School may be winding down for the summer, but learning never

should. Summer often gives families more time together. Use it to begin some great learning habits you can carry on throughout the year. Here are a five fun ideas to promote learning this summer: 1. Spend time at the table. You can

have your child sort utensils or stack similar plates. He can learn about wholes, halves and quarters by folding napkins. A nightly job, such as setting the table or help-ing to clear, teaches responsibility. Most of all—talk with your child over a meal as often as possible. Research shows that the bonding that takes place over family meals benefits children emotionally, socially and academically.

Discipline is one of the toughest challenges parents face. Thankfully, most experts agree

on basic guidelines that work. These methods boost success at home and at school:• Setlimits. Talk with your

child about a few essential rules. Explain them briefly and clearly. Also explain the consequences for breaking the rules. Consequences should be related to the misbehavior, imposed immediately and consistently.

• Useateamapproach.Don’t think of discipline as you versus your child. Instead, encourage cooperation. Offer choices. “Would you like to pick up your room now or after lunch?” Be creative, too. “Let’s be silly for two minutes before we have to calm down.”

• Reactcalmly.Your child’s behavior may be out of control, but yours shouldn’t be. Make eye contact with her and use an even, respectful tone. Avoid yelling.

Source: N. Rones, “3 Golden Rules for Great Behavior,” Parents, www.parents.com/kids/discipline/strategies/good-behavior-tips/.

Experts agree on the basics of discipline

Copyright © 2013, The Parent Institute® www.parent-institute.com Practical ideas for parents to help their children

Five ways to keep your child learning over the summer

2.Putonashow. Being able to speak in front of others is a skill that will help your preschooler in school. Make puppets from socks, or just use dolls or stuffed animals and bring them “to life.” Help your child think up a situation, such as visiting a friend or going on a trip. Then help him act this out using the puppets or dolls.

3. Makesomethingtogether.Cook a meal with your child. Or show your child how to fix something. Let him help in a way that is safe and age appropriate.

4. Dosomethingfor somebody else. Bake cookies for an elderly neigh-bor. Make a card for a sick friend.

5. Writeletters. Let your child dictate to you. Send the letters to friends or family members.

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May 2013Vol. 17, No. 9

Gateway Head Start-Early Head StartGateway Community Action Partnership

Preschoolers are not too young to learn that people can always do something to help others. And the summer

is a great time to involve your child in a few volunteer activities. Explain to your child that there are families who are less fortunate than yours. Together you can: • Givewhatyounolongerneed.

Does your child have outgrown clothes or toys that are still in good condition? Together, bring them to a shelter or collection point.

• Giveyourtime.Is there a place in your community where you can plant flowers or weed a flower bed? Take your child with you for a little while.

2 • Early Childhood • Parents make the difference! • May 2013

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Take advantage of volunteer opportunities with your child

Are you helping your child learn to be independent?

Paying attention now may lead to a college degree later!

• Givewhatyoucanspare. Food banks often have plenty during the holiday season when everyone is thinking about giving to them. The need is still there in the sum-mer, but the donations are not. Gather a few canned goods or some peanut butter and pasta and deliver them with your child to your local food bank.

Every time your child accomplishes a new task or solves a problem on his own, he becomes more confident about

his capabilities. This leads to greater school success. Answer yes or no to the questions below to see if you’re guiding your child toward independence:___1.Doyouencourageyour child with positive words when he attempts a new activity?___2.Doyoumakesure your child has a physically safe environment in which to explore and experiment?___3.Doyourefrainfromsteppingin when you see your child doing something incorrectly so he can figure out solutions on his own?___4.Doyouofferguidanceif you see your child is becoming frustrated? ___5.Doyourecognize and praise your child for what he accomplishes on his own?

Howwellareyoudoing?Each yes answer means you are helping your child become more independent. For no answers, try that idea from the quiz.

Preschoolers who pay attention and try hard are more likely to finish college, says an Oregon State University study.

If your child hasn’t developed these habits yet, don’t worry! Researchers say they can be taught. To build your preschooler’s ability to focus and persevere:• Setrealisticgoals. Learn what’s

normal for your child’s age. Also use her current abilities as a start-ing point. If she plays with blocks for two minutes now, for example, work to increase her attention span minute by minute. Be patient.

• Emphasizehobbies.If your child loves reading but dislikes puzzles, for instance, use books to capture her attention. Set aside time for the activities she enjoys most and

do your best to minimize distractions during that time.

• Buildindependence.It’s impor-tant to interact with your child often, but to build attention span, she should concentrate and solve problems on her own sometimes, too. Look for safe opportunities to let your preschooler play without interruption or help.

• Setlimitsonscreentime. Excess TV, computer time and video games may hurt your child’s ability to focus. Choose alternatives, such as playing outside and telling stories. When watching television, try to select slow-paced and educational shows.

Source: “Preschool Children Who Can Pay Attention More Likely to Finish College: Early Reading and Math Not Predictive of College Completion,” Science Daily, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120806151405.htm.

“A good teacher, like a good entertainer, first must hold his audience’s attention. Then he can teach his lesson.”

—John Henrik Clarke

Practical Ideas for Parents to Help Their Children. ISSN: 1089-3075

For subscription information call or write: The Parent Institute®, 1-800-756-5525,

P.O. Box 7474, Fairfax Station, VA 22039-7474. Fax: 1-800-216-3667.

Or visit our website: www.parent-institute.com.

Published monthly September through May by The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc., an

independent, private agency. Equal opportunity employer. Copyright © 2013 NIS, Inc.

Publisher: John H. Wherry, Ed.D. Editor: Rebecca Miyares.

Writers: Maria Koklanaris & Susan O’Brien. Illustrator: Joe Mignella.

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Summer reading activities can boost your preschooler’s skills

It’s important to set summer screen time limits for your child

Look around a preschool classroom and you’re sure to see words every-where! It’s important for children to be sur-

rounded by books and words in order to build reading readiness. So be sure to make reading activities part of your preschooler’s summer fun with these ideas: • Continuewithdailystorytime

with your child. Take advantage of the longer days by varying the places you read. Reading outside with a picnic can be great fun. It also teaches your child that you can read anywhere!

• Takeyourchildtothelibrary. Because he is not in school, he does not have the opportunity to bring books home. Make up for this with weekly trips to your public library.

If your preschooler will be spending most of her time this summer at home, she will prob-ably have more access to

the TV, computer and video games than during the school year. Limiting these may be a challenge, but it is still important that you do so. The American Academy of Pediatrics says preschoolers should have no more than one to two hours of screen time per day—total. To limit screen time:• Breakuptheday.For example,

you can give your child one hour of TV in the morning. Allow one hour of computer or video games

• Listentobooks.Are you travelingor commuting with your child this summer? Listening to audio books is a great way to make the time go faster and to develop your child’s reading skills.

• Buildvocabularydaily. As you go through the day with your child, make it a point to teach him at least one new word.

• Readinyourenvironment. Can your child recognize the word stop on the stop sign? Look for other words he sees frequently and point them out.

• Keepintouch withaschoolfriend. Can your child send letters, emails or messages to a friend he doesn’t often see over the summer? Writing and reading these (with your help) is great practice as well as a chance to keep up social contacts.

Q: Myfive-year-olddaughterandIarelookingforwardtothesummer,butwefunctionbetterwithaschedule.Canyougive mesomeideasformaintaininga routineoverthesummermonths?

A: Keeping a routine over the summer is a great idea. It will make going back to school in the fall easier, too. You can:• Keepthebasicsontrack. Your

child may not have to get up for preschool. But she still needs about 11 hours of sleep each night. So if she usually gets up at 7 a.m., stick to an 8 p.m. bedtime. Try to have breakfast, lunch and dinner around the same time on most days.

• Dosomekindof“work”in the morning. Have your child do daily age-appropriate chores, such as putting toys and clothes away.

• Havemorningoutdoortime. This is a great time to play out-side. The heat and the sun get more intense as the day goes on.

• Planquiettimeafterlunch. The heat of the day is a good time to read, do puzzles or engage in other quiet activities. Your child may no longer nap, but she can still have a brief rest time now.

• Keepacalendar.Your child may participate in a summer program. Or she may have visits with friends or relatives. Mark these on the calendar so that your child knows when they are coming up. Review the next day’s plans with your child each evening.

Have a wonderful and safe summer!

—Maria Koklanaris, The Parent Institute

May 2013 • Early Childhood • Parents make the difference! • 3

in the afternoon. Then no more until the next day.

• Havealistofalternatives.List ideas such as reading, doing a puzzle, playing with play dough, dusting furniture with a feather duster, blowing bubbles, and so on. When your child complains “I’m bored,” refer to the list before turning on electronics.

• Setcontrols. If all else fails, put a timer or other controls on the TV that limit when it can be turned on. Put a password on the computer. Hide portable devices.

Source: J. Weed, “School’s out, but screen-time limits for younger users should remain,” Seattle Times, http://tinyurl.com/bze9a5w.

Questions & Answers

In this computer age, is handwriting still important? Yes! Most people

use at least a little handwriting each day, even if just to sign their names. And handwriting helps your child build fine motor skills, which are important for school success. To build handwriting skills, make sure your child uses:• Therightpencil. Not every child

is ready for a standard pencil. Your child’s teacher probably has pencils of different sizes. Ask which pencil she should use at home.

• Adry-eraseboard. Kids enjoy using this tool because mistakes

Finishing kindergarten is something special to celebrate—and so is starting first grade! Summer is a great time

to reminisce and prepare for more success. Make time to:• Complimentyourchild.Talk

about what went well this year. What school events did your family enjoy? What homework habits did your child develop? What friends did he make? What did he enjoy learning?

• Setexcitinggoals.Help your child imagine what he’d like to accomplish in first grade. Some of it may be academic (such as reading a book independently),

4 • Early Childhood • Parents make the difference! • May 2013

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The Kindergarten ExperienceDo you know what your child is thinking?

Give your kindergartner tools to improve handwriting skills

Summer is the perfect time to celebrate kindergarten success

vanish instantly with the quick wipe of a paper towel.

• Therightpaper.Different kinds of paper include lines of differ-ent widths. Some paper even features lines that are raised so they can be felt. The right paper can help your child form letters of appropriate sizes.

and some of it may be personal (such as making new friends).

• Prepareforlearning.Do activities that will make learning easier next year, such as reading and discussing stories. You might also do science experiments, practice math skills (such as adding and subtracting), and spend time with classmates.

• Exploretheworld.Visit the library. Consider visiting muse-ums, planetariums and historical sites, too. Take a daily walk and discuss topics like the environ-ment, being part of a community and respecting others.

Source: N. Roser, Ed.D., “Grade-by-Grade Learning,” PBSparents, www.pbs.org/parents/education/going-to-school/grade-by-grade/.

Ever wonder what’s on your five-year-old’s mind? A lot! At this age, cognitive development is exciting, thanks to

new subjects at school and new abilities to explore and understand the world. This summer, keep your kindergartner’s focus on:• Languagearts.Your child may

have already mastered the alpha-bet in many forms—singing, writing, recognizing and even reading. His comprehension of books is probably improving, too. To build your child’s under-standing, talk about each story’s beginning, middle and end.

• Math. Kindergartners do more than count aloud. They count actual things. They also rec-ognize basic shapes, such as triangles and squares. If your child has accomplished this, introduce more complex figures, such as cubes and cones. Look for patterns, too. “The pattern on that sheet goes pink, orange, pink, orange.”

• Concepts. It’s fun to talk about words like above and below and under and over. To make this a game, try naming and demon-strating opposites. “This cup has less. This cup has____ (more).”

• Games.All kinds of games—make believe, board games, Simon Says, etc.—are opportunities to teach. Join the fun and compli-ment your child’s abilities.

Source: K. Lee, “5-Year-Old Child Development: Cognitive Development,” http://tinyurl.com/ab4n2sl.