Great Opportunity to Get Books!

Who can resist this opportunity?  Starting today, you can get some great savings on Books, CDs and DVDs!  You should check this out and take advantage of the opportunity to stock up on your personal collection of relevant books for you and your kids.

At the Tutoring Club of Jacksonville, we encourage parents to read to their children for 10 minutes a day and ask them 3 questions.  Then have your child to read to you for 10 minutes and ask you 3 questions.  This is one of the most effective ways you can help your child improve their comprehension capabilities.  This exercise is good for kids of all ages and grades!

Help Your Child Conquer their Back-to-School Fears

When you think back to when you started your last “new” job, do you remember how you felt on your first day?  More than a little anxious about how things would go - praying the commute would be problem-free - hoping your coworkers would be easy to get along with - wondering what your boss would be like - and just hoping to fit in. 

Now, imagine what your child must feel like going into a new grade - or a new school. They have the same kinds of worries you would have. Here are some things you can do to help them through this time of transition.

Use books to start conversations. Go to the library or local bookstore to get some back-to-school stories. You’ll find there are many to select from, geared to many different age levels.  You can use these stories to talk to your child about any fears they may have, and help turn those fears to anticipation and excitement. 

Tour the school.  If you child is switching to a new school, a visit during the weeks before school begins can be a big comfort.  Call the school office and ask if you can schedule a tour, or just come for an informal visit. Learn where homeroom is.  Walk through the library. Play on the playground. Find the bathrooms! Those things make a big difference.

Meet the teacher.  Take advantage of any opportunity for your child to meet their teacher before school begins.  If you can find a picture of the teacher on the school web site, post it on the fridge so the teacher’s face becomes familiar to your child.

Start the transition ahead of time.  Many kids have ignored their sleep schedule during the summer months.  The weeks before school begins is a good time for the whole family to ease back into the school-year schedule to ensure your child gets enough sleep.

Practice!  Let your child organize their school supplies and a work area in a quiet place at home. And if they’ll be using a combination lock, make sure they practice opening and locking it until they have that skill down pat.  Another valuable organizational skill is the ability to use a planner.  Even first grade isn’t too early to use a planner – they have them for children of all ages.  If the school doesn’t require that they use one, get one for your child and help them learn how to use it: write down every homework assignment, every upcoming test, and every project.

Find friends.  Try to get the class list in advance or find out which teacher your child will have. If you find that your child's best friend isn't in her new class, arrange a play date with someone who is.  If your child is attending a new school and doesn’t know anyone, talk to them about how to make friends, and what it means to be a good friend.  You can role play to help them learn how to begin conversations and initiate play activities.

Address the gaps.  Finally, if you find that your child has missed some early foundational skills, there may be gaps in reading, writing or math.  At the #TutoringClubJacksonville, we identify these skill gaps with our diagnostic evaluations, and develop a customized plan for your child to get them back on track quickly.  Call us at 268-8556 to enroll your child today!

Summer is for Reading, Too!

Hooray! It’s summertime!  No more teachers, no more books  .  .  . um, what?  No more books?  Summer is a great time to relax, but it's no time for your child to stop learning! 
   

Many schools have a summer reading list for students, typically made up of a few classic titles that wouldn’t ordinarily make the cut if it were up to your child.  But with all the books out there, how do you help your child select age-appropriate titles that catch their interest?  

The first place to go is your local public library.  If you haven’t been there in a while, don’t hesitate to ask for help.  Your librarian is trained to help you find what you’re looking for: a specific title, books that are good for reading out loud, books related to a particular topic or even books for kids in a specific age group. 

Some parents enjoy providing award-winning books for their children. The Caldecott Medal (for illustration) and the Newberry Medal (for writing) are the two most important awards for children's literature.  They are awarded each year by the American Library Association, but they are given to only two of the more than 2,500 new children's books published each year. 

The library will also have several journals on hand that review children's books, including the Horn Book and Booklist; they can help keep you current with what’s new, what’s trending and what’s worth pursuing in children’s books. 

You can find a huge variety of discounted books at library book sales (usually held annually) and used book stores.  Jacksonville’s best is Chamblin Bookmine; the store on Roosevelt Boulevard has more than 50,000 square feet of books.  There you can find hundreds of books – many in like-new condition – at discounted prices.   

Lots of kids cut their reading chops on comic books, which have been around since the 1930s.  These days, you have comics that tell the stories of teams of popular superheroes like DC Comics’ Justice League and Marvel’s Avengers, as well as comics dedicated to each of the superheroes individually. 

Calvin and Hobbes is a comic that is no longer produced, but you can find them all in paperback at any local bookstore. Calvin and Hobbes will help you remember what it’s like to be a kid; it’s funny and endearing, perfect for children of all ages.  

When your child is young, it’s a good idea to start a small library for them.  Keep some books for little children to handle freely. And once your child learns to read for themselves, keep reading together - encourage them to read to you some of the time.  

You really can’t go wrong with whatever your child selects to read: fiction, non-fiction, magazines, comic books or the newspaper. Reading nurtures literacy, language development and thinking skills. So find a few good books - enjoy your summer, and enjoy a good read!