Tag Archive for ‘parents’
Notebooks for the disorganized child
Besides the binders, many teachers request notebooks for each subject. The variety of notebooks offered today can be overwhelming. We often hear parents say, “I stood in the supply store in front of a sea of different styles of notebooks: single subject, three subject, spiral, marble composition, some with folders, and some without. I couldn’t decide.” So, let’s look at each.
Marble
Remember the plain black and white marble design notebook with the pages stitched into [...]
Try to keep your child bathing at night
Another chore for all children (disorganized or not) is hygiene. Most children will take their baths or shower at night, but as they get older, they may prefer to shower in the morning. Keep your child bathing at night for as long as you can. This is an activity that can delay the morning process tremendously, especially if your child likes to take long showers and has to blow dry her hair. [...]
Using the Accordian Folder instead of folders
Some children love to have all of their important papers and handouts on one place. The accordion folders can meet the needs of these children. The folder will have about ten dividers for subjects. When the child opens the accordion folders, the subjects are all displayed at once. The first two sections in the front should be used as “Take Home” and “Take to School” sections, corresponding to the left and [...]
I’m nervous about going back to school!
Parents have that smile back on their faces as kids are getting ready to head back to school. The disorganized child may begin to feel a bit anxious and overwhelmed with the thoughts of school- especially if they ended the year on a bad note.
Have a conversation with your child about his feelings towards returning to school. Ask some open ended questions like,
How did you feel about going back to school in a [...]
Some school supply tips!
For the moms who didn’t buy any school items yet, here are some tips:
1. Bring your child to pick out a backpack. Have your child try it on to make sure it’s comfortable. DO NOT buy a backpack with a lot of pockets. Lots of pockets make for lost items.
2. For Elementary kids, buy the marble notebook. They’re more durable than the others.
3. DO NOT buy the cardstock folders. [...]
School Supplies already
I still remember last year when I went down to the New Jersey shore for July 4th and found back to school supplies already on display in the local K Mart. I couldn’t believe it. Of course my daughter was thrilled to be able to sift through the piles of cute folders with animal pictures and current Disney stars adorning the covers. I, on the other hand, found myself feeling a bit [...]
Index cards and tests
When your disorganized child is taking a test, especially a long one, encourage him to use a 5×7 index card to cover up the test questions below. As your child answers questions, move the card down to show each question at a time. Covering up the other questions will make the test seem visually less overwhelming and will help him to focus on one question at a time.
Study Buddies
Get a study buddy! Reviewing the information with a friend is a great technique. The auditory learners will love to discuss and listen to others share information. Sometimes study buddies can help each other by pointing out some material that the other may have missed. The bottom line is that your child will have fun studying. Don’t forget the popcorn!
Brain Dumping
Before your child starts a test, tell her to turn the test over and do some ‘brain dumping”. What? Yes, brain dumping. This strategy instructs the student to write down the information she has been storing in her brain about the test topic before the test. This will reduce the student’s anxiety about remembering certain material for the tests. Explain to your child that by brain dumping, she is giving her memory some free space [...]
Study Guides on the Web
One of my clients showed me the way to classzone.com. This is a great study guide site for kids in middle school and high school. McDougal Littel publish text books and offer additional study guides and interactive study programs for students who use their books. Don’t worry if your school uses different text books; you can always use this site as a study resource in addition to your text.
Also for all the NY [...]