Beat The Winter Blues
Motivate Your Child to Learn
with These Helpful Tips
How did your child do in the first semester of school?
Were you pleased with his performance, or do you think there
is room for improvement? No matter what letters
appeared on her report card, January is the perfect time to
help your child get excited about going back to school and
learning.
This can be accomplished by creating an atmosphere in your
home that encourages learning. Here are some tips on
how to get involved with your child's learning process and
help motivate them in the new year.
Have family reading time at least once a week. Utilize Book
Adventure, a free Sylvan-created interactive reading
motivation program online, at
www.bookadventure.com.
Kindergarten through high school students choose their own
books from more than 7,000 titles, take short comprehension
quizzes and redeem their accumulated points for small
prizes. Book Adventure also offers teachers and
parents resources and tips to help children develop a
lifelong love of reading.
- Set aside a specific time for homework and
studying.
Take advantage of this quiet time to sit with your child
and work on your paperwork. This visually
demonstrates the importance of work time
to your child.
- If homework was a struggle during the first
semester, set up a reward system for this semester.
For example, deposit change in a small jar when homework
is complete. As soon as the jar is full, treat the
whole family to something everyone will enjoy.
- Refresh your child's study space. Make sure
that all materials, such as pencil sharpeners, erasers
and extra paper are easily accessible and in adequate
supply.
- Create study plans. Have your child do her
most challenging assignment first, while she is most
focused, then have her work on easier tasks.
Finish each homework session with a fun activity.
- Search the Internet with your child to learn more
about topics being covered in school.
- Invite your child to participate in cooking or
shopping to strengthen his math skills.
- Encourage your child to choose a classmate with whom
she can study and swap reading books.
- Get your child organized inside and outside of
school. By being organized, your child will have
plenty of time to complete all assignments, and he will
also learn the value of time management.
- Talk to your child's teachers. The second half
of the year can be more challenging than the first.
Find if your child needs extra help in a specific
subject in order to keep up with the class.
Learning feels good at Sylvan Learning Center, the
leading provider of in-center and live, online tutoring at
home to students of all ages and skill levels. With more
than 27 years of experience and nearly 1,200 centers located
throughout North America, Sylvan's scientifically-proven,
personalized methods have inspired more than two million
students to discover the joy of learning. Sylvan's trained
and certified teachers provide personalized instruction in
reading, writing, mathematics, study skills and test-prep
for college entrance and state exams. Sylvan helps transform
unique kids into uniquely inspired learners with the skills
to do better in school and the confidence to do better in
everything else.
For more information regarding the Sylvan AdvantageTM, call
724-834-2255 or visit
http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com.