Parents will do anything for their children. So, it should come as no surprise that when children are agonizing over nightly homework assignments, parents are eager to alleviate the discomfort by offering their help. This raises several questions: What are the best ways to help kids with homework, and how much help is too much?
As a new academic year is about to begin, students will start the 2021-2022 school year with new goals, opportunities, and challenges. After a few months of vacation, however, it may be difficult for children to get back into school mode. Here are some ways parents can help their kids transition from summer break into the routine of getting up and going to school five days a week.
Is your child refusing to eat anything but sugary breakfast cereals, burgers, fries, and desserts? All too often, kids are bingeing on unhealthy snack foods instead of fruits and vegetables. Children today can go days without consuming any greens at all. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) suggests vegetables should be consumed with every meal and snack. However, produce intake can be difficult when kids are picky eaters.
As the school year draws to a close, everyone is looking forward to the next school year being a lot more normal than the last year has been.
The development of good reading skills in early childhood is the best predictor of future academic and financial success. The earlier kids learn to read, the better. The challenge is, not to teach kids to read, but to create an environment where kids will learn to love reading.
A child’s life is filled with firsts. In no particular order, here are just a few things kids will, at some point in their first few years, do for the first time:
Someone once said that 80% of success in life is just showing up. Academically, however, showing up is even more important. One of the most effective ways to ensure the future success of your child is also one of the easiest: Be certain they show up. Even in these times of distance learning, it’s crucial that your child participates academically every day.
Here’s a harsh fact: Not everyone is good at everything. Some people are terrible athletes, some are poor in art or music, and some have difficulty with math or science. Conversely, some people are superb athletes, unbelievably creative artists and musicians, or show brilliance in math and science. That’s just the way life is. Not everyone is good at everything.
Standardized tests have been around for a long time; they started before the Civil War and went mainstream around 1875. Of course they have evolved over time, but the purpose of the tests hasn’t changed much.
It’s the nature of children to be self-involved. Their world is comparatively small, consisting of family, classmates, and teachers. It’s normal for children to see themselves as the most important person in that world, which may appear to be selfish, but it’s perfectly normal.
On the third Thursday of every November, smokers around the nation come together to take part in the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout. This event challenges smokers to quit using tobacco products and provides them with resources to stay away. Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the world, which is why the Great American Smokeout remains an important event.
When’s the last time you saw your kid’s face? Not a silhouette or a partial view—but a full-on, forehead-to-chin, look-‘em-in-the-eye view? If you’re trying to remember the last time, this is probably the answer: It was just before you let them use your phone or tablet for the first time.
4027 N. 45th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85031
Jackie Trujillo, Title IX Coordinator: jtrujillo@arizonacharterschools.org
Phone (602) 442-8791