(Cross-posted at UBAM Young Readers Blog)
Learning doesn’t stop at the doors of the school. Every moment of everyday provides opportunities for learning, connecting school work to life, and building knowledge and skills that will help students be successful in life after high school graduation. Parents can help support this learning by doing simple things at home or in daily activities that children can be involved in along with parents.
The following list includes some simple steps that parents can take at home to support the knowledge and skills that students are learning in school and to help build connections between school and life.
- Encourage your children to explain their assignments and share what they are learning in school.
- Set a time and a place to do homework. Pick a quiet place to work away from the television with adequate lighting and materials appropriate for homework (paper, pens, pencils, dictionary, etc.) Be consistent.
- Give frequent encouragement and approval for good schoolwork.
- Develop a system with your children to record when assignments are due and to organize a timeline for completing tasks.
- Share your interests in hobbies with your children and use this time as learning experiences.
- Provide children with access to printed materials, such as magazines, newspapers, and books related to their own interests and to family interests.
- Develop nighttime reading routines with children that include reading out loud, asking questions, and discussing books.
- Promote conversation at the dinner table, giving everyone a chance to talk and be heard.
- Make visits to museums, zoos, historical sites, parks, your backyard, and walks through the neighborhood into fun learning experiences for children.
- Encourage children to write letters, words, and stories.
- Set high, but realistic, standards and expectations for learning and performance, and help your children meet those expectations.
- Help children make plans for the future by talking about what they want to do when they grow up and what skills they need to achieve their goals.
- Attend college and career days at your child’s school with your children.
- Include your children in activities like developing a monthly family budget, grocery shopping, and paying monthly bills so they can apply what they are learning in school to daily tasks and life skills.
- Serve as a “life-long learner role model” by talking with your children about how you learn the knowledge and skills needed for your job or how you learn the skills necessary for managing your home and family life.
What other tips or strategies have you successfully used at home with your children to promote and support their academic learning?
