Prepare your child for the next grade by setting clear goals for the summer. Start by making a list of things for your child to do to prepare him for the new academic year. Then plot the activities on a calendar. You can use a white board and erasable markers, or use a pre-made calendar in order to give yourself and your child a visual reinforcement. On your calendar, jot down goals to accomplish daily, weekly and monthly. Every child is different, so every calendar will be unique. The main idea behind this task is that your child will return to school ready for the new academic year. Remember to reward yourself and your children for the accomplishments of summer learning. Here is an example of activities for a student approaching first grade: Monday: Review or learn how to add single numbers Tuesday: Practice book report writing Wednesday: Practice handwriting letters and number and drawing shapes and figures Thursday: Learn (10) new words Friday: Practice letter and sounds

Summer break can be wonderful because it gives kids a break from stressful academic overload. However, some parents find that by the time kids start the new school year; they do not want to do their schoolwork and contribute this to laziness caused by the summer break. Many parents try to fix that problem by putting kids in educational summer programs like science camps and tutoring classes. It is important to keep in mind though, that leisure camps that involve swimming, sports and crafts are a great way to socialize kids, and do promote physical and creative learning. We believe that a balance between the physical and intellectual should be attained year round. For years there has been an endless debate on whether there should be year round school. The following information has been taken from About.com: Arguments for Year Round Education -Students tend to forget a lot during the summer, and shorter vacations might increase retention rates. -Schools that are not being used in the summer are inefficient. -Short breaks can provide time for students to receive enrichment education. -Remediation can occur when it is most needed during the school year. -Students get bored during the long break of…

In order for children to truly enjoy reading, it is important to establish a routine at a very early age. Thus, the routine will stimulate interest and fun into the task of reading. Without interest, their motivation for reading is going to be very low. And motivation for reading should never be low. It is your job as a parent to spark fun into reading so that your children can be academically successful. We stress the importance of early exposure to books and stories. Children from an early age can begin understanding ideas such as: characters, setting, and plot in books as well using these elements to build stories of their own. As your child progresses through more advanced reading levels other elements such as vocabulary, conversation and reading comprehension skills become more and more significant. Reading for Toddlers: Although babies cannot read, you can read to them. Ideally, you want to pick books with many pictures, colors, and textures. This will expose your child to a multisensory approach in the development of their senses of hearing, sight, smell, and touch. This interaction of the senses will make reading all the more interesting. Many of the books that are made…