Clinton Township Newsletter

1 6 J U N E 2 0 2 1 W W W . C L I N T O N T W P N E W S L E T T E R . C O M J U N E 2 0 2 1 C L I N T O N T O W N S H I P S C H O O L N E W S www.ctsdnj.org As children grow older, they should be given more responsibility. You're not doing your children any favors when you perform basic tasks for them. In fact, children can develop learned helplessness. Learned helplessness is when a child lacks independence and cannot or will not do age-appropriate tasks. In order for your child to gain confi dence and become more responsible, follow these fi ve tips. Make a List. Create a list of tasks that your child should be able to do on their own, such as getting dressed or putting their toys away. Talk to them about which tasks they think they can do. If they're unsure, have them practice in front of you. Eliminate any tasks that they don't seem to be ready for. Keep in mind, children perform better when they know what's expected of them. Don't Expect Perfection. Children are still fi guring out their motor skills, so some mishaps may happen, such as spilling juice when they want to pour themselves a drink. If they mess up, try not to criticize them. Instead, gently show them the correct way to do things. Explain that everyone makes mistakes, and no one is perfect. Allow Enough Time. Children tend to need more time to fi nish tasks compared to adults. Give them the time they need to prevent them from becoming stressed. For example, if it takes your child ten minutes to put on their clothes in the morning, start your daily routine earlier. As they practice, they will get faster at their tasks. Develop a Routine. Children need routine to manage their responsibilities. If their daily schedule is constantly changing, they'll become confused. Explain to them when they have to complete specifi c tasks. For example, you can tell your child that they need to pick up their toys before getting ready for bed. When it gets close to their bedtime, remind your child that they need to clean up before they put on their pajamas. Off er Praise. Children love to be recognized for the things that they do. Give your child praise when they do something on their own, especially if it's something they needed help with before. You can even turn mistakes into praise. For example, if your child puts their shirt on backward, you can acknowledge that they were able to pick out clothing and dress themselves. Give your child encouragement when they're feeling frustrated. In short… It might seem easier and quicker to do things for your children instead of allowing them to do it themselves. However, when you give children the opportunity to perform tasks on their own, they begin to develop a sense of responsibility and accomplishment. As they grow older, they will be able to use their problem-solving skills to tackle new situations with ease. In the larger scheme of development, fostering independence and responsibility results in a person who is self-confi dent, resourceful, respectful, and able to recognize needs and meet them. In my new book, The Well-Balanced Family, I provide tips, guides, and tools to help children become more autonomous while at the same time being a contributor to the functioning and well-being of family as a whole. 5 Ways to Help Your Child Become More Independent By Robert Myers, PhD / July 23, 2019 / Activities for Kids, Behavior, Child Development, Child Development Books For Parents, Child Psychology, Communication, Expert Parenting Articles, Family Building, Home, Learning, Well-Balanced Family https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/child-activities/5-ways-to-help-your-child-become-more-independent/#gs.0t8h1v | Child Development Institute www.ctsdnj.org Preventing the "Summer Slide" We all look forward to the relaxing days of summer but it's important that families still set time aside for learning. Here are some fun ways to help children avoid summer regression. • Reading is a great summer activity. Using the extra time available for reading can help to strengthen fl uency and comprehension. Children should be encouraged to read for a minimum of 15-20 minutes each day. Summer reading activities could include going to the public library to check out books of interest or books for any summer reading groups a child may join. Books on CD are a great way to pass the time during long car trips and reading aloud with a child is a great bonding experience. • Children should also continue to work on math facts. There are many websites that can be used or families can simply practice facts while riding in the car. Children can help with recipes or budgeting and calculating during shopping trips, both of which increase mathematical know-how. • There are many opportunities for summer writing. Children can send postcards from destinations, write letters to friends and family or keep a summer journal to memorialize their fun. They can also practice creative writing or answer prompts about their summer activities. Parents can help children with revising and editing. Working on capitalization, punctuation, and spelling is a basic way to start. When September arrives families will be thankful that they helped their child be prepared, confi dent and ready to start the school year in a new grade-level! Starting in kindergarten, if a student reads 20 minutes a day at home, they will hear 1.8 million words per year and will have read for 851 hours by 6th grade. On standardized tests, they will likely score better than 90% of their peers. This is compelling data on the benefi ts of encouraging your child to read. Reading helps in language development. From the time your child is born, reading out loud is a positive infl uence. As your child grows, daily reading will help the brain make connections between the written and spoken word, widening vocabulary in the process. Adding to that benefi t, vocabulary knowledge equates to masterful spelling. In fact, reading, spelling and vocabulary are critically important to a child's lifelong achievement. Reading promotes brain development. Educators have long said reading makes people smarter, and there's research b a c k i n g t h e m u p . A s t u d y conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics found reading to children of any age wakens a number of regions in the left part of the brain. The areas in the brain that become active involve understanding the meaning of words and concepts tied to memory. Reading aids in understanding of a world outside our own. Reading is more than just translating written words into verbal form; it is about understanding those words were once ideas in the minds of great thinkers. It is about realizing those ideas can be connected to personal experiences. Through daily reading, children are exposed to a world outside their own reality. It expands their know-how, opens their minds and creates the potential for a continuation of ideas and an endless number of possibilities. Reading strengthens family relationships.There is nothing quite like reading together as a family. Whether you're fl ipping through picture books with your little ones or sitting in the same room with older kids while, each immersed in a piece of literature, these are times you remember. For a moment, you are all able to escape worries and experience art in written form. How Reading 20 Minutes a Day Impacts Your Child www.wcpo.com/brand-spotlight/how-reading-20-minutes-a-day-impacts-your-child-amazon-kindle "If you don't like to read, you haven't found the right book." – J.K. Rowling

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