Back To School…..Again!

 

It is back to school already!?!?  I think most of us are wondering what happened to summer break; I know I am.  Break time is over with and it is back to the books and I know that there are probably many households that are “refreshing” their reading skills.  We did slack off a bit during the summertime in our reading, which I really did not intend to do, so we are going to have to play catch-up to get back on track.

My oldest son is in the 2nd grade this year and, from the words of his mouth, he says “Second grade is hard; it is only for smart people.”  I have to chuckle every time he says that.  The biggest challenge that our household faced last year was in reading.  I have searched for ways to help to make reading a bit easier and here are some things that I have found:

            a.         Consistency, consistency, consistency.  Did I mention consistency?  Yes, I feel that is the most important aspect.  When you do things in repetition, you tend to finally “get” things after a certain time period – everything just “clicks”.  So, I am determined to spend a certain amount of time, on a daily basis, with my child to go over the basics until he grows tired and weary, and can recite what was set out to be learned.

            b.         Make learning fun.  Find a character that your child enjoys and make use of that character.  Spice up the routine every now and then so the “routine” does not become so routine.

            c.         Progress and reward chart.  Your child is just like you are – loves to see progress.  Make a chart at where they are starting from to where they want to go. You will be amazed at how excited they can become once they see that they are progressing, and what a better way to celebrate their progress than with a reward?  Now, the reward does not have to be anything extravagant, maybe take them out to an ice cream treat or to see a movie that they have been wanting to see.  It will make them feel special and, most of all, it will make them feel proud of themselves. 

The vitality of mastering early reading and comprehension skills is so crucial to our children’s future.  Reading IS their future.  So, whatever steps that we, as parents, need to take to ensure the best possible learning in literacy for our children, we need to take.  Reading may be their future but our children are our future.