The Parent Connection January 2007
By Elizabeth Swartz

For a printable version click here. PDF 76KB

Required Reading
With a little imagination, this homework staple can be fun

When children come home with required reading sometimes even their parents groan. Maybe you have bad memories of the kitchen timer being set for your 20 minutes of quiet time to struggle over words you didn't know. But that doesn't have to be the same experience that your children will remember. The requirement to read a particular book or for a certain amount of time is the teacher's decision; whether it's pain or pleasure is up to you.

Set the stage for fun
Planning when your child will do his or her required reading is the the first step. Select a time that is not pressured and doesn't have a definite end time. If it is going well and everyone is enjoying the story, don't stop when the timer rings. You might even get to where nobody bothers with the timer. The next thing to consider is location. In the middle of winter, a tent set up indoors filled with pillows and a flashlight is a wonderful reading spot. Join the kids in there and zip out the whole world. You'll find it relaxing. Sit back and visualize another place and another time. Take turns reading by the page or the chapter. Add a bowl of popcorn or a box of crackers and the kids will want to do their required reading first every night.

Healthy School-to-Home Habits
Here are some simple steps to keep school supplies germ-free

Often throughout the day and week we remind the kids to wash their hands. But there are many other ways that germs are brought home from school. Backpacks and lunch boxes slide under the desk and along the bus floor every day, then come home to land on the kitchen counter. Hats and coats are all lined up side by side with those worn by kids who have just been out for a week with strep throat. Study folders and notebooks are passed back and forth all day long getting sneezed and coughed on.

Targeted cleaning
Establishing some basic rules and habits such as: 1) Don't put backpacks on the counter or dining room table, 2) Always put the lunch box in the sink to be washed and 3) Machine-washing the backpacks a couple times a month will cut down on many germs getting into your family food cycle. 4) Replacing pocket folders and wiping off notebooks with a damp paper towel and a household disinfectant will also decrease the traffic of cold and flu germs.

Turning kids into clean freaks is not the goal, but keeping up the defenses for your household will benefit everyone and raise you child's consciousness to a new level.

Age-old precautions
Getting enough sleep, drinking lots of water, eating a nutritious diet and taking vitamins will also help keep kids – and you – healthy.

When doing daily household chores, don't forget to disinfect the doorknobs, especially those on the front and back doors to the house and the bathroom doors. Also, keep the trash cans away from the kitchen table or counter where the cooking is done.

One of the most helpful suggestions doctors give to first-year teachers is to keep the wastebasket away from their desks. Have students blow their noses and deposit their tissues in the trash by the door.

Rise and Shine
How to set a positive tone for your family every day

Beginning the day peacefully can make all the difference in the world. When waking your child, opting to tickle warm toes down under the covers rather than yelling from the bottom of the stairs can decide the tone for your child's whole day. Your whole day, too, actually.

Helping the kids prepare for their day is more than just laying out clothes and packing backpacks the night before, though these are very helpful. It is sticking an extra little note on a napkin in the lunch box that says, "Mom believes in you" or "Dad loves you." A smiley face or a family photo tucked into a homework folder can be a lifeline in the middle of a hard school day.

Set goals in the morning for the end of the day. Saying, "I'll be waiting to hear about that play you are doing today," or "Those science experiments we read about looked exciting, tell me about it tonight," lets children know you are interested in their school experiences. If you are afraid of forgetting to ask, remind yourself to follow through by leaving yourself a note in the car or on a window sill where the kids can't see it.

Active listening
Ask that age-old question, "So, how was your day?" and be prepared to listen actively. Ask questions about classmates, what time certain things occurred, how your child felt in different situations, etc. You're not being nosy; you're being an interested parent. You are also helping your child learn how to correctly summarize, report and trust.

Show parallels between your child's day at school and your day at work. Include negative as well as positive experiences and interactions. Children need to know that life isn't always fair to grownups, either, and yes, parents sometimes have to do things they don't want to.

Keep your ear ready to pick up on little hurts and fears that only sneak out at bed time. Extra hugs at night and friendly tickling fingers in the morning will let your children know that you are always there for them.

For a printable version click here. PDF 76KB

Elizabeth Swartz is the librarian at the Watsontown and Turbotville Elementary schools in Pennsylvania.

January 2007, Vol.37, No.4