Carve out space: Find a spot in the house where your child will have peace and quiet, but is also close enough to ask you for help if he needs it. This can be a space in the kitchen or family room, or in his bedroom; but make sure it’s roomy enough to spread out all of the books and other things needed. It is probably best that there is no television playing or cell phones ringing during designated study time.

Ample furniture: A sturdy table or desk is vital, and it’s good if you can find something modular so you can add to it as he grows. A basic desk is great for little kids, maybe with just a drawer or two to put away papers. Later on, file cabinets and cubbies will come in handy. You also want to give them a nice comfortable chair, but not one that is so cozy they curl up and take a nap instead of studying. In addition to normal room lighting, add a good desk lamp to prevent eye strain.

Storage and organization: It’s important to stock up on essentials like pens and pencils, paper, ink cartridges, staples, and tape. You might buy a small cabinet to designate the supply closet, and a pencil cup for writing tools and scissors. A calendar put up nearby makes it easier for them to keep track of when projects are due, and a corkboard can be used to show off good marks or special accomplishments. Labels and bright colors make it fun for kids to use the space, and easy for them to keep it clutter-free so they’ll want to spend more time there.

Giving your kids a nice space to study free of clutter and noise will help them learn good study habits. These habits will serve them well into the future, and keep the stress levels to a minimum in your home for years to come.

Denise Gabbard writes about a wide range of topics, from caring for children and pets to learning to compare life insurance and how to get great travel deals.

Related articles

• The Best Back to School Study Area Ideas (homeandgardenideas.com)
• Nice and New: Convertible Compact Desk (casasugar.com)
• Living in Wall-e’s World: Got Leopard Print? (beyondtheouterrim.wordpress.com)
• 10 Easy Ways to Declutter & Maintain Order in Your Home by Jacquie Ross (declutterorganizerepurpose.wordpress.com)
• Chaotically Cluttered Cupboards – Colin Tury’s Unorganized Cabinet is a Motley Furniture Piece (TrendHunter.com) (trendhunter.com)

About Sugata Mitra

Sugata Mitra’s “Hole in the Wall” experiments have shown that, in the absence of supervision or formal teaching, children can teach themselves and each other, if they’re motivated by curiosity and… Full bio and more links »

Image via Wikipedia

1. Talk your kids teachers with like they are your friends! If they love you, your kids will almost definately get better attention. Also, they deserve it because they are caring for our precious children. Even if you are upset with them, speaking with courtesy and respect can often solve problems easily.

Above all else, remember that teacher’s are not God’s. They do not see all, hear all, or know all. Sometimes they make mistakes, and sometimes they forget things. Remembering they are human and treating them with continued respect is the key to a successful relationship with any classroom teacher.

Here are some resources about taking to teachers:

How Can I Talk to My Child’s Teacher? from the National Education Association

How to Talk to Your Child’s Teacher by By Lela Davidson

Talking to Your Child’s Preschool Teacher from KidsHealth.org

How To Talk To Your Kid’s Teacher by Kate Lawler

Talking to Your Child’s Teacher or Caregiver from the Illinois Early Learning

Talking to Your Child’s Teacher About Standardized Tests from KidSource.com

Photo Courtesy of **spaceMonkey**

So your beautiful toddler goes off to the day care center and at pick up time the teacher tells you that your child has been caught lying. Embarrassment, anger, and frustration may start to creep in your mind, but my advice is relax! Chances are your child has lied at home, and even if he or she hasn’t you should not worry because this is an age appropriate reaction. Children at the mere age of 3 begin to understand how the world works around them. Part of understanding what that means is, figuring out that there are certain ways to get out of trouble! Of course they are going to try to lie to avoid being disciplined! It is how you react that will make all of the difference.

Here are a few tips to help you through:

*Don’t overreact. If your child lies at school chances are they have already faced the consequences of their actions. Its enough just to discuss with the child what occurred and express your disappointment. Let them know that everyone makes mistakes and that you can understand. Make it clear that although you are not happy with the mistake they made, what upsets you most is that they lied. This will reinforce the teacher’s punishment. Also let them know that the next time they lie in school you will be forced to add an additional consequence at home.

*If the lie occurs at home, then do not accuse the child of lying. This sets up the child to engage in an argument and lie even further. Instead stick to the facts (example: Timmy you say you didn’t color on the wall but I see your crayons, the wall colored, and it’s your height can you tell me how this happened?). If the child continues with the lie after you have pointed out the facts, let them know that you are disappointed that they did not tell you the truth. NEVER ACCUSE YOUR CHILD OF BEING A LIAR . It teaches them that you don’t trust them and creates such a negative connotation that you will be engaged in battles with your child for years to come. You want to teach your child that lying is wrong, not that they are bad for lying. Once your child has admitted the truth let them know that their mistake was just a mistake, but it was the lying that made it worse. Then let them know that while they have to fix their mistake, they need a consequence for the lie. I find that having the child help pick that consequence usually makes it more effective!

*Explain to your child what lying is. Let them know why it’s not okay to lie, and how people perceive them when they do. Read stories (i.e. “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” and “Lucy Tells Lies”) that discuss lying and show consequences. This will help your child understand the consequences of lying. Above all, don’t lie to your child! You are the example that they look up to. They need to trust your word and believe in you. If you don’t lie to them, eventually they will see that lying is wrong.

Remember, even though you may do the steps, your child may continue to lie and you may have to repeat these things all over again. The point is to keep the lines of communication open. Your child needs to understand that even if you have to have the ‘lying talk” with your child repeatedly you will. As long as you’re stern but loving with your child, eventually this lying phase will pass, and your child will learn that it is better to tell the truth! So hang in there!

See Also:

Children And Lying from American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry.
Getting Honest About Lying from IVillage
Three Lies Children Tell…and What You Can Do About Them
Telling lies: Info for Kids
Speaking To Your Child About Uncomfortable Topics…
When Is Your Child’s Behavior Inappropriate?

Related articles

• More Information on Teaching Autistic Children

So your toddler is at pre school and you are wondering what exactly are they teaching. Also, is my child keeping up with the with the other children? Here are a few all important tips on what your child should be learning:

• The most important thing a child should be learning is socialization. This is your child’s first formal experience away from you. They need to learn how to listen to other adults, and interact with other children. It is hard to learn how to ask a child to play with you, or learn how to cope when someone hurts your feelings. Children should look forward to coming to school and feel safe and secure in their social environment.
• Toddlers should also be learning how to function in their classrooms. For the most part, child day care centers have structured days. It is hard for a child to understand the concept of following someone else’s rules. Children must learn how to sit in a circle, complete learning activities, and learn to follow a scheduled day. This can be difficult and takes time.
• In terms of actual learning concepts, pre schoolers should begin working on pre-writing skills, These activities include fine motor skills such as learning to color within the lines, using play-doh, practicing pouring water, and eating with a spoon, Once your child has mastered these skills they will move on to learning how to hold a pencil and drawing straight lines. After tracing straight lines your child should begin to work on tracing their names and letters. When this is completed children will move on to writing letters without tracing.
• Letter comprehension should also be taking place. Children should start off just being introduced to letters by singing the alphabet and introducing one letter sound at a time (example: the letter a makes the sound …aaa…). They should also be learning words that start with that same letter sound (apple, ant, ankle). After learning the letetrs and sounds children will then begin to orally sound words out.
• In terms of math concepts, children should be exposed to numbers and also understand their quantity ( the number 2 means something). After children understand what the numbers are, and that they have value, they will then begin to trace the number that they are working on. Children will work on writing at least the first 20 numbers and some will even learn to write to 100. Children who have learned this will also begin learning addition. Children will also learn money concepts and possibly how to count by 5′s and 10′s.
• In terms of social studies and science, children usually learn the basics of hygiene, weather and season, holidays, dinosaurs, planets, and solar system. These are just a few examples. Usually these thematic ideas are based on the school’s preference and not on a set standard of what children have to know. Other curriculum may include art or physical education depending on the school.

What I have written seems simple. What parents really need to understand is that all children learn differently and its up to the child what pace they learn at. Some children will end the year knowing how to read and some may just understand letters. Remember THIS IS FINE AND NORMAL. Children learn differently and and that does not make one slower or smarter. Remember this is preschool and not college! Children usually reach the same level by third grade. If your child is happy and loves going to school, at the end of the day… they are learning a lot!

See also:

Early Years Are Learning Years™ from naeyc.org

Helping young children start school from naeyc.org

A Homeschool Curriculum for Preschool and Kindergarten

The most important thing I must emphasize is to never NEVER force a child to learn academically. Learning needs to be fun and interesting. Forcing a child who is not ready or willing, will create resentment and cause many problems in life. Remember learning comes in many ways, and children are using learning skills when they are trying to socialize and assimilating to the school experience. These are all valid skills and should not be ignored. If your little genius is ready, then how will you know?

A child who is ready to read is expressing interest in words. He is asking what the letters are that he sees and continually wanting you to read the same stories over and over. Part of every parents ritual should be reading a minimum of fifteen minutes to a child each day. By showing that you think reading is important your child will grow to love it as well. Soon your child will be picking up the stories and retelling them to you relying on memory and pictures. You may even hear him mimicking your own voice intonation.

The first step is to review the alphabet. One of t he best ways to introduce the alphabet is to introduce a child to his name. It gets them to understand that letters have meaning because it relates to them. With each letter of his name go over the sound it makes. This will get him to understand that letters have sounds. After reviewing the sounds in the name start with each letter of the alphabet ( one every few days) and go over the sounds and word associations with that sound. You should also create index cards with your child. Place index cards around your house with a word, and a picture drawn by your child next to real items ( i.e. write the word window have your child draw a picture of a window scribbling is fine and place it next to the window). This will also help him to understand that words are full of meaning.

If your child expresses an interest in writing start with purchasing the large pencils or pencil grippers. This will help your child understand the correct way to hold a pencil. You can also purchase some writing paper that has dotted lines in the middle. This helps children understand where the writing line is and where words go. Start with creating dots and having your child connect the dots. This will help your child gain confidence. NEVER make your child erase his work or tell them that they are wrong. Remember they are preschoolers and there is plenty of time for correction . You do not want to frustrate your child or make them think they can’t do something. They will then stop trying and you will have to wait. Once your child can connect the dots with ease start with writing the stick letters (b,p,d,,t) These are the easiest to write. Then go on to rounder letters (a,g,j,c). From their you can write the rest of the alphabet and then go on to simple two letter words etc. Remember these things take time. Connecting the dots of his name may take your child all year and that is fine! Your child needs to work at their own pace!

Remember reading and writing go hand in hand. You cannot teach one without the other. Make learning fun. You can play letter games, sound games, have fun reading times, read books about what your child is interested in, and even pick out learning materials together. Don’t use this time as time to get your child ahead of his class. Use it as bonding time, giving your child special memories that your child will have forever. Remember your child is a little genius no matter what because he is yours. So teach away!

This cycle of forcing a child to understand that school is a place that we do ?work? can be a scary one as it can set up children to resent school. This is a child?s first experience at school and it needs to be a positive one. At a young age children need to understand that learning is something that takes place everywhere and it is fun, not work. If you are relying for a teacher to teach your child you have the wrong idea about education. You want your child to learn at school; learn how to make friends, how to be self sufficient, how to separate home-life and what the basics of school are.

If they happen to learn a letter or number along the way great. School should not be the first time they are exposed to reading and writing and practicing with you where they feel safest to explore is a great thing! I am not saying break out the blackboard at home, rather spend time with your child teaching them through hands on experience. If your child loves dinosaurs read about it, count dinosaurs, visit museums, pretend to be dinosaurs, cook with dinosaur shapes draw paint and cut until they are interested in something else. Have Fun!

After the initial introduction have a list of prepared questions that are important to you. While asking these questions pay attention to her interactions with your child. Chances are while you are speaking your child will be playing, interrupting your conversation, or hiding on your lap. In any of these scenarios a great teacher still takes time to interact with your child throughout your conversation. The most important way to tell if your child has a great teacher is through your child.

If your child is verbal listen to what they have to say… more often than not, they will express if they are having a great time, love their teacher, and love school. If your child is not speaking look for the nonverbal cues such as crying when seeing the teacher, body language, or the intense desire not to return to school. This will be different from separation anxiety because its is not presented as the fear of the child not wanting to be away from you, more so it will be discomfort of the child around the teacher… With a loving teacher the most severe cases of separation anxiety can be cured, and your child will love school!!!

You may be asking yourself who gave him too much sugar, but in reality what your precious child is telling you is that he is ready for school!! Children learn the best from other children and crave social interaction. While you are filling your child?s day with one busy activity or the other what he really needs is to be among his peers learning the important skills of how to interact with others. Common signs your child is ready for school is when he starts doing things throughout the day he knows are ?naughty? and does them anyway. This is a sign of boredom.

Another sign is when he begins to repeat or retell stories you have read for him or shows he has seen on television. This really demonstrates how much he wants to learn. Also another telltale sign is when your child wants to do thing such as eating or drinking and other self help skill on his own . This shows his need to be independent from you and his need try new things alone. Having your child in a nursery school, if he is ready, does not make you a neglectful parent. After your child has had a fun filled day at school you will be ready and energized at home to fill his afternoon and evening with family time!