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Reading tips for parents
•Invite your child to read with you every day.
•When reading a book where the print is large, point word by word as you read. This will help the child learn that reading goes from left to right and understand that the word he or she says is the word he or she sees.
•Read a child's favorite book over and over again.
•Read many stories with rhyming words and lines that repeat. Invite the child to join in on these parts.
•Discuss new words. For example, "This big house is called a palace. Who do you think lives in a palace?"
•Stop and ask about the pictures and about what is happening in the story.
•Read from a variety of children's books, including fairy tales, song books, poems, and information books.
Source: U.S. Department of Education
Math tips for parents
•Help your children see that the mathematics they are learning is a part of everyday life, from statistics in sports to the sale price of clothing to the amount of gasoline needed to travel from one city to another. Help your children link their "school" math to practical events.
•Show your children that you like mathematics. Letting your children see that you use math and that you aren't afraid of it will help your children build positive attitudes about math.
•Talk to your children about how many jobs require mathematical skills. Your children might recognize that many people must have good math skills to do their jobs, such as scientists, doctors, computer technicians, accountants and bankers. But they might not realize that many other jobs also require math. Point out that math also is used in jobs such as running a business, being a plumber, carpenter, electrician, mechanic, salesperson or clerk and to design clothes or buildings.
•Stimulate your children's interest in technology. Help your children learn how to use calculators, but don't let them rely solely on calculators to solve math problems. Encourage them to learn to use computers to extend what they are learning and to find math games and math-related Web sites that will increase their interest in math.
•Check math homework and other assignments. It's usually a good idea to check to see that your younger children have finished their math homework assignments. If your older children are having trouble finishing assignments, check their work, too. After your children's teachers return math homework, have your children bring it home so that you can read the comments to see whether they have done the assignments satisfactorily. However, do not do homework for your children. Limit your assistance to seeing that your children understand the assignments and that they have the necessary supplies to do them.
•Set high standards for your children in mathematics achievement.
Source: U.S. Department of Education
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Help kids with math, reading
By Heather Woodward | The Olympian
Reading and math: those are the two subjects that children are expected to learn in school before almost anything else.
There are many ways parents can help children boost their reading and math skills at home. Doing so can help ensure that children have a solid foundation for everything else they'll learn throughout their education.
Reading
One of the most important things parents can do with young children to help them learn to read — and enjoy it — is to read with them 20 minutes or more every day, Madison Elementary teacher Suzette O'Donnell said.
"If they are younger, read to them," she said. "If they are older, have them read to you or take turns reading aloud."
Joan Bower, a literacy specialist at Madison, said she recommends that parents re-read family favorites so that children begin to know the story.
"As time goes by, children can then 'read' the book to you by 'reading the pictures,' " she said. "Reading aloud can establish the understanding of left to right, tracking of print, front and back of the book and the correct way to hold a book."
O'Donnell recommends that parents let their children pick out books that they find interesting and that parents share their own love of reading with their children.
One way to do both is to go to a public library, Bower said.
"The librarians in the children's section are very knowledgeable about their collections from young children through young adult books," she said.
Parents also should teach children how to write their first name, Bower said.
"Don't expect perfection before kindergarten," she said. "It is important that children be able to recognize their name. Helping children begin to learn the names of letters is also helpful. Refrigerator magnets can be fun and educational for young children."
Math
O'Donnell said one thing parents can do is to show their child how math applies to their everyday activities. She suggests parents make math relevant by teaching them about telling time, reading a calendar, having a budget with any money they earn or playing math fact games.
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