All teachers and moms know the key to a successful routine is
starting earlier than later and STICKING TO IT!
1. Setting Up and Decorating a Homework Area - This is a special way to make a homework area important to a child/student. It gives them ownership which will help with their responsibility.
2. Scheduling Free Time and Family Time - Students love summer so much because they feel like they can do more of what they like. To keep students in love with learning, they should have some time for that as well. So be sure to add it to the calendar so it won't be forgotten! Mama Smiles talks about this and gives other ideas for back to school organization.
3. Make a Happy Mama List - I love all of Lindsey's ideas on here, but the free printable I love the most! This would work as "The Happy Teacher List" as well.
4. Get in the Back to School Mindset - Another great list of tips, but my favorite is going over past achievements and goals from last school year in order to set goals for the upcoming school year. My teacher heart is filled with joy at the thought of this!
5. Preparation Timeline - Kerri was kind enough to give a timeline of important events that should be done before students enter the classroom. If you are only a week away from school starting, pick the tasks that are most important for your child to get done and keep going from there.
6. Have an End of Summer Party - Don't let the summer end without giving it a proper farewell! This will create a sense of closure for children and will help you as you start to implement the ideas from above and from your own experience.
A routine that needs to start being implemented before school starts is often forgotten or dismissed. Studying and/or Homework. Like it or not, your child will be asked to complete math problems, complete a science experiment, and READ within the next few weeks. All teachers hope that students are practicing these skills throughout the summer, but if your student has gotten out of the habit, include it in your plan to get ready for school. "How am I supposed to come up with homework?" you might ask. Here are some ideas...
~ MAKE IT A GAME
While driving to your child's last swimming lessons or sleepovers make up a game that will help him/her practice different intellectual skills. For younger learners, you might challenge them to a rhyming challenge {the person who can't think of another rhyming word has to help the other with a chore at home}. For more advanced students, you might ask them to try and say all of their 6s, 7s, and 8s times tables before the next song on the radio is over in exchange for some extra time outside or playing a video game. The possibilities are endless!
~ MAKE IT REAL
Help your children to use things they've learned at home or in past years of school in the real world. Ask your older child to go grocery shopping with you and pay attention to what is going to be purchased and then both of you can estimate what the bill will be.
When you go to the park for the last few times while it's nice and warm, play I Spy with specific things that will make their brain access prior knowledge {i.e. 'I spy a living thing that follows warmth from the sky.' 'I spy an acute angle.'}
~ START THE ROUTINE
If you choose to create a homework space for your student {extremely helpful!}, let him/her practice doing homework there early. Ask them to write a story to share with the family {remind him/her that there is a writing process}. Give them some math problems printed from here. You can easily choose a topic that you know they will succeed in so they don't become frustrated, this is just for routine after all!
No one can do all of these, but one or two might be just what your family needs to have a little more organization and success at home for the next school year.
What other tips do you suggest for an organized/learning home?
JNatalie
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