Routine Charts For Kids

You know your kids need to establish a good routine now that school’s back in session. Here are some great ideas for routine charts for kids that will come in handy.

“What do you mean you forgot to do that?” I told you last night before you went to bed. Well you better hurry or you’re going to miss the bus.”

How smoothly your bedtime routine goes will determine how smoothly your morning goes. It’s important to have routines for bedtime as well as in the morning. The best way to keep track of needed tasks is to use a chart.

If you leave it to your memory or that of your children, something will slip through the cracks. In this fast paced world we live in, and with children’s developing brains, someone will forget. I don’t know about you, but if something simple at night can make my mornings run smoother, I’m all for it.

There are a couple different options you can use with regard to charts. One method would be to list each item that needs to be completed in a separate line on the chart. You could list tasks such as homework completed, lunch made, backpack packed, clothes picked out, showered, teeth brushed. Whereas the morning chart would be dressed, lunch out of refrigerator, teeth brushed, and dog fed. Each task could get a check mark or a sticker - depending on the age of the children.

Another option would be to list all that needs to be accomplished on a separate piece of paper or chart. Leave that on the refrigerator or some accessible location. Then once the children have completed all their assigned tasks, one gold star, sticker or check mark could be placed on the calendar.

It doesn’t really matter what system you use - as long as it works for your family. You may get some resistance when you introduce it. Or you may be pleasantly surprised and the kids will look forward to not only completing their assignments but seeing the acknowledgement for a job well done.

There may be a transition time necessary for both parents and children. That is to be expected anytime a new routine is introduced. Hold each other accountable. Allow them to remind you if you get “too busy” to follow through with the chart.

Make sure you catch them doing something right. You entire family will benefit from well organized bedtime and morning routines!

Additional Resource:

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Dine Without Whine
The family friendly menu mailer - Dinner recipes that you and your kids will love send to your inbox everyday. Christine will even create a grocery list for you. Fixing dinner every night couldn’t be easier. Give it a try!

Preparing For Back To School

Back to School Preparation for All Ages

If you have children, late July, August and early September represents more than summer ending, cooler weather and fall foliage. School begins once again for millions of kids across the country. Getting your child prepared, regardless of whether they are in Kindergarten or a senior in high school, is a must. Here are some tips to make the transition from several weeks of summer fun to school days and homework easier.

Children in Kindergarten - 5th grade

1. About a week before school starts, have your children go to bed at the time they will when school begins. Set their alarm or wake them up early. It’s difficult for some kids to adjust to going to bed and getting up earlier after having an entire summer of sleeping in or staying up late. Many young children need to be on a schedule and preparing a week or so earlier will pay off, especially if you have a night owl or late sleeper.

2. If you have a school supply list (many school districts post them on their website or hand them out the last day of school), buy the supplies early. For the child who is not organized, this is a good way to begin the school year off on the right foot. Label everything and get the backpacks ready the night before school starts. Buy some extra supplies to keep at home if your child is one to lose or forget their pencils or markers at school. They will probably need some basic supplies for homework time. Nothing is more frustrating than sitting down to do homework and discovering the basics are missing.

3. If you have a Kindergartener, walk to school two or three days before school begins (or drive if they take a bus or you will be driving them). This helps acquaint them with what they will actually be doing that first day and can work wonders for alleviating the first-day jitters. If your child is especially anxious, ask if you can let them visit their new classroom for five or ten minutes the day before school starts. Many principals will let the Kindergarteners come to the campus prior to school starting.

Middle School

1. Many sixth graders will be attending a new school for their middle school years. Oftentimes, the campus is much bigger and can be intimidating. Of course pre-teens may not admit they are nervous, but most parents are. Suggest a bike ride over to the school sometime during August just to look around. Many middle schools conduct orientation anyway a couple of days before school actually begins, but an extra trip without all of their peers might be worthwhile.

2. Just as in elementary school, it is important, if not more so in middle school, to have all the school supplies ready, especially an organizer. Some schools make it mandatory for the students to purchase an organizer directly from the school. Get in the habit from day one of checking it and being sure homework assignments are recorded. Visit the school website and see if homework and grades will be posted on the site. This is an excellent way to stay involved with your child’s progress throughout the year.

3. If your student struggles with the basics; math or language arts, consider hiring a tutor for some review sessions before and during the first semester. Also, it is quite common in middle school for students who are excelling to be moved to Honors classes sometime during the year. Being in an accelerated class is a good way to prepare a student for Advanced Placement (AP) classes in high school, which count as college credit.

HIGH SCHOOL

1. Find out when the PSAT and SAT exams will take place. If your student is not a good test taker, consider enrolling them in a test prep class. As colleges become more and more competitive, test scores make a difference. One can take the exam more than once if they are not happy with the score, so plan ahead and register early.

2. Stay tuned in to your student’s school and social schedule. There is a tremendous amount of freedom in high school and even the most academically gifted students can be distracted by all of the things that are associated with the teenage years. Establish a curfew for school nights and limit the amount of time that is spent at a part-time job or involved in sports, especially if time management and study skills are not your child’s forte.

3. If your son or daughter is college-bound, start doing your research and be sure to attend the college nights that many high schools sponsor. Know what is expected on college applications. It is no longer a simple process like it was for the baby boomer generation. Test scores, a formal essay, volunteer hours, and class selection in high school are all important factors in getting into college. Take advantage of the many companies that exist today solely for the purpose of assisting you and your student select the right college for them.

Regardless of the age and grade of your children, stay involved. Volunteering on any level, whether it be reading stories to your elementary aged child’s second grade class, helping in the computer lab in middle school, or being on a committee for peer counseling in high school, it is important to know what is happening at the place your children spend a large part of their week. With so many parents working, many Parent Teacher Associations have their meetings in the evening, so more parents can attend. There are activities that need volunteers that do not involve daytime hours such as calling parents in the evening for a fundraiser or helping with a weekend car wash at high school.

These tips can help your children get back to school the right way and prepare them for a year of learning and fun. For additional articles on raising kids, starting a business, or educational issues go to http://www.hometutoringbusiness.com.

Laurie Hurley is an educational consultant and mentor to small business owners. Hurley was recently featured in Woman’s World and Entrepreneur Magazine as well as Family Circle and others. She can be reached at http://www.hometutoringbusiness.com or 1.888.847.0033. Article is free to be reprinted as long as author’s bio remains intact.

Additional Resource:

We recommend:
Dine Without Whine
The family friendly menu mailer - Dinner recipes that you and your kids will love send to your inbox everyday. Christine will even create a grocery list for you. Fixing dinner every night couldn’t be easier. Give it a try!

Prepare For The First Day Of Kindergarten

The first day of kindergarten can seem a little intimidating to your
child. Make the transition easier by preparing him for the first day of
kindergarten with these activities.
Prepare Your New Kindergartner For The Big Day

My son is only days away from his first day of kindergarten. He is excited but a little nervous. I am confidant that he will be able to start off his public school career with a bang and not a whimper because I have done a great deal to prepare him for this exciting new event.

Granted my child has a head start over some kindergarten students because he attended preschool, but even so I took five key steps to help him make the transition to a new school, new teacher, and new experience. These five steps can help parents prepare their new kindergarten student for this important life event.

Introduce The Space

I took advantage of every opportunity offered to bring my son into the building where he will attend school. We toured his classroom and school, attended the kindergarten open house, and every time we had to bring paperwork to school I made sure to bring my son as well. Long before the start of school my son knew which school would be his when he started kindergarten. Long before the first day of school my son was familiar with his classroom and the basic layout of the school.

Introduce Key People

Make sure that your child has a chance to meet her teacher before school begins. Simply having one familiar face on the all-important first day will make a big difference. If your child will ride the bus then try to introduce her to the bus driver as well. Attend your school’s open house or visit school before the first day to also introduce other key teachers and staff members such as the school nurse, librarian, principal, etc. The more people who are friendly, smiling and familiar when school starts then the less intimidating school will be to a young child.

Find Some Friends

My son didn’t want to say good-bye to his preschool and move on to kindergarten and elementary school. However when I pointed out the number of his friends who would attend his new school he started to get interested. When he went for kindergarten screening one of the screeners included a friend from church who is also one of his Sunday School teachers. Soon I could point out even more teachers that he would know as well as how many students are familiar and he soon forgot his reluctance to attend the new school. By the time it he attended kindergarten open house he knew that one of his friends had the same kindergarten teacher and that an older friend had the same teacher a few years before. On the night of open house he was soon meeting his future classmates and playing together like old friends.

Go Over The Schedule

While I don’t know a minute-by-minute plan for his kindergarten day, I do know from talking with school officials and his teacher approximately how my son’s day will go. I have gone over the big picture scenario with him several times. I don’t expect him to memorize his schedule even to remember much of the detail. But I know that he likes to have an idea of how his future will unfold. This same child always asks for directions when we are going on a trip even though he is 11 years away from driving.

Introducing your child to the main events of the day will help take some of the fear and uncertainty out of those first days of school when so much is strange and unfamiliar.

Make Up Some Guidelines

Starting school will mean your child is likely inundated with a long list of new rules governing their behavior, their schedule, and their education. It can be rather overwhelming for young children. While my son is learning the specifics, I gave him these three broad guidelines to help him make better decisions about how he should behave in school:

1. Listen to his teachers

2. Be kind to others

3. Try his best
Really, all the other rules he will encounter in school will simply be refinements of these three basic rules.

Use these five simple steps to prepare your child for kindergarten and to ease the transition into school life.

Additional Resources:
Dine Without Whine - Free 7 Day Sneak Peak
The family friendly menu mailer - Dinner recipes that you and your kids will love send to your inbox everyday. Christine will even create a grocery list for you. Fixing dinner every night couldn’t be easier. Give it a try.

Deanna Mascle shares other early childhood education articles and tips with her blog Teach Phonemic Awareness at http://TeachPhonemicAwareness.info

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