Education Tips
Read these 53 Education Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Parent tips and hundreds of other topics.
6 Easy Ways for Kids to Learn
(1) Music. Kids like songs and catchy tunes. Think about how many times you've been unable to shake a song from your mind. Kids learn great lessons and ways of doing things such as learning your address, phone number, how to brush your teeth, state capitals, or even how to spell their names.
(2) Repetition. Hearing and seeing something enough times helps a child learn. It starts to stick to them like glue so having them repeat their verb conjugation of the word "to be" in Spanish or what
(3) Exposure. If your middle school kid has a science test on photosynthesis or the parts of the heart, post the photos and information they learn from class around the house. In the bathroom (they look at it while they brush their teeth), in their room where they study, in the kitchen on the wall where they can see it while they eat. Repeated exposure to educational tools is important. Think how you posted the alphabet in your toddlers room so they could see the letters everyday. The same holds true with an older child.
(4) Involvement. Nothing helps a child learn quite like an involved parent, but it doesn't mean you have to grill your child on their spelling words for hours at a time. Approach it differently, ask them to explain it to you. Such as "Pretend I don't know who Thomas Jefferson is. Tell me what you've learned about him" then simply listen. See how the child gets excited about telling you something they've learned.
(5) Routine. Having an established after school routine helps a child get their homework done without the chaos of trying to finish a forgotten assignment at midnight the night before its due. This can work even with after school activities. Have your child empty their homework at the same place everyday and ask them what's due, when and ask how you can help. The child should do their homework in the same place and put it in their backpack as soon as it's completed. Again, no scrambling for it the next morning or worse, leaving it at home. Nothing is more discouraging that doing the homework perfectly, only to leave it on your kitchen table.
(6) Environment. Make sure where the child does his homework is productive for that child's learning. Is the TV blaring, the radio on, you're cooking dinner and the child is sitting at the kitchen table stuck on problem #1? Maybe the environment is too chaotic for him. Find a quiet, simple place for the child to work by turning off the TV until all homework and chores are done. (The chores thing is really to help out parents.) That way you can offer a productive environment for the child and are able to stay involved in their progress. Limited distraction is important when learning new things or figuring out problems.
6 Easy Ways for Kids to Learn
(1) Music. Kids like songs and catchy tunes. Think about how many times you've been unable to shake a song from your mind. Kids learn great lessons and ways of doing things such as learning your address, phone number, how to brush your teeth, state capitals, or even how to spell their names.
(2) Repetition. Hearing and seeing something enough times helps a child learn. It starts to stick to them like glue so having them repeat their verb conjugation of the word "to be" in Spanish or what
(3) Exposure. If your middle school kid has a science test on photosynthesis or the parts of the heart, post the photos and information they learn from class around the house. In the bathroom (they look at it while they brush their teeth), in their room where they study, in the kitchen on the wall where they can see it while they eat. Repeated exposure to educational tools is important. Think how you posted the alphabet in your toddlers room so they could see the letters everyday. The same holds true with an older child.
(4) Involvement. Nothing helps a child learn quite like an involved parent, but it doesn't mean you have to grill your child on their spelling words for hours at a time. Approach it differently, ask them to explain it to you. Such as "Pretend I don't know who Thomas Jefferson is. Tell me what you've learned about him" then simply listen. See how the child gets excited about telling you something they've learned.
(5) Routine. Having an established after school routine helps a child get their homework done without the chaos of trying to finish a forgotten assignment at midnight the night before its due. This can work even with after school activities. Have your child empty their homework at the same place everyday and ask them what's due, when and ask how you can help. The child should do their homework in the same place and put it in their backpack as soon as it's completed. Again, no scrambling for it the next morning or worse, leaving it at home. Nothing is more discouraging that doing the homework perfectly, only to leave it on your kitchen table.
(6) Environment. Make sure where the child does his homework is productive for that child's learning. Is the TV blaring, the radio on, you're cooking dinner and the child is sitting at the kitchen table stuck on problem #1? Maybe the environment is too chaotic for him. Find a quiet, simple place for the child to work by turning off the TV until all homework and chores are done. (The chores thing is really to help out parents.) That way you can offer a productive environment for the child and are able to stay involved in their progress. Limited distraction is important when learning new things or figuring out problems.
Gender Roles?
A month or more ago, I write an entry about a woman I overheard at Target telling her son the Barbie and doll section of the store was the “Unimaginative Section.” Many of you wrote in, supporting my rant. One of you didn't and even said I should get a sense of humor because it’s possible this woman was kidding.
My first reaction to this was to write “I have a very good sense of humor”, but felt it was a mute point (or moo point—a cow’s opinion as Joey from Friends would say). Then I thought about it and maybe this person could be right. I have always had a very short fuse when it comes to gender roles, pigeonholing someone to be something they can or can’t be because of what anatomy they were born with. The fuse became considerably shorter after having children. I make it a point to tell our girls if they are willing to do the work, learn the schooling, and commit to goals, they have a great chance of making them happen. I don’t appreciate someone saying such narrow minded comments, even if they are kidding. I don’t get that humor at all. Comments like that only breed intolerance and perpetuate the ideas.
Then my eyes were opened to my own short-comings.
Sunday, we were out purchasing a big girl bed for our younger daughter. I gave her the choice of picking out her sheets and comforter and figured she’d pick out princess, flowers, butterflies or something of the like. Nope, out of all the girly, frilly, pink bed sets she could choose, she decided on Buzz and Woody Toy Story’s Buddy Brigade. The blue, orange, green and white sheet and comforter set is very cute, but I heard myself say, “Don’t you want the purple kitties with flowers or the princess one?”
“No, I want Buzz and Woody.” She smiled and jumped up and down. “Buzz and Woody! Buzz and Woody! Yeah!”
Okay, I gave her the choice and this had been her decision and yet I still asked her again if she wanted the other, more girly ones.
No, she was sure of her decision. So much so that she carried the sheet set to the cashier.
Certainly a daughter of mine, who’d shown her love for fashion and lip gloss, would pick the more traditional female items, but she threw me. Then I had to laugh at the whole thing.
My father wasn’t a big supporter of things girly. He felt me learning how to do more things, some of which were traditional male chores, would help me know that my boundaries were endless. Remember, this was the start of the women’s movement and he was all for equal pay for equal work and giving people the chance to do jobs if they were willing to put in the blood, sweat and tears to earn it. I appreciated him not giving me a narrow view of life options, but I also remember fighting with him on anything remotely girly—specifically clothes and how girls dress. He went for more of a lumberjack, practical, clothes that last approach. I didn't want to look like I drove a truck for a living, so we didn't agree on clothes until I bought my own.
When my daughters came along, I told myself that I would let them choose whatever they wanted when it came to decorating their rooms and clothes (within reasonable cost). On Sunday, I got a very big taste of reality soup when I stopped myself from changing my daughter’s mind.
Now, ironically, I realize that I’d also put my daughters in categories when there was no need for it.
When we got home, she grabbed her Jessie Doll and said “Look Jessie at my bed.” The sparkle in her eyes is something I won’t forget because she felt like a big girl and I let her make that decision all her own.
No, I didn’t make an announcement to the store that I thought the Toy Story items were only for boys. No, I didn’t tell her that only boys get to have those kinds of things so I think I did better than the women I mentioned before. Not announcing my opinion on gender roles to everyone in the general vicinity, but this isn't a tit for tat thing. It's a figure your own child out thing and let them be kids.
But it left me to wonder, if we ever have a boy and he wanted the purple kitty and flowers set or the princess set, would I be as open-minded?
I truly hope so.
Never Too Early
It's never too early to start reading to your children. Studies show that children who were read to as infants developed reading skills earlier than their peers. They also devlop a higher comprehension level.
Phonics Bingo
Try this twist on the classic game to let kids practice associating letters with sounds. To do: Make a bingo grid of consonants on a piece of cardboard. On the grid, include all consonants, the blends sh, ch, and th, and a free space in the middle. Call out the letters by sound (eg. "tuh" for T), have your child name a word that begins with that sound, and then cover the correct letter with a small piece of cardboard. Be sure to reward successes, and don't criticise mistakes. Your child may also enjoy practicing his letters by being the caller himself.
Lead By Example
Make sure your children see you reading for pleasure at times other than just at read-aloud time. Share with them your enthusiasm for whatever you are reading, and they will start to see what fun reading really is.
Hot Dog Reading Game
To make reading to your child more fun and to determine if your child is listening or following the print, occasionally say the word "hot dog" instead of the correct word. For example, Jack and Jill went up the "hot dog". Your child will pay close attention to try and catch you everytime you make a switch, and reading together will be more fun for both of you.
Letter Match
To help kids recognize upper and lower case letters, you can prepare a letter puzzle for them. Prepare 5" X 7" cardboard cards with a capital and small form of a letter on each card. Cut the letters apart, making sure that you use a different cutting pattern on each card. Mix up all the pieces, then ask your child to match the correct form of capital and small letter. If your child gets it correct, the two pieces will fit together.
Facial Expressions
To help your child increase his/her vocabulary, try this fun game. Ask your child to imitate your facial expressions - happy, sad, angry, surprised, etc. and together discuss synonyms for these words. Put all the words on cards, then have your child pick a card, say its word, and try to make the appropriate facial expression.
Get Organized
Create a work schedule with your child, and encourage him to write assignments on a calendar or agenda book. If your child has an assignment that seems overwhelming - perhaps a speech or science project - help him break it down into manageable chunks and write those in the agenda.
Increasing Reading Interest
To help include your child in reading and increase your child's interest in the story, try bringing your child into the story by changing the name of the main character and using your child's name instead.
Homework Habits
To help develop a positive and successful approach to homework, try these pointers:
1) Create a quiet area with no distractions.
2) Sit down next to your child, offer support but don't do their work for them.
3) When finished, help your child put the work in a homework folder in his backpack to prevent lost or torn work.
4) Praise your child for a job well done!!
The Shoelace Box
To help kids master shoelace tying, decorate a shoe box to look like a shoe (kids love to do this). Punch holes in the box (three on each side) and lace with an adult shoelace. The box is larger and easier to practice on than a kid-sized shoe, and less stressful since your kids can practice at times other than when everyone is rushing out the door.
Repeat, Repeat, Repeat
We taught our 20 month old the alphabet by singing it and signing it to her all the time -- especially in the car. She now says them all the way through, and can sign a couple of the letters.
Size
To help develop your child's sense of size, play this "Bigger than... Smaller than..." game. For example, ask your child what is bigger than a car, or what is smaller than a penny. Note: be sure to use variations on the size words you use when describing things. Try words like huge, large, tiny, little, etc.
Acknowledge Successes
Celebrate all gains, not just high marks, whether with high fives for an improved mark in spelling, or an ice cream sundae for finishing a major book report. Sometimes you may have to look for successes, but they are there. Focus on your child's strengths.
Expect Success
In order to learn, children must believe that they can. The feedback they get from teachers is significant, but parents are the most important adults in children's lives. Whatever you say or do about your child's abilities as a learner affects your child's opinion of himself.
Test Grades
Remember that even the best test is just a snapshot of your child at one particular point in time. It's not the whole picture. Success in life is dependent on many qualities that can't be tested, including creativity, determination, ambition and luck.
The Teacher is on Your Side
Don't just meet your child's teacher. Get to know her. How can you and she successfully team up to help your child have a great school year? If a problem arises, talk to the teacher right away. And be sure to keep up with what's going on at school by reading all of the notes and newsletters that get sent home. (You may have to dig through your child's backpack to find them!)
No Comparisons
Never compare a child to yourself. Telling them you did this in school or you did that just makes them feel worse about themselves. Try to praise them for what they do and don't compare them to you.
Color of the Day
For a fun game to teach colors to young kids, try setting a timer for two minutes and then see how many items of that color you can find. When the time is up, count them together to practice counting skills too.
Geography Game
Buy a poster map of the United States that shows each state in contrasting colors (available at teaching supply stores). Place it in a central part of the house, such as the kitchen. Then choose a state each week, show it to your child on the map and tell them about that part of the country. This will be a great learning tool for the whole family (Mom and Dad too). As your child gets older, replace this map with a world map.
Encourage Reading!
Reading to your child is an undisputed important link to learning and future success in school.
Ensure that you set aside time each day to read to your children, and approach it as an enjoyable activity, not a chore. Reread the same book as often as children wish, it is how they start to recognize words. Encourage the child to start telling the story, point out letters and words to see if they recognize them. Not only is it quality time spent together, but it furthers a child's love for learning.
Finish the Sentence
To encourage your child's love of reading, and include them in the story, try this activity. Read a story, stopping three or four words before the end of the page and ask your child to finish the sentence with his/her prediction as to what will happen.
Feeling and Writing
To help your child learn how to form the letters of the alphabet, cut the letters out of sandpaper and paste each one onto cardboard. Make an arrow to show where to begin forming the letter and guide your child's finger while he or she traces the letter and names it.
Spelling Dictionary
To help young kids who are learning to spell, try creating a "dictionary" for your child. Use a spiral notebook, and designate two pages for each letter of the alphabet. Whenever your child asks you to spell something, write it on the appropriate page of the dictionary. The next time he needs that word, he can look it up in his dictionary. Not only does this reinforce spelling skills and keep frequently used words readily available, but it encourages sight-reading as well.
Encouraging Reading
A good vocabulary is essential for passing most standardized tests, so read to your children early and often. When they read on their own, encourage them by creating a quiet reading spot in the house and making regular library tips.
Extra Help for an Early Writer
To help young children who are learning to write, you can try using a marker with disappearing ink as their guide. You can buy these at sewing supply stores. To do this, you write the letters, and they trace over top of them. By the next day, the marker has disappeared, leaving only their writing. This is a fun way to practice the alphabet, name writing, and story writing.
Big Bed Time
To encourage kids to read and promote the love of reading, set aside some family time weekly to enjoy together on the "big bed". Grab some favorite books, blankets, pillows, etc. and meet together on Mom and Dad's bed. Read aloud, or everyone can read their own book. It is a great way to spend time together and relax.
Color Fun
To help young kids learn their colors, try using colorful fruit snacks. Pour several packs of snacks into a bowl, and have the children sit in a circle around the bowl. Give each child a cup and as you go around the circle say a color at random as each child takes a turn finding the color and placing it in their cup. For a fun treat at the end, the kids can eat whatever they collect!
Homework Station
To help out at homework time, set up a centralized homework station stocked with paper, glue, crayons, etc. You may need to buy extra supplies, but you will no longer need to make the last minute trips to the mall or school. For older kids, you may wish to add a dictionary, thesaurus, or other items on their school list. Also, if there is more than one student in your home, you may want to make the station moveable by buying a cart on wheels.
Be Your Kids' Tour Guide
Look for links with the school curriculum when planning family outings and vacations. Visit the art museum when your child is studying French Impressionists, or a local historic homestead when he's learning about pioneers.
Alphabet Shopping Carts
To help your child learn the alphabet, draw pictures of large shopping carts and label each one with a letter of the alphabet. From old magazines and catalogues, the child cuts out pictures of items that begin with letters indicated and pastes them in the correct cart.
Increase Practice Time
To encourage your child to practice extra-curricular activities such as music, gymnastics, dance, etc., try occasionally videotaping the practice. Your child can watch her own practice and get new insight, plus it will give her a real boost. It also is a convenient way to share with faraway family and friends.
Phone Number Recall
Teach your kids their phone number by singing the numbers to the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". The numbers fit the tune perfectly, and your kids will pick it up quite easily after hearing it several times.
Letter Recognition
To help your child recognize upper and lower case letters, print a letter in the center of a large piece of paper or cardboard. Ask your child to find letters in newspapers or magazines that are the same as the center one. Paste them around the center letter. Your child will begin to see that the same letter can look very different, depending on where and how it is printed.
Magnetized Flash Cards
Paste small magnets on the back of word flashcards and place them on the fridge to encourage kids who are learning to read. Kids can make up silly sentences and will want to learn new words to use. Use family and friends names, and funny words. The more interesting you make it, the more interested they will be in learning to read.
Money Math
Older kids will have a great time practicing their math skills with this activity. Give them a large catalog, such as Sears or JC Penney, and have them pretend they are millionaires. Allow them to "buy" everything they'd like, keeping a running total to see who can be the most extravagant.
Making Reading Fun
It's hard to read to a child who won't sit still. So make it fun. Dress them up as characters in the book, do voices or create projects to go with the book. i.e. a book about animals...they can draw the animals and make the sounds.
Bedtime Stories
Read bedtime stories as often as possible. Research suggests that the cadence, rhythm and tone of being read to soothe a child and help relieve anxieties.
Space Perception
To help young children develop a sense of space and position, discuss these concepts while you are at the playground. Talk about what you can climb over/under, what you go around, etc. This can turn into a game similar to Simon Says where you give your child instructions to follow. Eg) Simon says walk under the slide.
Library Returns
To lessen library book mix-ups, I always borrow the same number of children's books at each visit. This way when it is time to return them, with a quick count I know that we have all the books.
ABC's by Touch
For the stay-at-home parent, reciting the ABC's can drive you to drink. How many times will you hear that song and in how many different ways?
Well, do something different when teaching the ABC's that incorporates all the senses (sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing)
Practice the alphabet in a fun and tactile way. Take shaving cream or whipped cream and spray it on a cookie sheet. Write out the ABC's while singing the song or the letters.
Kids love to practice writing with their fingers and it develops fine motor skills, especially with something as fun as shaving or whipped cream.
Another fun way is to pour Jell-O powder on a plate. Have your child lick their finger and write the letters of the alphabet on the plate. Kids love and excuse to try this!
Other mediums are ketchup, mustard, finger paints, and peanut butter (provided the child isn't allergic). Although it might make a mess, it's something different, something fun, and something that's a new twist on an old routine. And new is always welcome for the stay-at-home parent.
Give Them Free Time
Don't overload your child's schedule so that she is rushing from piano to skating to swimming to ballet - with no time to spend an hour with friend, or just sit and read or play a game. Your child should have a balance in her life.
Silly Hoppers
Listening and then following directions in sequence is difficult to learn, but is an essential skill. To practice, ask your child to do three silly things in a row while hopping, without being reminded of what they are. For example; Hop to the fruit bowl, say hello to an orange and roll it down the hall. Then let your child make up hoppers for you to follow.
Be A Good Listener
To learn how your child is really doing in school, and her true feelings, be sure to converse with your child and do not interrogate.
Instead of asking, "How was your day?", ask questions that require a detailed answer. Examples are "What was the best part of your day today?", "Tell me something new that you learned today." When the child begins to explain to you their day, ask questions as if you were hearing the (school) information for the very first time. This encourages the child to go through their minds and recall what they've learned. If they feel like they are teaching you, it gets them excited. Yes, parents most likely know who the first president of the United States was, but when the child is learning about George Washington and his role in the Revolutionary War, it's important not to give answers like "I knew that." Say "Wow, really?" or "That's cool that you learned that." It gives children that extra boost of confidence to know that not only did they remember what was taught, but their parent(s) thinks it's wonderful.
Baby Storytime
To start an early love of reading in your baby and help your infant get the most out of storytime, stick to short books with lots of pictures and point to them often. Draw her attention to bright colors or familiar objects. Babies also love looking at pictures of other babies.
Be A Model
Actively show the value of learning to your child. Do your children see you reading, writing and using numerical skills? If we want them to believe these things are important, we have to walk the walk. Make trips to the library and bookstore a regular part of your routine. Be sure to set aside time for reading and writing during the summer, too. Perhaps your child could even keep a journal of summertime experiences.
Sneaky Reading
To help reinforce reading skills in older children, sit down with them to watch their favorite TV show, but with the mute and closed captioning on. Take turns reading and playing different characters and you will have a fun reading activity to do together.
The Uninventive Section
So I'm standing at [Target] in the aisle with my daughters. Part of our routine when we go there is we walk through the doll area and they point at things they think is cool. (Also, it is qualified with "I'm not buying anything for them at that moment.") The routine works well and we seem to get through a regular shopping visit with little or no drama.
But as I'm standing there, I hear a woman informing her child of the different colored toy aisles. "The yellow one is learning toys, the blue is toys for boys, and that pink one is [the unimaginative section]."
She pushed by me and didn't say a word as I stood there in the very pink aisle.
Her school aged son struggled to keep up with her OCD pace and look of determination that said "I'm on a mission to screw up my son, don't mess with me"
Because her statement was so absurd, it took me a minute to process what she said.
Did she just call me and every other parent who's purchased anything marketed "girly" [unimaginative]? That we encourage our girls to do nothing creative or by purchasing such products in the [pink] area of the store, we are encouraging them to be mindless mouth breathers?
That's right, anyone who plays with dolls just waits for the doll to create the games, to dress themselves, and set up the castle, the fort, or the adventurous maze. They are the ones who act out the show, dive into the depths of the bathtub and get stuck in the toilet on purpose.
All we [unimaginative] people do is sit there and wait for these inanimate figures do all the work because these things made of plastic are so agile, strong, and inventive.
It requires no creativity or imagination to play with [Barbie], dolls, or anything in the pink color spectrum.
I began to feel defensive and I wanted to tell her my daughters not only play with dolls, but they also know all the standard tools in a tool box, how a house is built, love bugs, and they have more Lego’s than most boys, but I took a deep breath and counted to five.
Was it worth it to get in her face about this? Should something as ridiculous as her one-sided view of things really upset me that much? Would it make any difference and if I did say anything, would she in turn take it out on her [child]?
She wasn't talking to me directly; she spoke generally, but out loud, well really more like loudly and didn't appear to have any clue what she said would offend anyone. That or she simply didn't care.
The more I thought about it, the more angry I became.
Should I turn the other cheek? Do what [Jesus] and [Buddah] say? Love thy neighbor and the like.
Nope, I still felt the urge to set her straight.
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
Before I set out to kick her narrow-minded butt and congratulate her on raising a future chauvinist, I stopped and looked at my [children]. They hadn't heard a thing and if I pursued this awful natured woman, they would most certainly get an earful of things they don't need to hear. At least, not at these young ages.
I felt for the [boy] because of what his [mother] was teaching him. How he'll have a skewed view of [women] and that will affect all his relationship with [girls] and probably with her as well.
How sad that will be, but even more sad, is her view of women and probably her view of herself.
So, no I didn't kick her butt, but I sure wanted to. I came home thankful that I've got an open mind. I know [girls] and [boys] can play with [toys] equally and I have no preconceived notion that my [son] playing with dolls will make him a future fashion designer or my daughter constructing a pirate ship will make her want to plunder the high seas. I know it's all [imagination].
Too bad this woman didn't seem to have any.
ABC Board
For an educational project that you can do with your kids, create an ABC board. Use a large poster board, label each letter and have your kids search for items to represent each letter. For example, yarn for Y, feather for F, heart for H, etc. and glue to each letter. It provides a learning experience while making it, and leaves you with something to come back to over and over again.
