How can you help your first grader?
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Make sure they eat a nutritional breakfast every day and that they go to bed early. According to the Sleep Foundation, this age needs about 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night.
Encourage his/her independence in planning and organization. Don't file their papers into their homework folder for them. Talk them through the task but don't do it for them. Using 2 to 3 step directions like First, Next, Last will help. Don't pack their backpacks for them; they are capable of doing this. Remember to stay positive even
if you are frustrated because this is a life-long learning process and it has a learning curve like any other skill. The more consistent you are, the quicker they will become more independent.
Provide opportunities to increase independent life skills, responsibility, pride, and decision making by giving simple chores.
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Provide opportunities for regular physical exercise to relieve stress and build physical coordination skills.
Provide opportunities for authentic reading and writing like writing letters, cards, checklists, or shopping lists. Be firm about having a regular routine every day to read, write, or practice math fluency for 15 -20 min. When you are working on long-term projects in your own life, model your thinking out loud so that they can watch and learn from you.
Be a good example in your habits of tidiness, good health, positive attitude, communicating respectfully, and being honest.
Practice having a growth mindset in your life and model that, with effort, you can increase your skill set. We use the words, "I don't know this YET, but I can practice how to do it."
Be a good listener. Praise your child for good work and good behavior. Catch them being good and acknowledge it. Validate their strong feelings when they are angry or sad. Comfort them, and then help them to problem solve once they are calm.
Relax with your child. Playing is essential to their development. Visit museums and expose your child to hands-on learning. Share your passions with them and help them to pursue their special interests. Turn off screens for one day each weekend to give your child the opportunity to converse and make eye contact with the family members.
If you are discussing grievances about a teacher, a coach, or school employee, please try to keep this conversation away from your child's hearing range. They are sensitive to your attitude about their school or sport class so your frustration about a teacher or coach might become theirs. This will influence their motivation in that class or practice...which will impact their learning in a negative way.
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