The 10 Rs for Your Child's Super Successful Summer

How can your children stay on a routine and retain what they learned in school AND be excited about it? Here are some simple ideas for a Super Successful Summer:

1.  RULES:  KISS (Keep It Simple Silly). Work with your children to decide on rules and have them sign the contract. For example - Every Day:

• 30 minutes of schoolwork
• Finish Chores 
• An hour of physical play
• Be Kind

2.  READ: Every day read - books, ipads, magazines, rules of games. Relevancy leads to reading. Play Scavenger Hunt Games. Take trips to the library. Let your child see your love and enjoyment of reading.

3.  wRITING - the fastest becoming lost "art." Help your child make To Do lists and cross off accomplishments. They can help with grocery lists to see writing has meaning. Help your child make a book - which can become a treasure, keepsake or gift. This helps with creativity and learning to read. You can keep it simple and just staple some pages together or poke holes and bind pages with yarn. They can illustrate it or you can paste their favorite photos. You may need to write their words. You could print the words large enough so that your child can trace over the words. Ownership leads to reading desire and enthusiasm.

4. aRITHIMETIC: Play Games. Make Math Fun and Relevant! Patterns and math concepts are everywhere leading to better reading and thinking skills.

5. RESPECT: Children who learn to respect others will be much happier and more successful in life.

6. RESPONSIBILITY Teach responsibility at an early age to help them (and you) through further years of development. Have a chore binder book or sticker chart. Use symbols beside words if your child isn't reading yet.

7. REWARDS: Children love a marble rewards jar - which teaches math as well as learning to earn something they want. Ask your child what they would like to earn. You may be humbled by their answer. When my daughter was in kindergarten, she told her teacher that her favorite thing to do with her mom was to play with the dollhouse.

8. RANDOM ACTS of KINDNESS: Teach the reward of giving. Helping neighbors, or taking them a plate of homemade cookies, can form lasting relationships and give a child a sense of community and belonging to a neighborhood. See RAK free ideas and printables.

Like Mama - Like Daughter

9. RELEASE STRESS - INCREASE STRENGTH: Children need to play outside. When I grew up, we did not have mobile phones, ipads, computers or even color television. My parents had five children and we were encouraged to play outside most of the time. Through outdoor play, I learned:

• How to communicate, share, socialize, follow game rules, and problem-solve
• Develop fine and large muscles
• Use my imagination to develop new games using whatever we had (rocks, marbles, balls, cans, sticks, chalk)
• Connect with my neighbors experiencing a sense of belonging

10. ROUTINE: Children crave routine and stability. Put PJs on, brush teeth, and then please snuggle and read a book every night possible with your children. Simple Comprehension Questions will help them retain information and will give you a glimpse into their imaginative thinking. Children will remember this special bonding time always - and you will to. They are little only a short time.



 

REMEMBER ~ 

Time is the most important

thing to spend on a child. 

Related Posts: 

ARK - Acts of Random Kindness

• Kindergarten Readiness: Enroll or Wait
• Caught Being Good!
• Top 10 Ways to Keep Kids Creative
• Why Craft? Why Art?
• Acts of Random Kindness - FREE Printables
• How to De-Stress Young Children while Traveling
• Discipline: Combat Duty or Common Sense Tactics
• Screen Time or Sensory Time
• The ABCs of Thrifty Teaching Tools

   
Would you like a glimpse into Kindergarten? See Kindergarten: Tattle-Tales, Tools, Tactics, Triumphs and Tasty Treats for Teachers and Parents. Moms of Preschoolers - let a mom and a teacher help save your sanity, one project at a time, including the child development explanations and age appropriate activities in The Happy Mommy Handbook: The Ultimate How-to Guide on Keeping Your Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy, Out of Trouble and Motivated to Learn. Both are bestsellers and also available on Barnes & Noble and Kobo. The ebooks are only $3.99.

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The Happy Mommy Handbook is Only $.99 for 2 days!

The Happy Mommy Handbook is on sale May 30th & 31st for only $.99! Currently, it is Number 1 in Parenting on Amazon. You can also purchase it from Barnes & Noble and Kobo. The ebook price will be $3.99 after that. Print copies are $9.95 and make wonderful gifts for parents and teachers of preschoolers.

Do you need answers to these questions?

• Why can't my kids just play by themselves occasionally?
• How can I help my children learn in fun ways?
• What can I do to help my child be ready for school?

5 Tips: Teaching Children to Read Naturally

Please don't be stressed that your preschooler isn't reading! Of course, it is wonderful to share books with your child and for them to see you reading. Your enthusiasm for books is contagious and extremely helpful for children to develop a curiosity and love of books. But they may not be ready to focus on the letters, or be interested in flashcards, or expensive phonics' programs. Let them be children, learning with their five senses and movement, and they will learn naturally with some easy inexpensive involvement and encouragement. 

When my grandson went grocery shopping with his mom, he pointed and yelled, "K-R-O-G-E-R. That spells grocery store!" He didn't know the name of the store, but knew those letters symbolized groceries. Be excited when children notice and recognize letters and words. 

5 TIPS TO ENCOURAGE A LOVE OF READING: 

The Happy Mommy Handbook: Now on Sale for 2 Days for only $.99

The Happy Mommy Handbook is currently No. 1 in Parenting and is only $.99 thru 4-9-13! The price will be $3.99 after that. You can purchase the ebook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. It is also in print for $9.24 and makes a wonderful gift for moms and teachers of preschoolers.

Katie Norris, Mommy with Selective Memory, and a mom with common dilemmas, has co-written this book with me, a former Kindergarten teacher, to help moms of preschoolers. Our book can help save your sanity - one fun, inexpensive project at a time. You'll learn the child development explanations behind the activities as your preschooler becomes better behaved while learning. This book is also helpful to prepare your child for kindergarten, homeschoolers, and those who have children with special needs.

The Happy Mommy Handbook has been a number 1 bestseller in several categories  and has many 5 Star reviews. Here is an example:

The ABCs of Thrifty Teaching Tools: U to Z

U to Z

This is Part 5 in my series of the ABCs of Thrifty Teaching Tools. Click here for A to E, F to J, K to O and P to T.

The ABCs of Thrifty Teaching Tools: P - T

P to T

This is Part 4 in my series of the ABCs of Thrifty Teaching Tools. Click here for A to E, F to J, K to O and U to Z.

The ABCs of Thrifty Teaching Tools: K - O

K - O

This is Part 3 in my series of the ABCs of Thrifty Teaching Tools. Click here for A to E, F to J, P to T and U to Z.

The ABCs of Thrifty Teaching Tools: F - J

F - J

This is Part 2 in my series of the ABCs of Thrifty Teaching Tools. Click here for A to E, K to O, P to T and U to Z.

The ABCs of Thrifty Teaching Tools: A-E

A - E

You don't need to spend a lot of money to teach children. Young children learn using their five senses and movement. You can make many teaching tools yourself, use inexpensive items that you already have, or find free resources available on the internet. This is a 5 part series of Thrifty Teaching Tools.

Bring Back Rhyme Time to Teach Reading Skills

How does rhyming teach literacy skills? Katie Norris and I are guest posting at Imagination Soup. You'll love her amazing blog. We give you reasons to bring out the rhyming books to help your child develop reading skills. Just click on How Rhyming Teaches Kids Literacy Skills.

ADHD, Autistic or Sensory Processing Disorder?

My grandson's third therapist told his parents that he was not ADHD or Autistic but rather has a Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Since he flapped his hands, walked on his tip-toes, covered his ears when in noisy places, and even hit his head on the wall, we can understand how it was misdiagnosed. The therapist further stated that many children are misdiagnosed.  Children who are under or over-processing stimuli may appear ADHD or autistic. Perhaps a second opinion should be sought before a child is put on medicine when Occupational Therapy may be the answer, especially if you are having doubts about a diagnosis or your child is not improving. A study suggests that one in every six children has sensory issues that impede their daily functioning, socialization and learning.

  
WHAT IS SENSORY INTEGRATION?

Tangle Relax Therapy

Sensory integration is the process by which information from our senses (touch, sight, hearing, taste, smell, as well as balance) is interpreted by the brain so that we can respond appropriately to our environment. 

SENSORY PROCESSING DISORDER is defined  as a neurological disorder causing difficulties with taking in, processing, and responding to sensory information about the environment and from within the body (visual, auditory, tactile, olfaction, gustatory, vestibular, and proprioception). For some children with SPD, information reaching the senses often feels like an assault of competing stimuli. 

SENSORY PROCESSING FOR PARENTS AND PROFESSIONALS states: "Sensory Processing Disorders develop when sensory information is not adequately processed. This happens especially with the sensory information generated by touch, movement and body posture. We are not sufficiently aware of our body or our movements. As a result, many activities go wrong, are carried out too slowly or illogically. We see that in children who do not pay enough attention when carrying out certain activities. Sometimes these children become hyperactive, or the reverse, very quiet, anxious, withdrawn or dreamy.  

"Whenever sensory processing does not function right, this often causes additional problems for children who are hyperactive, anxious, clumsy or  highly sensitive. This also applies to children with DCD, an allergy, ADHD, PDD-NOS, autism, Asperger Syndrome, Down Syndrome, as well as children with a motor handicap, a mental or intelligent handicap. Small infants , teens and adults can also suffer from SPD. For example, infants who cry most of the time or are easily distressed."

Ball Hopper

The SPD FOUNDATION, a treasure of information, states: "One person with SPD may over-respond to sensation and find clothing, physical contact, light, sound, food, or other sensory input to be unbearable. Another might under-respond and show little or no reaction to stimulation, even pain or extreme hot and cold. In children whose sensory processing of messages from the muscles and joints is impaired, posture and motor skills can be affected. These are the floppy babies who worry new parents and the kids who get called klutz and spaz on the playground. Still other children exhibit an appetite for sensation that is in perpetual overdrive. These kids often are misdiagnosed - and inappropriately medicated - for ADHD."

Tactile Tiger Hand Fidget

OT FOR CHILDREN

Occupational therapy for SPD in children is fun! "During sensory-based OT sessions, the therapist and your child interact in a sensory-rich environment with lots of swinging, spinning, tactile, visual, auditory, and taste opportunities that seem to a child more like a giant playground than a therapy center. Sessions are subtly structured so your child is challenged but always successful in completing each activity. When OT is effective, children improve their ability to accurately detect, regulate, interpret, and execute appropriate motor and behavioral responses to sensations so they are able to perform everyday occupations in a functional manner. These occupations include playing with friends, enjoying school or work, completing daily routines such as eating, dressing, sleeping, and enjoying a typical family life."

MORE RESOURCES:

• Sensory Checklist from Raising a Sensory Smart Child by Biel & Peske
• Sensory Processing Disorder Checklist from the SPD Foundation
• Diagnosing the Wrong Deficit (sleep disorders) 
• 10 Art Projects for Kids with Sensory Issues 
• Symptom Checklist: ADHD in Children
• Is it SPD or ADHD? 
• Free online ADHD diagnostic test
• Sensory Smart Parent
• Make Your Own Therapy Tools and Toys  
• Understanding SPD – Live a Sensory Life
• Facebook: Sensory Parents and Sensory Parents Safe Place to Talk

 

Massage Roll

My daughter has sensory issues and says things like, "I don't know" if I ask her if the water is too hot or too cold. She has trouble balancing on a bike and prefers riding in the car in the backseat rather than the front seat which seems to bombard her with too much stimuli. My grandson has made great progress with therapy including therapeutic horseback riding lessons. Finding the right diagnosis at a young age can help your child receive the proper treatment and have a brighter future.



     

Would you like inexpensive ideas, activities, and games to teach your child through play - the SENSORY way? Mommy with Selective Memory and I can help save your sanity, one project at a time, with The Happy Mommy Handbook: The Ultimate How-to Guide on Keeping Your Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy, Out of Trouble and Motivated to Learn. Or perhaps you'd like a glimpse into Kindergarten. Both are bestsellers and also available on Barnes & Noble and Kobo. The ebooks are only $3.99.

 

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