Thursday, April 16, 2015

Parenting Pointers: Tips Towards Boosting Your Child’s Learning


All parents want the best for their children, and this definitely includes hoping that their children are capable learners. Well, did you know that as a parent, you can have a big role in your child’s learning abilities? Read on for some tips on how to boost your child’s learning!
Read With Your Child
Teachers, doctors, researchers, and psychologists all agree that reading with your child is the number one way to boost your child’s learning. Children’s literacy is a very important issue in our nation right now; foundations such as the United Way’s Women’s Leadership Counciland UNICEF work continuously toward improving children’s literacy in the United States. Fortunately, there are quite a few things you can do to lay the groundwork for strong reading skills for your own child.
For starters, you should mix up your reading routine rather than reading only one type of book with your child. Read picture books together, guiding your finger along the words to help your child start recognizing words and their sounds. You should also read chapter books aloud to your child that may be a little above his or her reading level.
Whatever type of reading you’re doing, make sure to get your child involved in the story. Ask questions about the characters and discuss what might happen next. This will encourage and develop your child’s analytical and critical ­thinking skills.
Teach Your Child Nursery Rhymes
Nursery rhymes might just seem like silly songs to sing to babies and toddlers, but they actually help develop important skills in your child. The repetition in the rhymes actually helps strengthen your child’s language skills.
Michael Sizer from the Maryland Institute College of Art says that learning a nursery rhyme also “builds memory capabilities that can be applied to all sorts of activities”. It seems easy to us to remember nursery rhymes, but for children hearing them for the first time, it can be more of a challenge! This gives them the opportunity to flex their memorization muscles.
Supply the Right Toys
The toys your child plays with can also play a big role in his or her learning abilities. According to the experts at Scholastic, Inc., toys such as a jack­ in­ the­ box or blocks will help your child learn about cause­ and­ effect relationships in which one action results in a specific consequence. A jack ­in­ the­ box pops out of the box when its handle is turned, and if a large block is stacked on a small block, the bigger one will fall. Situations will help your child recognize these “if­ then” patterns and apply this to their reasoning.

It is also important to provide toys that allow for open­ ended play. Open ­ended play is
playtime that is unrestricted and uninhibited. There aren’t rules for how certain toys or games should be played; it’s all subjective and creative. O​pen­ ended play is an important part of a child’s development­­ - especially with toddlers. This type of playtime encourages independent, creative thinking, and helps him or her begin thinking outside the box.
Blocks and clay are both good open­ ended toys. With these, children can build and create anything they want without any set rules or right or wrong creations.
Help Your Child Become a Brainiac!
If you follow these tips and help your child when they are young, you’ll help them develop the right skills they’ll need to learn quickly and effectively as they grow up!


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