Your preschooler doesn’t need to sit at a desk to keep learning

over the summer. A few simple and fun activities will keep him engaged and motivated. When preschool resumes in the fall, he’ll be ready for a successful year. Continuing to read with your child is the best thing you can do to increase summer learning. Here are a few other ideas to consider:• Practicepersonalinformation.

Does your child know your phone number and address? If not, help him come up with a rhyme or silly story to memorize them. Be sure to tell your child not to share personal information with strangers!

• Searchforshapes. Knowing shapes is a skill your child will

Sometimes it is easy to overlook the importance of motor skills in school success. But making

sure your child has a strong and healthy body is the first step in helping her learn. Strong muscles, bones and joints are the “drivers” of your preschooler’s motor skills. Exercise is one important way to build your child’s motor skills. Exercise can also help your child:• Reducestress.Your child

will be happier, calmer and better able to cope with the challenges of school and life.

• Maintainahealthyweight. A child who keeps a healthy weight is more likely to be an adult who keeps a healthy weight.

• Sleepbetter.A rested child is one who is ready to learn.

To keep your child moving this summer, encourage her to: • Run,walkandskip.• Participateinswimlessons.• Rideabikeorscooter.• Playasport, like kicking a

soccer ball outside.• Playagamewith a friend,

like hopscotch or a have a balancing contest.

Exercise builds important motor skills

Copyright © 2015, The Parent Institute® www.parent-institute.com Practical ideas for parents to help their children

Make the summer a time of learning for your preschooler!

need throughout his school career. Look for objects shaped like circles, squares and triangles. If these are easy, go on to octagons or pentagons.

• Bescrappy.Help your child put together a scrapbook of his summer memories. He can paste photos or draw pictures of his experiences. Then help him “write”about them underneath.

• Getmorefromatriptothestore. More knowledge, that is. Have your child help you look for the items you need. Read a word on a label and ask your child to point to the word and repeat it back to you. Show him the price and explain that this tells customers how much money they will need to buy the item.

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May 2015Vol. 19, No. 9

Lunenburg County Schools

Positive self-esteem is one of the building blocks of school success. Your child needs love, acceptance and respect

from those around him to develop a positive sense of self. Here are some ways to give your child’s esteem a boost:• Valuehisopinion.“I didn’t make

dinner plans yet. What do you think we should eat?” “What’s the best TV show for kids?” “What’s the coolest place we’ve ever gone together?” Get your child’s input on these kinds of questions and more.

• Valuehisinterests. You don’t always have to join in. Often, saying something like “I noticed you really like to build with blocks” is enough.

2 • Early Childhood • Parents make the difference! • May 2015

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Increase your child’s self-esteem with love, acceptance & respect

Are you finding ways to expand your child’s world?

Research shows that building respect in early years is effective

• Valuehishelp.Feeling competentbuilds self-esteem. Have your child help you with a small chore at least twice a day.

• Valuehiscompany. Take your child places with you when it is appropriate for him to join you. Tell him you are glad he is along. Later, tell him what a nice time you had with him.

Source: K. DeBord, Ph.D., “Self-Esteem in Children,” North Carolina Cooperative Extension, North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University, niswc.com/preschool_esteem.

It’s wonderful for preschoolers to enjoy familiar places and activities. But they need new experiences to teach

them about the world, too. Answer yes or no to the following questions to see if you’re introducing your child to exciting learning adventures: ___1.Doyoutrynewthings as a family, such as interesting foods and sports?___2.Doyouvisitnewplaces with your child, such as museums and parks?___3.Doyougotothelibrary often so your child can check out new books?___4.Doyouplanopportunitiesfor your child to meet and play with new friends?___5.Doyouaskyourchild to par-ticipate in new activities, such as baking or finger painting?

Howwellareyoudoing?If you answered mostly yes, you’re doing a great job of teaching your child about the world. For each no answer, try that idea from the quiz.

Over time, kids become respectful not just because it’s right, but because they understand how others feel. They

realize that it feels good to be asked politely, thanked and treated nicely. But they need parents’ help with this. A study of moms and preschoolers published by the Economic and Social Research Council shows that:• Talkingtopreschoolersoften

about people’s thoughts and feelings makes a difference. For example, “That little boy is crying. Why do you think he’s upset?” Or, “Grandpa is frowning. How do you think he’s feeling?” These conversations give your preschooler an opportunity to be understanding.

• Discussionsaboutfeelingshave long-term benefits. Talking with your preschooler now may help her for many years to come— well into elementary school, when having positive social skills will enable her to get along with classmates and teachers.

• Beingapositiverolemodelis important. When talking about other people’s emotions, use a warm tone. Research suggests this increases kids’ cooperation. Keep in mind that in addition to discussing real-life emotions, it helps to address how characters in books, movies and TV shows might be feeling.

Source: Dr. N. Yuill, “The Relation Between Parenting, Children’s Social Understanding and Language,” Economic and Social Research Council, niswc.com/social_understanding.

“Self-esteem is as necessary to the spirit as food is to the body.”

—Dr. Maxwell Maltz

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 © 2015 NIS, Inc.

Publisher: Phillip Wherry.Editor: Rebecca Hasty Miyares.

Illustrator: Joe Mignella.

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Make the most of read-alouds with your child this summer

Help your preschooler build a strong foundation for writing

Research shows that reading with your child is the best way to prepare him for school success. The upcoming summer

season is an ideal time to establish a daily reading habit. This will start your child off on the right track when he begins school again next fall. To make reading aloud a great experience for you and your child:• Takeamoment before you read to

look at the book with your child. What is this book about? Can he get some ideas from the picture on the cover? Who is the author? Who is the illustrator?

• Readafewpagesand then pause to ask your child a question or two. A great question to ask is: “What do you think will happen next in this story?” This encourages your child to make a prediction. Predicting

Learning to write is like building a tower, and during preschool, your child is working on the foundation. What tools

and materials will she need? Together, you and the teacher can provide the building blocks, such as:• Vocabulary. Introduce new words

and practice using familiar ones. This happens naturally while talk-ing and reading with your child. But also make a point to use new words repeatedly—in ways that make them easy to understand.

• Wordrecognition. Help your child see the connection between spoken and written words. Teach short, common words she’ll see often,

is an important skill for reading comprehension (understanding what he reads).

• Makeanefforttohold your child’s interest and attention. Consider using a different “voice” for each character. This is another good way to involve your child in the book. Ask him, “What do you think this character sounds like? Can you make your voice do the character’s voice?”

• Isyourchildheading to kinder-garten in the fall? If so, he may be able to read some of the words in the book. Or even if he is still in preschool, he may know a few sight words. Encourage him to point to a word if he knows it. Then give him the opportunity to read it.

Source: “Make the Most of Reading Aloud,” ReadWriteThink, International Reading Association, niswc.com/read_aloud.

Q:Iamalittleconcernedaboutmydaughter’sabilitytopayattentioninkindergartennextfall.Iknowkindergartenwillinvolvemoreseatworkthanpreschooldid.Canyouexplaintheattentionspanneededforkindergartenandgivemetipsforhelpingmychild?

A: Kindergarten does have more seat work than preschool, but this work will take place in small chunks. Kindergarten teachers are well aware that their charges are ages five or six and have a strong need to move. However, your child will be expected to pay attention to the teacher or to one activity for at least 15 minutes at a time. As the year goes on, your child may have to pay attention for up to 25 minutes (for an engaging activity). To give your child the best chance of optimal attention:• Limitscreentime.Zoning out

in front of the TV is a passive activity. It promotes a child’s desire to be entertained with constant changes of scenery.

• Encouragetimewithtoyssuch as puzzles and blocks. Playing with these builds concentration.

• Practicefollowingdirections.Start with one-step directions, such as, “Hang your jacket on the hook.” Move on to two-step directions, such as, “Bring me the bag and then hang your jacket on the hook.” When she masters this, try three steps or more.

• Read!This is the best activity of all. Your child learns to engage with the story and use her imagination. Also encourage her to look at books on her own.

May 2015 • Early Childhood • Parents make the difference! • 3

such as and, the, stop and dog. Sound out bigger words together.

• Muscleskills. Encourage your child to draw, paint and add her name to papers. Admire her efforts to write, even if you can’t quite figure out what she wrote. “Oooh, look at what you wrote! Will you read it to me?”

• Spelling. At first your child will probably spell things according to how they sound, such as bk for book. It helps to talk about patterns (such as the sounds that oo can make) and words that are spelled unusually, such as buy.

Source: J.S. Schumm, Ph.D. and G.E. Schumm, Jr., The Reading Tutor’s Handbook: A Commonsense Guide to Helping Students Read and Write, Free Spirit Publishing.

Questions & Answers

Summer is almost here, and even though your schedule is about

to change, your priorities aren’t. That means certain habits should stay the same. By maintaining these routines, your child will have the best chance of school success in the fall:• Sticktoaregularbedtime.

You might adjust your child’s bedtime for summer fun, but enforce it consistently.

• Startontherightfoot.Everything your child does on school mornings should stay the same: getting dressed, brushing teeth, combing hair and eating a nutritious breakfast.

• Visitthelibraryregularly.At most schools, students make regular trips to the library. Keep

Your child will enjoy and benefit from almost any age-appropriate book. Looking for some suggestions? Here are a

few teacher favorites to try:• HenryandMudgeseries by

Cynthia Rylant.• FrogandToadseries by Arnold

Lobel.• AmandaPigseriesby Jean Van

Leeuween.• LittleBearseries by Else

Minarik.• FoxandHisFriendsseries by

Edward Marshall.

4 • Early Childhood • Parents make the difference! • May 2015

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The Kindergarten ExperienceMake first-grade readiness part of summer fun

Maintain your child’s routines this summer to yield fall success

Summer reading suggestions for your rising first grader!

this up so your child is used to checking out, reading and returning books.

• Limitscreentime. No matter how much free time your child has, time in front of the TV and computer should be limited to 10 hours per week.

• Cliffordseriesby Norman Bridwell.

• ArthurChapterBooksseriesby Marc Brown.

• Biscuitseries by Alyssa Capucilli.• BooksbyEric Carle.• Oliviaseriesby Ian Falconer.• BooksbyMaurice Sendak.• DearDragonseriesby Margaret

Hillert.• HaroldandthePurpleCrayon

series by Crockett Johnson.• JunieB.Jonesseriesby Barbara

Park.• BOBBooks series by Bobby

Lynn Maslen.

The kindergarten year is coming to an end and your child will soon be entering first grade! While this transition is

exciting, it can be a bit intimidating for kids and parents. Thankfully, it can also be fun! To make sure your child is ready, plan fun summer activities that emphasize first-grade skills, such as:• Reading.Keep the library’s

calendar of events handy. In addition to attending story times and special programs, visit often to check out books. Read every day with your child and spend time discussing materials.

• Recognizingletters.Look for letters everywhere. Help your child name them. What sounds do they make? How many words can you think of that start with each letter? Point out basic words, too, such as in and out.

• Writing. Summer is the perfect time to keep a journal of expe-riences, such as swimming, traveling and seeing the ocean. Have your child add drawings and words to each page.

• Counting.Children love counting interesting things, such as blocks, steps and toys. Once your child has mastered the basics, move on to counting by fives and tens.

• Printingnames.Students may be required to write first and last names on school papers. When doing summer projects, encour-age your child to add his name with pride!