10 reading questions to ask your child
How can parents ask good questions without reading the book? Every parent wants to ask good questions to help their child stretch their reading comprehension but who has time to pre read all the books and come up with good questions? This list of 10 reading questions will help you support your child’s literacy development and start critical thinking discussions. Whenever I ask critical thinking reading comprehension questions of students, I always expect them to tell why they think that. Teach your child to answer the question and tell why. I reassure students that there may be more than one right answer and telling why or giving proof from the text will help their answer to be understood better. Here are 10 reading questions you can personalize and use to ask your child about what they are reading regardless of the book or their school grade level. Ask one or two of these at a time and give plenty of thinking time if needed. What made you select this book? What character are you most/least like? Would you be friends with the main character if they lived next door? What is the crisis in the story and how…
Best Back to School Traditions
What are your back to school traditions? The start of a new school year can be a hard transition from the freedom of summer break for some parents and kids. Having some back-to-school traditions can ease this transition. Ice cream night was our favorite and best back-to-school tradition. On the first day of school (and the last) we went out to ice cream for dinner. We asked good questions and the kids actually gave answers between bites. It was casual but meaningful. Other families have a special breakfast on the first day of school or a school supply shopping day. Some families prioritize the first day of school photo shoot on the front porch. It all comes down to being intentional and building traditions. Maybe it did not start out at first as something that would become a tradition or ease the transition, but eventually, families repeat special moments, and traditions are begun. As a teacher and tutor, I have the opportunity to talk with students at the start of the school year. One of my traditions is asking students to tell me what they character traits hope their new teacher will see in them. With some praise and encouragement…
Parenting Podcast Review: M is for Mama
What is your favorite parenting podcast? Podcasts are all the rage these days, but honestly, I’m not one who listens to many. A recent car trip found me downloading a few podcasts and audiobooks. I almost forget how nice it is to listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks! After reading this review, I hope you will give this parenting podcast, M is for Mama, a try whether you are a regular podcast listener or an infrequent one like me. I have been following Abbie Halberstadt for a while on Instagram and am looking forward to her upcoming book Hard is Not the Same Thing as Bad. She often posts about the miraculous and messy world of motherhood. She and her husband have 10 children (including 2 sets of twins) and their story can be found on her parenting podcast. I especially liked the first episode about how she came to buy a necklace with an “m” on it and it sparked the title of her blog, first book, and podcast “M is for Mama.” Another episode that resonated with me was episode 13 where Abbie interviews her mom and talks about leaving a legacy for your kids and grandkids. The…
10 ideas for indoor fun on hot or rainy days
Do you approach rainy days with dread or joy? Your mood will match the weather if you dread being inside (with or without kids) on rainy or hot days. Instead, think about it as a mini staycation! Catch up on projects, play forgotten games, stay in your pjs and read books, invite friends over for a dance party, or take an online class. There are so many ways to have indoor fun on hot or rainy days! Here are 10 suggestions to get you started having fun indoors. Clean out your game shelf and play a few forgotten games. Make up your own cooking show in your kitchen. Watch a documentary on a country you wish to visit or a topic of interest Invite friends over for a potluck meal with a specific country theme and stream some traditional music or cultural videos. Sign up to take an online class such as one of these from airbnb experiences including cooking classes, arts and crafts, virtual safaris and magic shows.https://www.airbnb.com/s/experiences/online Put on some quiet music, find a comfy spot and catch up on a book you’ve been meaning to read Do some yoga or put on a workout video for the…
Book Review: Ida B
When was the last time you had a day when things went from righter than right to a million miles beyond wrong? Years ago, my oldest daughter read Ida B… and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster and (Possibly) Save the World in a book club in elementary school and got to attend a book signing with the author Katherine Hannigan at a local bookstore. Being a teacher, I read the book and instantly fell in love with the story, all the various characters and the strong emotions the story described when Ida B’s life suddenly goes from righter than right to a million miles beyond wrong. I knew it would make a good read aloud book for my fourth grade class launching many discussions, teachable moments, and language arts examples. The description of how much the dog Rufus drools is a great one for figurative language examples. Ida B is just a great book all around. The book is gentle in some areas: very general description of Mama’s illness and strong in others: Ida B’s thoughts on many topics are bold and self-deprecating. Ida B believes that there is never enough time in the world for all the…
Free easy way to improve reading achievement
What is one free and easy way to improve student reading achievement? Many parents want a quick fix and seek tutoring for students who are below reading level. While tutoring is a great option and I can remediate phonic, teach syllable patterns, practice oral reading fluency, and evaluate comprehension, what students also need is daily reading practice to improve student reading achievement. It’s free and easy and yet many parents do not see the value of it. Daily reading of 15-30 minutes can help improve reading achievement significantly. Check out this report for some shocking statistics. According to studies by Renaissance Learning on K-12 reading, “the majority of students spend fewer than 15 minutes per day reading, but increasing their daily reading time to 30 minutes can improve comprehension and boost student achievement.” Summer is a good time to set aside daily reading time where families read a variety of material and model good reading habits. Do not miss out on the benefits of daily reading to improve student reading achievement. Reading should not be confined to fiction! Read an instruction booklet with your child or a travel guide. Read online reviews for a restaurant or a menu. Read…
10 Test Taking Tips
How can you help a student confidently take a test? Fear tends to grip students when teachers, parents or tutors talk about testing or preparing for tests. My 10 free Test Taking Tips will help students so that they can focus confidently on the test, not on their worries. Students and parents can smile more and sigh less! Well prepared students will work to the best of their abilities. Read everything! Read everything on the page including the directions, the passage, the questions, and every answer choice. If time allows, rereading the passage, too. Read the question twice. Sometimes you misread or your brain tricks you into thinking something different than what it’s really asking. Rereading will help you understand what the question is really asking. Underline important words or numbers in the questions. These clues might help determine the answer or eliminate wrong answers. Think about what the answer is. Before reading the multiple choice answers or before writing your answer, think about what the right answer is. Eliminate wrong answers. Cross out wrong answers before selecting the correct one. Even if you can only eliminate one or two answers, you will have a better choice of picking the…
Home for the Holidays
What strategies do you put in place when your college kids come home for the holidays? With spring break just around the corner, here are 4 tips for not just surviving but thriving in the holidays when your kids come home. Whether they are in college or beyond, things are bound to be different when your adult kids come home to visit. Open communication of expectation is key to enjoying time when your kids come home for the holidays, whether it is spring break, winter break, or summer. While it is nice to have help when everyone is home, a short visit probably is not the time to load them up on chores unless it has been stated ahead of time that it is basement cleaning time. Tips to Help Your Family Thrive Schedule some mutually agreed upon family time before the calendar fills up Discuss expectations and respect each other’s space Choose an activity or two to do together (see list below) Get to know each other as adults To balance out the time at home, consider choosing an activity or two to enjoy together. You could even share this post with them and have them pick the…
Table Talk 3 Especially for the Younger Years
When was the last time you had an engaging conversation with a preschooler? It is never too early to begin asking good questions, especially at the kitchen table. I love asking kids questions. My favorite question is “Are you more like a pencil or a school bus?” While that is a great conversation starter, it does not really work with the younger years. They are more inclined to answer “should kids have a bedtime?” or “what does grandma do when she is not at our house?” What you need is a list of conversation starters for preschoolers. I created Table Talk 3 especially for the younger years. Use the 30 printable Table Talk questions at home, in carpool, at school, and just about anywhere. You can ask questions on the list, in any order, or you can print and cut out the cards. You can use one a day or spread a few of them around a table to use as conversation starters at your next party. You’ll be more likely to actually remember to ask good questions if you print them out and put them on the table! When was the last time you had an engaging conversation with…
Christmas Pajamas
Will you be waking up in new Christmas pajamas this year? Somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, the soft package would be delivered in person or through the mail. One look at the return address or the tag, and my girls knew right away what it was. They could hardly wait to open their new Christmas pajamas from our dear friend. I’m not really sure who got more joy out of the gift – my girls or my friend! This sweet tradition continued for years. It really did not matter if they were Christmas patterns or not. My girls got a new pair of pajamas to wear, especially on Christmas eve. It was the gift that kept on giving all winter long. Many families have Christmas pajama traditions, including all the family members. Some wear them to drive around and look at Christmas lights, to sleep under the Christmas tree or for a special movie and hot cocoa night. The Holderness Family even went viral with their first of many Christmas Jammies videos. We did not go this far but certainly the thoughts of Christmas pajamas, hot coffee, and grandma’s special coffee cake brings up many sweet memories. As my…