The more involved parents are in their children's school activities, the more they can encourage their children to excel. Similar to how parents inspire their children who participate in sports by attending their sporting competitions and cheering, parents can inspire and motivate their children to excel in school by showing up at academic events.
Parents Inspire Their Children to Read and Learn
In addition to showing up at their child's school events, by regularly taking the following steps parents can help their children to excel in school. To ignite their child's imagination and inspire a passion for reading and writing, parents can create stories with their child.
Twice a week sit down and write a story with one's child. This does more than teach a child accurate sentence structure. This polishes a child's writing style and gives the child confidence to excel at English.
Ask first and second graders, younger children if they are ready, "What time is it?" several times throughout the day. This quick, simple interaction requires no books, paper, pen, pencils or money. A few seconds several times throughout the day can help to teach a child a new and valuable skill -- how to tell time.
Parents Instilling Successful Childhood Learning Habits
Offer children the pleasure of spooning and measuring ingredients while preparing morning, noon or evening meals. Not only does this teach children the art of cooking, it also teaches children how to weigh and measure. Combined these at home lessons can become a definite plus when young children perform math and science equations in school.
Provide children with daily and weekly chores. When chores are given to children with love and respect, they help to teach children to be responsible. Chores can be as simple as helping to carry groceries inside the house from the car, assigning the child to make their own bed, clean their room, sweep the front or back porch, put away their clothes or feed and help care for the family pet. Children who are responsible for their actions and feelings learn to keep their word, respect others and complete school assignments on time.
Celebrate each child in the family's achievements. Reciting a poem, reading verses of scripture, earning a passing grade or helping someone are all achievements. So too is learning to share a favorite toy, learning to skate, ride a bicycle or finishing reading a new book.
Reading Resources for Parents and Their Children
Phonemic Awareness by C.T.P., Reading For Details by Carson-Dellosa, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggins and Black Beauty by Anna Sewell are books used by organizations like Teach Children to strengthen children's reading skills. With the advent of the Internet, parents can get copies of these and similar reading comprehension books directly from the comforts of their own home by clicking over to websites like Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, Borders, Kmart, Walmart, Cushcity and Waldenbooks.
Local libraries and small to midsize local booksellers are other excellent sources parents can access to find books that help to improve their children's reading skills. It is not uncommon for libraries to hold book sales throughout the year and sale books for as little as five or ten titles for one dollar.
Celebrate a child's achievements to build healthy self-esteem. Set healthy boundaries and assign chores for children to complete to teach children to be responsible. Ask children simple questions like "What time is it?" throughout the day and let children measure ingredients while one is cooking to teach children how to tell time and learn about measurements.
Visit the local library and online and offline booksellers like Amazon.com, Cushcity.com, Borders, Barnes and Noble, Waldenbooks, Robin's and Rare and Classic Books to encourage a passion for literacy in children. Together these steps can help children to excel academically.
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