Families Matter Newsletter |
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Pottawatomie County
OSU Extension Service
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July 2021
Volume 17, Issue 9
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Getting kids back on track for school |
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It goes without saying the 2020-2021 school year was anything but normal. Parents have valid concerns about their children being left behind when school resumes this fall.
Oklahoma State University Extension specialists Laura Hubbs-Tait and Amanda Morris both confirm parents are right to be concerned.
In a Dec. 8, 2020, report, McKinsey and Company projects U.S. students could lose between four to 12 months of learning by June 2021. The Feb. 4, 2021, Hechinger Report indicated more first and second graders are at risk for needing intensive intervention in order to get back on track with reading levels than prior to COVID-19. With the new school year just a few weeks away, what can parents do?
Both Hubbs-Tait and Morris recommend parents focus on practices at home that increase health and resilience. “Get in a good routine for health be-fore school starts. Good routines build in sleep and physical activity,” Hubbs-Tait said. “Regular bedtimes and wake-up times should allow children to get sufficient sleep in 24 hours to meet American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines.
Children also should meet guidelines for sufficient physical activity and play said Hubbs-Tait. “Try to plan at least one physically active family time per week in an effort to increase everyone’s enjoyment. This also shows your children you have a personal commitment to physical activity,” she said. “For young children, family time can be a walk or ride to a park to enjoy the swings, slides and other equipment. Older children and teens can enjoy family hikes or neighborhood walks, sports activities and bike rides.”
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Children ages 1 to 2:
11 hours to 14 hours per day, including naps.
Ages 3 to 5: 10 hours to 13 hours per day, including naps.
Ages 6 to 12: 9 hours to 12 hours
per day
Teens: 8 hours to 10 hours per day.
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Ages 3 to 5: 180 minutes of physical activity spaced throughout the day.
Ages 6 to 17: 60 minutes per day, including vigorous-intensity activity and muscle- and bone-strengthening activities at least three days per week.
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Next, get in a good routine for learning during the summer. Morris recommends parents determine how long their child can learn and break learning time into
several 10- to 15-minute blocks to start, with a goal of 20 to 40 minutes each day.
“Don’t keep the time for reading books just before bedtime. Set aside reading times throughout the day. Consider getting materials from your child’s school, the local library or check out online learning websites,” Morris said.
Sites such as pbskids.org offer a variety of family friendly activities, tips and crafts. There are literacy activities for toddlers and preschoolers, as well as learning activities that can be enjoyed as a family. Older children can get back to the basics with math or sight word flashcards. Some other sites to check out include Brain Pop, NASA Kids, Khan Academy, Fun Brain or Nick Jr.
No matter what, Morris emphasizes the fact that parents should make learning fun.
“Learning can take place during family game night. Card games such as Memory, or board games like Monopoly are great choices,” Morris said. “Go to the park, zoo or nature preserve. Children also can learn through every-day household activities like sorting laundry, cleaning and cooking.”
Finally, Morris suggests having a family meeting to discuss learning activities and goals. Keep in mind that children are resilient, and once back in school, many will catch up quickly.
But what should parents do if they think their child won’t catch up from their at-home efforts? Hubbs-Tait has some suggestions.
“The first option is tutoring. Frequent one-on-one tutoring is called high-dosage tutoring where children and tutors meet daily or several times per week,” she said.
“This has been found to be more effective than less frequent tutoring. Tutoring by teachers or paraprofessionals typically is the best form for students who need to catch up. Some school districts in Oklahoma offer free summer school programs to help students get caught up.”
Another option is to make sure that during the school year, children who need to catch up get exposure to grade-level materials and lessons while also receiving instruction in content not mastered in previous grades. Experts don’t recommend pulling children out of grade level work in order to get remedial help as this can hinder a child’s progress in school. In addition, some communities are pioneering other efforts to create partnerships between early literacy or math initiatives and schools. Parents may be able to find or start an in-school tutoring program in their own community that will help children catch up before heading back to school this fall.
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Tips for Coping with Anger and Frustration |
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In challenging times, you may find that you have little patience with other people or get upset over minor things. Anger and frustration are complicated emotions that often stem from other feelings, like disappointment, fear, and stress. Taking some extra steps to decrease your overall tension can prevent your feelings (and the reactions that they cause) from spiraling out of control.
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If your child misbehaves stay calm and give them clear instruction to stop misbehaving and tell them what you would like them to do instead. (ex: “Stop throwing. Play with the truck on the ground.”) Praise your child if they stop (ex: “Thank you for playing with the truck on the ground.”)
Have realistic expectations. All children misbehave at times and it is inevitable that you will have some discipline hassles. Trying to be the perfect parent can set you up for frustration and disappointment.
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Here are a few ideas for you to try for keeping harmony in your household this summer!
Review House Rules
At a time when your kids are not fighting, discuss what types of behavior you expect from them. Then reiterate those rules when a conflict arises.
Don’t Take the Easy Way Out
Don’t give in to a child who is throwing a fit for the sake of keeping the peace. Unless you were in the room when the conflict arose, you won’t know who started it. Listen to both sides.
Remove them from the Situation
Even if they are fighting, chances are they are enjoying each other’s company. Use that as your motivation. Make sure they know if they continue to fight they both will be separated from the activity and each other.
Sharing isn’t always the answer
If the kids are fighting over something that is of particular importance to one sibling, encourage sharing, but don’t require it. Discuss the benefits of sharing and why it is important, but let kids make their own decisions.
Don’t always rush in
As long as the situation is non-violent, sometimes it is better if you take a step back and let the kids work out the problem. This will help them learn to problem solve on their own.
Let them be angry
If a child is upset with a sibling, don’t discourage it. Acknowledge the frustration. By giving them an outlet, they will learn how to verbalize angry feelings instead of acting on them.
Source: How to stop sibling squabbles by A. Roc
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How to stop the Fun!
Sometimes the hardest part about summer is getting your children to leave the fun activities they are doing! Try a few of these hints for smoother summertime transitions.
1. Give your children a time frame—we will be here for 1 hour or until 1:00. Use a timer to help children keep track of their time.
2. Plan your activities to allow for quiet and active play. Children need lots of active play and summer provides a lot of opportunities.
3. Choose the time of activities carefully! Summertime heat does not usually interfere with children’s drive for play, however, it does affect them physically and the supervising adult!
4. Give warning times, such as, we need to start leaving in 10 minutes, then 5 minutes, etc.
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Underwater Viewer
To use, hold the bottle sideways and submerge the bottom section in water and look through the hole to see the wonders beneath. Remember to be very careful near water - the edges of ponds and streams can be very slippery.
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Icy Treasures!
Use a plastic bowl or container to create Icy Treasurers. Fill a bowl or shallow container with water. Add a few of your child’s small plastic toys – Legos, cars, dolls, etc. Put them in the container and freeze them! Once frozen, pop the ice block out and give your kids items to assist them with excavating their toys! Warm water, salt, taking it outside in the sun, etc.
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Contact the Extension Office at 273-7683 or sonya.mcdaniel@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, State and Local Governments cooperating. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, national origin, disability or status as a veteran, and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
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