances children's ability to learn language skills in English.

Young children are extremely inquisitive about their world and love to ask questions. Take the time to answer their questions and model the joy of discovery for them. When you come home from work or after you pick them up from the daycare, encourage them to talk about their day and tell them about yours. To develop their sense of confidence, children need to feel valued and when you spend time talking to them, they realize how important they are.

Most of all, have fun! Children grow up very fast and these formative years are when they learn so very much about themselves, their culture, and the world around them.

And of course, read, read, read, read, read, and read! Sing songs, play silly word games, tell jokes, and read the paper together. Expose children to as much language and as much vocabulary as possible.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to share them with me.

Get Involved!

As a Kindergarten teacher, I have spoken to so many parents about the need for them to become involved in their children's learning. For many immigrant parents, "getting involved" means that they need to spend time working with their children at home. While the work they do at home is instrumental in helping children consolidate and internalize the skills they are learning at school, there are several other ways that I encourage parents to get involved. The following are some tips:

1. Ask the school principal if you can volunteer in your child's classroom. Not only will you be able to assist the teacher, but you will also have the opportunity to observe the skills your children are learning and the strategies the teacher uses to teach these skills.

2. Become a member of the school council. Before principals can made decisions that affect all students at the school (e.g., whether to have uniforms or not), the principals must consult members of the school council. By becoming involved, you can do a lot to influence the way your child's school is run.

3. Accompany your children on field trips. Teachers often ask for parent volunteers for school trips. Become involved in this way will show your children that you truly care about their education and it will help them see the continuity between the home and school.

By no means is this an exhaustive list. There are so many things you can do to become and remain involved in your children's learning. The most important thing to remember is that you can do so much to help your child have positive learning experiences at school. So get involved!

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to ask.