Homework Tips for Kids & Teens

Homework has been a perennial headache for kids and teens as well as for their parents. Following are some tips to make homework time more effective and enjoyable for all concerned.

1. No TV. As a general rule, kids should not watch TV while doing their homework. It might be a good policy to have the television turned off any time it's time to do homework, depending, of course, where the television is located.

2. The radio is OK. Contrary to what many so-called experts recommend, actual studies have shown that having the radio on a child's or teenager's favorite music station can actually help him learn better.

3. Set fixed hours. There should be a set schedule for homework. This way, the youngsters can arrange their schedules and make sure they get their homework done every day. It's also a great way for answering those comments. "I'll do it later, after I've finished whatever," which is a standard line among kids when asked if they've finished their homework. You may want to set a standard time for supper and family discussions, followed by study time. If the student doesn't have other commitments and gets home reasonably early from school, some homework can be done before supper.

4. Set telephone rules. As a general rule, kids should not be allowed to use the telephone during those hours when they are supposed to be doing their homework. However, sometimes it becomes necessary to use the phone, say, for confirming homework and the like. In these cases, the parents should set a fixed number of minutes for discussing school-related matters so the kids can get back to their homework right away.

5. Create a good study area. First, designate an area where it would be ideal for your children to do their homework, usually in their rooms. Set up this area to make it conducive for studying by putting proper lighting, an area for studying supplies such as pencils, pens, paper, books, and other essentials and make the area free from distractions. It might be a good idea to set up a bulletin board there as well.

Great Study Tips For Parents

With time comes change and this holds true for methods of parenting. Gone are the days of black and white television or the days when the telephone was connected to the wall in your home and still had a cord! Yes, remember what a telephone with a cord looks like? To even think about having a computer in your home was laughable. Look at us now!

Parenting is not lost among the changes taking place in our world. Let's take a look shall we. The majority of mammals go straight from infancy to puberty. The human baby does nothing of the sort. In fact, although they come into the world with their genetic code intact, without their parents the survival rate for humans would plummet. Looking at the evolution of species, the human baby remains far more dependent upon their parents than any other mammal.

Now for parents of pre-teens and above, the thought of having them fend for themselves at times sounds appealing. You can walk, talk, and dress yourself... see ya! Ah, but that is not how we raise our young, is it? We love and nurture them. We do our best to instill a moral cnmpass. Here is a tantalizing thought, children become capable of reproduction between the ages of 10 - 15, but which one among us would dare say they are ready for the adulthood that awaits them?

What was the parenting style you were brought up in? Does it shape the way you parent now? What's the difference? It is commonly known that if you were brought up strict that as a parent you then lean towards a more liberal approach. The same holds true for those who were brought up with very little boundaries. Did your parents lavish you with hugs, love, and praise, or did they say token words of affection? Does the way we parent have direct consequences on our children's behavior? Very tantalizing questions. Let's look at a few different parenting styles.

PARENTING STYLES:

Indulgent: more responsive to their children than demanding. They don't hold fast to the traditional roles. The lean more towards allowing the child to self-regulate and tend to avoid confrontation with children.

Authoritarian: tend to be more obedience driven. They expect their orders to be obeyed without question.

Authoritative: have clear rules of conduct for their children. Often times are assertive without being overly restrictive. They prefer supportive methods when it comes to discipline.

Uninvolved: self-explanatory... this can lead to neglect and abuse.

Attached: in it's simplest term is to develop a strong emotional bond with parents during childhood.

I was raised in a very strict environment peppered with violence. I learned early that love and affection was earned and just as quickly taken away. How did this affect the way I parent? Dramatically! Although, I will say that through the years of being a parent my techniques have changed with the knowledge gained.

In my early years as a parent (and I will speak only to raising children and not the many complications that are included in the family unit) I did my best to lavish love. To the point of smothering? I tried not, but I definitely did all in power to let my children know that no matter what they did I would always love them.

During the time my children were young, "Attached Parenting" was not as common as it is today. I breast-fed, cuddled, and held my kids when they were crying, hurt, or anything else. I also tried letting them cry themselves to sleep but this often broke my heart. I think those emotions were directly connected to my upbringing. Enough of my parenting attempts, how has your upbringing colored your parenting skills? What do you do the same or different.

English Study Tips for Kids and Their Parents

Kid whose parents take an active interest in their child's education will probably be much more likely to become successful language learners. This is why parents should get involved in their kids learning process. This article provides some useful tips for both kids and their parents. However, before you start reading this, keep in mind that kids' learning process is not the same with that of adults. So do not except your kids to learn English the same way - and at the same rate - you do.

Useful English Study Tips:

o Help your child access interactive websites on the internet especially relevant to young learners. There are tons of free and useful English websites for kids.

o Encourage good study habits by scheduling regular homework time and offering help and encouragement when necessary,

o Listen to English cassettes - for example music with English lyrics or storytelling.

o Use CD-ROMs with educational games:

o Watch appropriate English DVDs/VCDs/television programs suitable to the age and level of student. Animated films on DVD with language options can be a very good choice. Use English when the child is already familiar with the story. This will help them focus on the language rather than the plot.

o Encourage children to read you any English stories you every day.

o Let your child teach you what they learned in class. Look at the pages in the book your child studied. Ask them to identify pictures and name objects.

o Put stickers around the house labeling objects students have recently learned. This helps to bring language alive and gives learners day-to-day exposure.

o Ask your child to copy new words ten times each. This improves handwriting and reinforces word recognition and good spelling.

o Help your child make a 'personal dictionary'. In a notebook, write a letter of the alphabet at the top of each page. Start with A and end with Z. Children can record new words learned at school on the appropriate page. They can draw pictures to illustrate the meaning, give the translation or use it in a sentence. This can be a great way to review.

o If parents can speak English encourage conversation when possible.

Be Realistic about What Your Child Can Do

o All students have active and passive knowledge. This means that students can understand and recognize more than they can say or write.

o Focus on what children know rather than what they have forgotten. Students often personalize new words. Lilly might remember "doll", "skipping rope" while Tom remembers words like "dinosaur" or "robot".

o When children acquire their mother tongue, they understand and speak before they are capable of reading and writing. This is `lso true when learning a foreign language.

o Foreign language learners often go through a 'silent phase' when beginning to learn a language. This is normal. They are listening and noticing language. When they are ready, they will speak.

o Learners need to encounter language many times over a period of time before they 'know' it. Don't expect your child to 'know' it all after the first lesson. The teacher will review words in the next lesson to help students remember.

o Studies show that learners who have regular exposure to another language before puberty are more likely to have better language skills (including pronunciation) by the time they are adults.

o Making mistakes is a natural part of the learning process.

Most important of all: Remember that kids are not sponges! Do not expect them to absorb all that they have been taught at school. Also, do not be too hard on your kid. Parents should make English learning as enjoyable as possible.

Popular Math Websites For Kids Ages 6 to 10

Children can never get too much practice in math, especially if the learning can be extended into a learning game. Every child loves games and now the Internet has made it even easier to entice children into learning. There are a myriad of online math learning games, but one must be careful about choosing online games. Below are some popular math websites for kids ages 6 to 10:

Math Man: Math man is a free online math game that helps students practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skills. Depending on your child's learning needs, there are opportunities to complete order of operations too. This is a great internet resource to help improve students basic operation skills, which is the foundation to learning other complex math concepts. Math Man is played just like Pac-man and students truly enjoy playing and learning math at the same time.

Cool Math: Cool Math has a series of games that focuses on various subjects, including strategy, logic, and memory. Upon first glance, it may look like your child will not learn from these learning games, but this is not the case. Children actually do learn business skills and other real-world skills that they need to apply mathematics to their lives. A good strategy to use when exposing your child to this website is to make sure that you pre-select the game for them to ensure that they are practicing the skill that he or she needs assistance with in math.

IXL Math: IXL Math is the best website to have children practice their math skills in a real-world, problem solving setting. Children ranging from pre-kindergarten to high school have the chance to practice skills, which are tailored to their learning needs. All parents have to do is find out which specific skill that their child needs assistance with and can focus solely on their skill or a particular set of skills.

Sheppard Software for Math: Sheppard Software for Math is a one-stop math world that allows children to work on all math skills at the preschool level and beyond. Children can use the website games to practice daily on skills that they have already learned or are about to learn in class.

Children naturally loves to learn and these online math websites will continue to motivate them in learning how to do math. The bottom line is that children will benefit from these popular websites for ages 6 to 10.
About this Author

Alicia Holland-Johnson, EdD, is a proud mother of two beautiful daughters and an educator with ten years of teaching experience at all levels, including university teaching. She also works as a professional tutor at Realistic Measures & Consulting ( http://www.rmctutoring.org ) and a consultant in the education industry. Her passion is helping individuals believe in themselves and go far. To receive a free special report, join the blog at http://www.parentseducatechildren.blogspot.com.