Food for Thought: How Do You Get Your Kids Talking at the Table?

How do you get your kids talking at the table?

1. Keep It Casual

Don't ask your child a direct question. It could put them on the spot and they'll shut down. Open conversations with your own stories to urge them to join in.

2. Play Games

Fill a bag with slips of paper containing a bunch of topics. At dinner, take turns picking out a topic and discussing it.

3. Make 'em Laugh

Ask what was one funny thing that happened at school that day.

4. Include Others

Teach them to show empathy for others. Ask questions about the people in their lives - friends, teachers - reinforces the idea that others' feelings are important.

5. Get Details

Ask who they sat with. Who they played with at recess. What happened on the bus, etc. Specific questions might be what they need to get them talking.

(Source: Real Simple magazine)

After-School Pickup

 

Tips from a former elementary teacher for moms and dads that are picking up those little ones from school....

1. First and foremost, smile at them when you see them. I know your days aren’t always perfect, but let them know you’re happy to see them. I can’t tell you the amount of times that kids are picked up that their parents or guardians never look over and smile. Let that first look from you be one that welcomes them because more than likely your smile is the only one they care for right now.

2. Please, please, please do not let the first thing out of your mouth be “What color did you get on?” Or “Did you have to move your pin today?”. There are so many more important things to ask than that. Ask what made them laugh, or did you make a new friend, or what did you learn?

3. Understand that, especially on these first few days, they are exhausted...mentally and physically. Their worlds have been rocked. They have new expectations from a new teacher...expectations they probably do not have at home. Have grace. They will need it.

4. They’re probably starving. Have a little snack waiting on them. Sometimes kids eat as early as 10:50 for lunch....and unless the school provides a snack, or you’ve sent one for them, they may not have eaten since then.

5. Even though they’re tired, they have a lot of bottled up energy! They’ve been asked to sit and get quiet off and on for 8 hours. They need to be able to talk and fidget and just be kids! Let them!

Remember these days will not last. Pretty soon they’ll be grown and you won’t have these moments. Find joy in the journey.

The better we treat our babies, the better our future will be.

They're only little once! **Repost from Aubree Paige**

Parental Bits of Wisdom

Sharing these bits of wisdom from a fellow teacher.

1. Lower your standards for cleanliness and order.
2. Did that? Lower them even more.
3. Your house will never look like a magazine spread, period. Embrace that.
4. No matter how many baskets you buy to contain toys, they will always be visible. Embrace the Toys ‘R Us/ frat house-chic decor.
5. You can never have too many Popsicle in the freezer. How many bad moods have been fixed by a simple Popsicle?
6. If you can’t change them, change your perspective. For example I read recently – probably on Satan’s website Pinterest – that toothpaste is great for cleaning things like faucets. So now when I go into the bathroom every day and see toothpaste splatter all over the bathroom faucet I think about how my children have done half the chore of cleaning for me. How considerate of them! Then I wipe it off while cursing.
7. Those chores that no one ever wants to do. Decide if you would rather do it yourself, badger your child to it, or let it go. If you are confused about what to do, see Number 1 on this list.
8. No one cares what is stuffed under your child’s bed, why should you. Unless it is old food. In that case, you should get a dog.
9. If you have boys, your bathroom will always faintly stink like pee. Invest in some Febreze and count down the days until they move out and you can go visit them and pee on their bathroom floor.
10. Don’t buy white furniture. Unless you enjoy screaming at your children every time they go near it.
11. However bad a situation might seem, one day it will be funny. I have a few for which I am eagerly awaiting for the funny to kick in. Any time now….
12. When your child is a young teen there will be nothing more embarrassing than your very existence. Use this to your advantage. Start planning early.
13. Do not paint any walls in your house with flat paint.
14. Be okay with letting your kids stumble sometimes. Whether that is turning in an assignment late because they didn’t do it or wearing an outfit so hideous you have trouble looking at them without laughing.
15. Noise cancelling headphones are great for blocking out whining, bickering and the endless episodes of Sponge Bob.
16. Socks do not have to match. Every day is Crazy Sock Day at my house, which is infinitely better than Crazy Mom Day.
17. The crayons will break and it is okay to throw them away rather then save them to make some sort of craft that involves the hair dryer. In fact, I give you permission to not feel guilty about all the crafts you know you will never do.
18. Your children will not die from eating the occasional hot dog or frozen pizza. And by occasional I mean more than you are really willing to admit.
19. If your children are driving you crazy arguing with each other, start an argument with them. Then your children will bond over their mutual hatred of you and be quiet.
20. Children do not appreciate top sheets or high thread counts. Buy neither.
21. Homework time is the worst time of the day. Help your kids and yourself by having a designated time and a quiet place to do homework. Preferably in a neighbor’s home.
22. Just say No to ironing.
23. Last, but not least, some chocolate and some really bad TV makes everything seem a little better.

Backpack Check for Parents of Preschool, Kindergarten, or Elementary School

Check out this blog post from Kindergarten and Preschool for Teachers and Parents. There is a lot of very important information and noteworthy advice that needs to be read.

Kids and Homework: What Can Parents Do?

When sending your kids to school, you expect the majority of their education to take place during the six or so hours per day when they are actually in the classroom. But for parents, it is important to realize that education needs to be reinforced in the home. This means not only helping kids with their studies, but also imposing homework times and engaging them in conversation about the things they are learning at school. It is easy to fall into a pattern of overreliance on our children’s teachers—but we must remember that teachers have dozens of kids to worry about. Our kids need us to make their education deeper and more personalized.

Establishing a homework time and space

As soon as your child begins getting homework assignments, set up an area of the home that can serve as the designated study space. This should not be in the child’s bedroom, as there may be distractions in there, and it is important for your child to have easy access to you for questions. Instead, set aside a distraction-free space in the common area of the house.

With the homework time, there are many possibilities. Experiment with different things until you find out what works best for your child. Some kids focus best two or three hours after school, just before dinner time. Some focus best in the hour prior to bed time. Some do best when the homework time is split into two segments before and after dinner. You will know you have found the best situation for your child when he or she is capable of focusing and getting all homework done day in and day out.

Meanwhile, whatever you set up for your child’s study time, make sure that you or your spouse are always nearby to help or answer any questions. It is a good idea to make this a quiet reading time for everyone in the household. This way, there is no television or other forms of excitement that may distract the child from his or her studies. So, during homework time, grab a book or magazine and settle in where you are immediately accessible.

Organization for good study habits

Another important point is to make sure your child approaches homework in an organized way. There are different ways to do this, but one that works for many kids is to keep a small notebook for daily homework to-do lists. Of course, this requires a type of discipline that is rare in young kids, but it is a good habit to learn if your child is capable of it.

Take stock of each day’s homework soon after your child gets out of school, and consider how much time will be needed to get it all done. Then, organize the tasks in a logical way that works for your child. Many parents find it best to encourage their kids to tackle the more difficult and time-consuming homework tasks first. Make all this a routine, and your child should eventually become relatively self-sufficient when it comes to homework—though of course, your involvement is always helpful.

Being engaged

Every family must find its own ways of approaching homework and study time. But if you want your child to do well in school and grow up with a good education, there is one indispensible element: parental engagement. This means more than just helping with homework; it also means communicating with teachers, being involved with the school, and staying plugged in to the community of parents in your neighborhood. It takes time and effort, but there is virtually nothing more important in a child’s life than education, so parents need to be engaged every step of the way.

In the end, many parents are surprised by just how much they enjoy being involved with their kids’ education. In helping your child with homework, you will learn plenty of things yourself (and you will relearn many things you have not thought of since childhood). Plus, time spent with your child working on homework is quality time together, a precious resource in these fast-paced times.

Guest article provided by Jamell Andrews who is an accomplished writer and believes in the power of homeopathic medicine. She is a regular contributor to the Parenting Journals.

(Original article found here.)