Common Complaints Kids Have About School and How To Combat Them

Posted on | by KD Novelties

For many children, school takes up a good chunk of their young lives, and much of their attention and brain-power as well. Each child will have their own unique school experiences, and of course their own opinions and feelings about school. It may feel disheartening for some parents to hear their children complaining about something they may not have too much control over, but there are ways in which parents can help by simply listening.

Obstacles and Challenges
Kids are learning new things every day, and sometimes children can feel overwhelmed by not only the information that they are expected to learn and understand, but the tasks, assignments and necessary studying that they need to complete as well. Depending on how old your child is and what grade they are in, the problem may differ. Younger children may not be able to vocalize the exact source of their frustration, but it helps to weigh in with their teacher about it. Your child may be distracted, fidgety, or have another problem such as a learning or attention deficit problem that needs to be addressed. Sometimes it could be something as simple as who they are sitting next to or how much energy they have. For older children, finding the root cause may be easier. Your child may be able to point out a specific topic, homework assignment, skill or concept that is difficult for them. From there, you can set up supplemental study sessions, look into buying supplementary material, go to the library with them, or have them enrolled in after-school tutoring or study-buddy programs to help.

Teacher Woes
Hearing that your child does not like their teacher can be tricky. It’s important that you ask your child to explain where their dislike or frustration comes from because this will help you reach a solution. Maybe the teacher assigns too much homework, or has the class participate in activities or games that your child may not be fond of. If the issue is more personal, then it is important that you look into the matter further by setting up a meeting with the teacher and another school administrator. It’s important that parents gain some perspective and get the teacher’s point of view before moving forward with a solution in order to avoid any misunderstandings or other problems.

Morning Maladies
Though children tend to get up earlier than teenagers, not every child is the same, and some kids may have difficulties finding the energy to get ready and go to school in the morning. Feeling a little grumpy and groggy is normal – and let’s admit adults would rather shut their alarm clock up than actually get ready for work in the morning. But some kids may be especially tired, unhappy and unfocused in the morning. This can prevent them from doing well in school because they are not capable of giving their complete attention, but it can also be the sign of something more serious.

First, parents should examine their evening/bedtime, morning/wakeup routine. There may be a reason why your child isn’t sleeping well, causing them to get inadequate rest. But while tiredness can come from not sleeping well, it can also be the result of not eating well, too. Making sure that your children eat a balanced diet is vital, but many kids, and adults, fail to eat complete breakfasts due to busy schedules. Make sure you and your family are getting the sleep and the nutrients you need.

It’s important that parents listen to what their children have to say, and if they are complaining about something it is important that you find the root cause before telling them to do anything or jumping to conclusions about it. Some kids may have legitimate issues and complaints. Other children may be using complaints to cover up other problems, such as issues with classmates or even a learning disorder that they may not understand or feel embarrassed of. If you hear your child complaining about school, it’s important that you listen but also that you investigate the cause.

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What to Keep in Mind Before Your Child Starts Reading

Posted on | by KD Novelties

Reading is an essential skill and is the key to the future. Children typically learn to read on their own around pre-K level, but it is never too early to expose your child to books and reading in general.

One of the most important things that parents can do is read to their children, but reading has more benefits than many people realize. Even if a child can not read on their own yet, reading along with your child can help them develop key language and speaking skills, it can help train them to become better listeners, and it can also help them think more abstractly, too.

As beneficial as reading to your children can be, it also helps to make it more engaging. Even if they cannot read on their own yet, they can still engage with the text and the story itself. Ask them questions, inspire discussion, inspire them with what-if’s. These sorts of engaging questions can help kids to interact with books more closely even if they cannot read themselves and can also help to boost reading comprehension skills when they do. Reading is not just about the act of identifying words correctly, it’s also about the story, the characters, and the journey. With narrative text, asking questions can help kids think critically about the story and encourage them to ask questions and make inferences. These skills can also easily be applied to informational text, such as that found in textbooks and other materials children will see in school. By engaging with the text, kids can develop skills that allow them to understand abstract concepts and develop essential problem-solving skills.

Most importantly, asking questions about books helps kids think about books before they’re even reading. By the time they are able to read on their own, kids will have already developed a personal relationship with reading and may already develop a love for books as well.

Mastering the Art of Homework Help

Posted on | by KD Novelties

As parents, you need to help teach and guide your child until they can become fully independent individuals. Some parents may feel as if they are doing their children a favor if they do something for them instead, but this can be detrimental in the long run. If your child is used to having things done for them, they do not learn to be resourceful and will depend on others even when they are older. This can be tricky for parents who may not know how to help their kids, especially with things like homework.

Helping kids with homework can be particularly troublesome for several reasons. You may fall into one of two categories: 1) you may end up doing the assignment for them without teaching them anything or 2) you may not remember how to complete the homework your child was given. Therefore, we have some tips on how to tackle homework trouble and make sure that your kids get a better grasp on their school assignments as well.

Let Kids Set a Routine
It’s important for parents to enforce the idea of doing homework, but forcing a child to get work done may not end up working in your favor. Parents can guide kids into finding a time and place that helps them focus and think the best. Some kids work better with more structure, whether they are in a library or setting up their assignments in a parent’s study.  Other kids however may enjoy more casual settings like the living room or in the kitchen with a snack to help get them motivated.

Once kids find out what works best for them in terms of location, environment and other factors, getting the actual homework done will be much easier.

Oversee, not Takeover
Being around to answer questions or clarify homework instructions is helpful, but it’s important that parents still let their children complete work on their own. Even if you see something incorrect, try to get them to see the mistake or the misunderstanding themselves but try not to intervene too much. If your child is having difficulties with their work, give them some time to figure it out first on their own. If your child asks for help, tell th
em that you’ll be with them in a minute or when you’re done doing whatever it is you’re doing while they work, giving them some time to think about their problem or question before you sweep in to rescue them. If they ask you to help with every single homework question they have, they may have a bigger problem or they may be relying on you to get their homework done quicker and easier.

It’s Okay to Ask for Help, too!
As a parent, it’s probably been awhile since you’ve done any long division and you may not completely remember all the names of the presidents. Your kids may ask you for help with homework that you aren’t sure how to answer clearly yourself, but it is important that you use this opportunity as a learning experience instead of making something up or faking it. Consulting educational websites, Google or other tools can help you assist your child’s more difficult homework questions – but parents be warned! The Internet, library, and other sources can be helpful and it’s great to teach kids how to use resources, too, but when it comes to tools like calculators or the Internet, it’s important to also teach kids that taking shortcuts may be easy but is not always the answer. Know where to draw the line. For example, some math problems can only be completed using calculators, but if your child’s homework calls for them to complete a long division problem and show their work, limit calculator usage to simply testing answers, or in the case of the internet, limit Google searches for questions needing clarification.

As your child gets older, their homework will change and so will their habits. No matter what, it’s vital that kids learn on their own, even (and sometimes especially) when they make mistakes. Encourage them to ask questions but to also be independent and resourceful when trying to find an answer before relying on someone else.

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