Making School Fun for You and Your Kids!
1. Have fun Mom!
The most important thing in making it fun for our kids is to enjoy Jesus daily! Spend time in the word, rejoice in all He has blessed us with. Remember, if Mom's not having fun, most likely no one else is having fun either!
Moms, STAY FOCUSED ON SCHOOL! Make it your priority, be there for your kids even when they are doing independent work, so that if they have questions, or need help, they don't feel like they are interrupting you. And YOU don't feel like they are interrupting you.
Keep our attitudes in check! Put an "Attitude check chart" in a room in the house. Whenever you see a bad attitude rising, send them to the attitude check room. They will have 2 actions to complete before they can join the class again, make sure to practice this a few times before you use it so that your child knows what is expected of them when they are sent to the "Attitude Check Room":
1. Pray to Jesus to help them have a good attitude, and forgive them for any bad decisions they may have made.
2. Smile until they mean it.
This will help keep your anger from rising, as well as theirs!
Share in the learning with your kids, remember, we are teaching them about God's world! Encourage their sense of wonder! Make a wonder chart and place any questions they come up with that cannot be immediately answered on the chart, then research the answers at a later time. Be excited about their ideas even if they seem crazy, and allow some time in your class for exploration into their ideas!
Consistently discipline your kids. Make sure they know what expectations are, and what the consequences are if they do not follow the rules. Kids like to have boundaries and feel more secure if they aren't constantly seeing how far they can push the limits. Be consistent!
2. What motivates your child?
PRAY FOR WISDOM, find out what your child's currency is: Games, computer time, art projects, time alone with Mom/Dad, a play-date, recess time, special breakfast/dinner, time activities, going to the library. ASK your child what they think is fun to do, don't be surprised if they don't know at first, but listen to them and observe them. Go out of your way to try and facilitate some of their ideas to use as rewards for positive attitudes in school!
3. What unique personality traits does your child have?
What are their gifts?
What are their weaknesses?
Help them to facilitate turning their weaknesses into strengths
4. What is your child's learning style?
Visit our Learning Styles Page to determine your child's primary learning style
Don't LOCK your child into their learning style, instead use that to help them get through tougher lessons
No matter what your child's learning style is, try to incorporate all of their senses into each lesson, they will retain much more this way! For example, sing songs to learn states and capitals, make felt maps of places you are studying, let them place all of the elements: land, mountains, rivers, oceans, major landmarks, etc. in their proper locations; Have your kids teach someone else what they know, this reinforces it for them as well. For spelling words, have kids trace around words in different colors, this helps visual learners "see" the shapes of the letters that make up a word.
5. What does God say about learning styles?
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines."
6. Things to consider
- Your child will learn best by using a variety of learning styles, try to use all of their senses when teaching topics. Touch things, taste them if applicable, smell them, listen to them, see them.
- When introducing a new topic, start with something they already know. Move into the new topic, if they are frustrated with it, it's okay to break until the next day, but move back into what they already know before stopping the lesson. This helps them to feel confident and successful. If you stop on a frustrating note, it will be frustrating the next time you try to start that same lesson.