My number one recommendation for summer learning? Let your kids play! The benefits of free play are far-reaching: better self-regulation skills, increased organization, and the ability to easily switch between tasks. But not all play has to be self-directed; sometimes providing a little guidance can create rich learning experiences. Integrating some more directed activities into your child’s summer plans will help to make summer both fun AND full of learning. How do you do it? Here are my top … [Read more...]
The Coolest Innovative School
In architect Takaharu Tezuka’s TED Talk, he introduces an amazing Japanese kindergarten that blew the lid off my vision of what a kindergarten experience could be. The kindergarten is outside on a circular roof, so kids can run around. There are trees to climb and a covered area where kids can rest and explore. This school was created from a deep understanding of what kids need – play, activity, interaction, exploration – and the results are truly inspirational. This kind of innovative … [Read more...]
What is the Summer Slide? (And Why We Should Stop It)
Spring break is over and summer is around the corner. Hooray! But even though school may not be in session, it doesn’t mean that learning should stop. Instead, learning may look different: the whole world can become your child’s classroom. Teachers often talk about the “summer slide,” where students lose the knowledge they’ve learned over the course of a school year. Research supports this: most students lose about two months of the math skills they’ve learned over the school year during the … [Read more...]
Inquiry: The Key to Helping Kids Become Joyful Learners
My son was born two weeks ago and his days are full of firsts: first walk outside, first bath, first time being licked by our dog. As his eyes open more and more, I can see his little brain full of curiosity. Sometimes he looks intently at something, trying to figure it out, while other times his eyes dash around the room as if they’re trying to keep up with the endless stimuli. My son’s wide-eyed wonder about the world (well, in the two hours a day when his eyes are actually open) got me … [Read more...]
How to Play with Children — Notes from the Master AKA my Dad
You might turn to some dads for advice on what car to buy or how to refinish your floors. But with my dad, I turn to him for advice on children. As a teacher and a professional storyteller, my dad has a magical way of captivating children’s attention. He’s my daughter’s number one favorite person and my inspiration for loving learning (and learning about children!). So when my dad, John Boe, offered up his advice on how to play with children, I knew we could all benefit from his wisdom. Here … [Read more...]
Words from the Wise: Educators Share Their Top Parenting Tips
Recently I wrote about five teacher tricks that all parents should know. After reflecting back on how my experience as an educator has affected my parenting, I got curious about what strategies my educator friends have found helpful with their children. When I asked them, I was impressed by the assortment of easy tweaks they suggested. (I can’t wait to use them with my daughter!) Connect Then Redirect Nancy Rodriguez is the mom to a 7-year-old, and has experience as a preschool, … [Read more...]
How in the World Do Kids Learn to Read?
Today I observed a 7th grade class made up of students I had taught in kindergarten. As they all settled in for silent reading, I was amazed. “Oh my God,” I thought, “They all learned how to read!” Seeing how these kids had grown up to become fluent and engaged readers was both inspiring and incredibly reassuring. Teaching kindergarten, the range of reading skills among students was always striking. Some students entered kindergarten reading chapter books, while others struggled to recognize … [Read more...]
Teach Your Kids to Love Math (Even When You Don’t)
As a teacher, no parent ever entered my room saying “I hate books.” But again and again, parents would share their hatred of math. When adults say they don’t like math, these feelings are often related to the way they were taught-- through methods that emphasized getting the right answers through seemingly foreign algorithms rather than fostering true understanding. When kids hear their parents talk negatively about math, they internalize those feelings, and when that happens, you run the … [Read more...]
Let Them Make Messes: The Benefits of Sensory Play
Whenever she’s outside, my 3-year-old daughter can be found elbow-deep in dirt, searching for worms. In the past week, while inside, she’s enjoyed making a huge mess of magnetic sand and (embarrassingly) repeatedly poking the custard part of a beautiful tart at a friend’s party. And her favorite snack? Spices. Just tons of spices. She’s a wonderfully eccentric little lady, but she’s not doing crazy stuff: all her favorite ways to explore are through sensory play. Young kids learn about the … [Read more...]
The Key Ingredient in Your Child’s Academic Success: YOU
There are many factors that go into a kid’s academic success: income level, personality, access to materials, learning style. But the number one predictor of your child’s academic success? You. Pressure’s on. But don’t go breaking out the phonics programs and the math worksheets just yet. Sure, it’s important that your child learns to read, write, add, and subtract. But before children tackle content they must master process-- fostering a love of learning will inspire your child to master … [Read more...]