A transition to a new grade or school, not matter how small, is difficult for children. It’s helpful to visit the new school as often as possible. Play with kids that will be at the same school if you can. And read, read, read to your child books about starting school. The familiarity of routines and activities of the new school will take a lot of the anxiety away. So, while my youngest has been visiting his elementary school for 5 years so far, we’ll take it one step at a time and read these books over and over to ensure a smooth landing in September. And a few playdates with new friends is also on the books!
Best New Baby Picture Books for Siblings
Now I have to give a disclaimer: I clearly have not gotten this right because my middle daughter still asks why we thought having a third child was a good idea. She thinks that we should have stopped while we were ahead. I did read a lot of books and seek a lot of advice on how to get my older child (and then children) excited about the new baby. Here’s the list of advice from many, many moms I solicited.
Best Phonics Workbooks and Reading Strategies
Best Phonics Workbooks: Explode the Code (at Amazon.com)
Best Phonics for reluctant read aloud readers: progressive phonics (www.progressivephonics.com)
Fun book series for reluctant read aloud readers: You Read to Me and I’ll Read to You
How To: Pronounce Mandarin Chinese Pinyin (cheat sheet)
Cheat sheet to learn how to pronounce Mandarin Chinese pinyin.
Top 10: Tips to Get Kids to Do Chores
Getting your kids organized is one of the greatest challenges for most families. However, teaching them early on how to get and stay organized builds the foundation and skills they will need to be successful in life. The more responsibility they take on themselves, the easier your life will be as a parent.
Best Math Workbooks for Home or Summer Supplementation
I find that The Univ. of Chicago’s Everyday Math needs home supplementation, especially in math facts. I recommend Daily Word Problems and Singapore Math. We use these for summer math.
DIY Math Games Invented by Kids (2nd-5th grade)
2 fun and easy math games invented by 8-year-old kids for adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing and exponents.