Record a conversation with your child. Listen to it together and talk about how your voices sound.
Pay your child a genuine and specific compliment.
Give your child opportunities to make decisions. It’s a skill that gets better with practice.
Correct mistakes in a positive way: “You spelled everything right except these two words. I bet you can fix them!”
Play math baseball with your child. Each correct answer is a base hit.
Try to give your undivided attention when your child is talking to you.
When your child asks you a question, show him or her how to find the answer instead of just telling them.
Measure things a new way. How many fingers long is your child’s bed?
May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. Make an effort to get some exercise with your child every day this month!
Ask your child to tell you how to get from one place to another. Follow his or her directions together to see if they are accurate.
Start telling a story to your child. Have him or her write an ending for it.
It’s the birthday of Samuel Morse. Have family members send messages to each other in Morse Code.
Use a toothpick dipped in lemon juice or milk to write a message to your child. To decipher, hold the paper up to a light bulb.
Review spelling or vocabulary words with your child. Challenge yourselves to use them in conversation as often as possible this week.
Take a “trip” to another country. Help your child go online to find out what life is like for school children there.
When your child is struggling, remind him or her how they have handled tough situations in the past.
Look through catalogs or magazines with your child for pictures containing 90-degree angles. Create a collage of these angles.
Watch a different kind of TV program with your child, such as a
documentary or a nature show. Talk about what you learned.
Together, write a poem about your family. Start each line with a letter from the word FAMILY.
Look for ways to involve your child in your hobbies. For example, if you are a runner, take your child for a short jog.