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LEARNING APPS/GAMES FOR T(W)EENS
Let's face it-teens love their screen time. But, it doesn't need to be wasted on Netflix or Fortnite.
Check out our top three picks for games and apps that will keep your teen interested (while building executive function skills at the same time!) here!
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Featured
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Students can find it difficult to attend to their homework if they don't have an organized and dedicated work space. To help your child create the ultimate work space, bling it out with school supplies! Have specific spots for writing utensils, textbooks, and extra paper. Include motivational quotes on the walls, as well as timers to help your child manage his time while working.
#MotivationMonday
Color-coding your notes is a great way to actively engage with the material. Moreover, color-coding helps you quickly identify connections between concepts and chunk similar information together when it comes time to study for an exam.
#TipTuesday
So many children have smartphones now, so it's important that they download educational (but fun!) games. For children who like competition, Words with Friends is a great way to build vocabulary, critical thinking, and strategy-building skills.
#FunFriday
Want more tips, games, and recommendations to help you and your child "think organized"
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Preparing for a Smooth School-Year Transition
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We hope your summer vacation has been filled with sunshine, relaxation, friends and fun! There was no need to stress about homework or rush out the door to get to the bus stop. But now it is August, the school year is fast approaching, and we begin to think about transitioning to a day filled with work, academics, and extracurricular activities. Creating a smooth transition is possible with a little pre-school planning. Take the last one or two weeks of August to slowly merge the hustle and bustle of the upcoming school year with the relaxation of summer vacation, and the looming school year obligations will seem less overwhelming.
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Get on a sleep schedule.
Start the morning early. Set a time to go to bed and a time to wake up that will coincide with the back-to-school schedule. Have her lay out clothes and choose a breakfast the night before.
Establish a check-In/check-out area
. Establish an area for your child to put everyday things such as keys, cell phone, and backpack. This will become the first place she stops when arriving home and the last place she checks before leaving the house again.
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Include your child in the shopping.
Include your child when shopping for school supplies to let her feel more in control of the school day. Help her prepare for the structure of the school day by setting up her binders with papers, dividers, and folders ahead of time.
Practice using an assignment notebook
. Learning how to document assignments is an essential skill. Take time to teach her to list both nightly work and long-term projects in an assignment notebook. She should check her list of assignments before leaving school to be sure she brings home the right books and binders for homework.
Discuss binder organization.
Reinforce the need for your child to keep up with all academic paperwork. Instead of getting plain dividers, try buying a version with pockets. This way if she is in a rush, she still has a place to stuff papers in the correct section so that they can be filed later. These also work well if teachers do not hole-punch all of their papers. Just stick them in the correct section and file later! You can also purchase a small sturdy file box and set up folders for each of her classes, plus one for miscellaneous important papers. At the end of the grading period, she can file old papers and her binder can be cleaned out.
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Monthly Calendar
. The beginning of the school year is a great time to get your monthly calendar up to date. Add in all holidays and days off school, extra-curricular obligations and other dates to remember. Giving your child her own calendar will help her learn the valuable skill of managing her days.
Planning for after-school.
What to do after school is an age-old quandary for parents. Too many activities may leave your child with insufficient time for homework, as well as additional stress and anxiety. A quick snack can easily turn into a two-hour break, and she may not notice how quickly time evaporates. Scheduling a time for homework is necessary for many children. If she knows that at 4 p.m. the T.V. is turned off and homework must be done, there is less of a tendency to procrastinate.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
Back to school can be a stressful time, but if you chip away at some tasks that you can start before the first school bell, the transition will be much smoother. Set aside a couple of hours each week to do a bit of advance preparation as you relax and enjoy the rest of the August sunshine!
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