Make It Their Best School Year Yet
Teachers' top tips!
Written by Beryl Meyer
As summer break draws to a close, parents and kids across Miami-Dade are busy checking off boxes on their back-to-school lists. But often missing among the entries of notebooks, pencils, rulers and backpacks are all-important strategies for success. These insider secrets - which cover everything from easing first-day jitters to boosting your kid's brain power - get A+ results.
- Get excited! While kids may drag their feet at the thought of starting school, gathering supplies is an easy first step to ramping up their enthusiasm. Low-cost items like glittery stickers and book covers lend a brand-new look to binders and folders, while brightly colored pens and pencils, fun novelty erasers and cool-for-school calculators actually entice children to use them. You can also keep their enthusiasm revved up by talking about the opportunities that await them: field trips, creative outlets for learning, and after-school and social activities.
Photo: Monkey Business/stock.adobe.com
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Active & Athletic Kids: What Parents Need to Know
Play Safe!
Written by Jeanne Muchnick
Children suffering from sports-related injuries - and those due to other physically challenging activities, like dance - are more common than you might think. Safe Kids USA reports that more than three million children under the age of 14 are treated annually for sports-related injuries, with the most common issues being sprains, muscle strains, bone or growth plate injuries, repetitive motion injuries and heat-related illnesses. And those in the midst of growth spurts - typically boys ages 12-16 and girls 10-14 - have a higher propensity for getting hurt. Then there's the concussion worry, a hot topic that's gained nationwide attention in both professional and amateur sports worlds.
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Grab-and-Go First-Aid Kit
Written by Beryl Meyer
Be proactive. Follow these what-to-pack guidelines, just in case...
Customize the kit. The essentials you keep on hand should be geared to the particular type of sport your child plays. For instance, in baseball, thrown bats and sliding into base can wreak havoc on arms, knees and ankles, calling for ice packs and stretch bandages. In a sport like track, where sprinting can subject legs to pulled muscles and feet to friction, elastic wrap bandages and blister pads are chief among the first-aid must-haves. Each sport carries with it its own risk of injuries, so familiarize yourself with the potential pitfalls.
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Photo: Lorelyn Medina/stock.adobe.com
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Talk Your Kids Smart!
Boost literacy and vocabulary
Written by Beryl Meyer
Did you know that the simple act of conversing with your young child will be one of the single most influential factors in their language skills down the road? According to a study by the University of California, Los Angeles, a two-way conversation between parents and their children, ages birth-4, resulted in a communication score that was six times higher than when parents simply spoke to their children. The same proved true when it came to reading. Without a child's participation, a parent's monologue resulted in a weaker link to language development.
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Photo: Monkey Business/stock.adobe.com
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