When your children are little, you (at least on some level) often wish they were just a little bigger, just a little more independent. Then, they turn into teenagers, and all you want is for them to be small again. However, in many ways, parenting a high school student is similar to parenting a preschooler. Here are ten common mistakes that many parents make with high school students; avoid these and you and your teenager might get through these years a bit easier.

1. Being a “helicopter parent.”Jumping to your child’s rescue at every turn inhibits their ability to problem solve. Provide love and support, but do not “fight their battles” for them.

2. Being completely “hands off.” Remember that this person is still a child, and, though more independent than that preschooler, he or she still needs your involvement.

3. Neglecting physical safety rules. Teenagers are notorious for risky physical behavior. Failing to enforce safety rules could have tragic results. Periodically remind them.

4. Ignoring emotional issues. Your child’s feelings, no matter how “silly” you think they are, are real to them. Validate their feelings with the power of listening

5. Expecting too much. There is a difference between high expectations and realistic ones; the common sense area of the brain is not fully developed until the early 20’s. Remind yourself of that- as often as needed!

6. Ignoring slipping grades. If you notice this happening with your child, investigate. Slipping grades could be the sign of learning challenges or other issues.

7. Becoming adversaries. Teenagers are trying to figure out who they are and are often critical of their parents. Try not to take things to personally, this too shall pass.

8. Becoming “buddies.” Your child needs a parent is to offer guidance and support; they have plenty of friends. They still need boundaries.

9. Failing to enforce limits. When your child was a preschooler, you might have used time-outs as a consequence for misbehavior. Though this is no longer appropriate for high school students, you still need to make sure your child knows that there are consequences for every bad choice.

10. Failing to praise the child. You cheered for your child when they learned to walk and use the potty; now cheer for them again when they do good things! Work hard not to criticize them and make it a point to praise them every time you catch them doing something right.

by David McLeod

Owner School-Supply-List.com and Elementary School Teacher

David has been teaching elementary school in Central Texas for over 7 years and has over 15 years of experience in online education related websites and blogs.

The start of any school year brings mixed emotions for many children. Fear and apprehension are common, as well as excitement and anticipation. Parents-this article is for your child. Although you are welcome to read on, please share this information with them.

1. Clean your room: Trying to get dressed and ready for your first day of a new school year is difficult if your room looks like a tornado came through.

2. Get organized: After that cleaning, organize your space. If you will be doing homework in your room, be sure you have a well-lit and organized place to work.

3. Go shopping: Talk to your parents about some new clothes, and ask about the family budget so you can plan what to buy.

4. Get school supplies: Don’t forget to get the school supply list; the sooner you take care of this, the better.

5. Meet you teacher: Even if you have seen the teacher around the school, you probably haven’t had much interaction with him/her. Make an effort to go to the school and visit with them.

6. Know your surroundings: After meeting your teacher, take a tour of the school. Many times, teachers change rooms, sometimes even grades. This is good information to know beforehand.

7. Get your clothes ready: The night before or earlier if you want, lay out the clothes you want to wear. Make sure everything is clean and that you have everything you need. Doing this the night before keeps you from having to rush around trying to find something to wear.

8. Make your lunch or have lunch money ready the night before: If you are taking your lunch on the first day, try to put things together the night before. This saves time and prevents some of the morning chaos.

9. Pack your backpack: Just like picking out clothes and making lunches the night before, packing your backpack saves time and helps you to feel more “put together.”

10. Ask for help: Your parents can be a valuable source of help and support if you are nervous about going back to school.

Now a note for parents: If this is your child’s first year of school or entering one of the early primary grades, or a new school, don’t let your apprehension show through. Children often gauge their own stress based on how they see adults reacting to situations. Your calm and assured attitude will help them keep their own anxiety in check.

by David McLeod

Owner School-Supply-List.com and Elementary School Teacher

David has been teaching elementary school in Central Texas for over 7 years and has over 15 years of experience in online education related websites and blogs.

“Teaching a child to read” is a slightly misleading statement, implying you can simply instruct someone and they will be able to read. Reading is actually more of a process, something that has to be learned over time, and follows a certain order of development. Memorization is not technically learning; if you want your child to be truly “literate”, read on for some tips on the learning process.

Read to your child. Many studies have been done that show that children who are read to starting from a young age do much better in reading than those who were not read to at home.

Talk about the pictures. As soon as your child is able to, discuss the pictures in the book. The realization that words and pictures are connected is a big one in the learning-to-read process.

Provide a “book-rich” environment. Repeated exposure often leads to learning. Simply having plenty of books to explore, play with, and yes, even tear up, increases literacy skills.

Introduce letters early. No one likes to admit their children watch a lot of T.V., but we all know they do. However, if used wisely, T.V. can be a learning tool; many children’s shows introduce letters to children as young as two. In order for this to be effective, though, you need to watch along with your child and talk about what is being shown.

Don’t neglect phonics. In order to be able to read, children need to know that letters make sounds and that you put those sounds together in order to read. When working with your child, don’t forget to work on letter sounds.

Rhyme with your child. Not only is rhyming fun, but knowing how to rhyme is a large indicator of literacy understanding in a child.

by David McLeod

Owner School-Supply-List.com and Elementary School Teacher

David has been teaching elementary school in Central Texas for over 7 years and has over 15 years of experience in online education related websites and blogs.

Young children are naturally curious about everything around them, especially things that would fall under the category of “science,” such as nature, weather, etc. Unfortunately, by elementary school, much of this natural curiosity has faded. Once this disinterest begins, learning slows down dramatically.

If this is beginning to happen at your house, the following paragraphs offer some suggestions about how you can help your child get excited about science.

One way to build your child’s enthusiasm towards science is to let them experience science in a “hands-on” kind of way. Many studies show that more information is retained when learning in this manner than when simply memorizing facts. Find out from the teacher what they are studying in science and try to provide complimentary activities at home.

For example, if your child is learning about the life cycle of a butterfly (a common early elementary subject) at school, you could set up a butterfly garden at home so your child can see the subject in action.

Science is everywhere, and part of your job as a parent is to help your child see that. Many parents take for granted things like electricity or sunrises or changing seasons; we forget children haven’t had as much experience with these things as we have.

Try to look at things through your child’s eyes and take the time to discuss these things. Anytime your child shows interest in a “scientific” subject (i.e. dinosaurs), do as much as you can to support that interest.

An added bonus of doing these types of activities is that you show your child you are interested in what they are learning and therefore must be interested in them. This type of parental support is a huge factor in the academic success of children.

by David McLeod

Owner School-Supply-List.com and Elementary School Teacher

David has been teaching elementary school in Central Texas for over 7 years and has over 15 years of experience in online education related websites and blogs.

When most people think of math, they think of numbers and of counting. True, those things are components of the study of mathematics, but there are so many other components as well. Early exposure to activities that encourage math skills is the best way to help your child be successful in the subject. There are many strategies that you can use to integrate math into everyday life, below are seven of those strategies.

1. Early exposure is key. As with reading, exposing young children to numbers, colors, shapes, counting and sorting helps with understanding and mastery of the subject.

2. Include math in everyday activities. Even something as seemingly mundane as a trip to the grocery store can be turned into a learning experience. Children as young as 2 or 3 can help identify items on the list; putting groceries away at home reinforces the concept of sorting.

3. Emphasis 1 to 1 correspondence. Simply being able to recite numbers to 100 does not indicate mathematical understanding. When counting with your child, be sure you are counting objects (1 to 1 correspondence) as well as reciting numbers (rote counting).

4. Grab “teachable moments”. Most learning in early childhood, and even into kindergarten, is indirect rather than direct. Pay attention; you will have many opportunities throughout your day to discuss math with your child.

5. Use “hands-on” learning. Most pre-schools and many kindergartens introduce math using “manipulatives,” small objects that students can use to sort, count, identify shapes and build.

6. Use music. Music is a wonderful tool when teaching math concepts. Not only can children memorize numbers and shapes using “learning” songs, but music is great for introducing counting.

7. Make math fun! There are so many learning board games, video games and other tools. When children have pleasant associations with math, they are more receptive to the subject.

Getting creative with math will get your child’s attention. Explain how you use math on a regular basis in the adult world.

by David McLeod

Owner School-Supply-List.com and Elementary School Teacher

David has been teaching elementary school in Central Texas for over 7 years and has over 15 years of experience in online education related websites and blogs.

The importance of literacy and reading has become realized over the past several decades. Today, being able to read and comprehend the written word is critical to success in so many aspects of life (i.e. work, school, even relationships). Many parents think that you can sit down and “teach” a child to read, but the majority of kindergarten teachers will tell you that is not always productive. What you can do, though, is teach them the skills they need to be able to read. Here are five of the most important things that you can do to help your child develop literacy skills.

1.    Read to your child early and read often.  Even infants as young as two or three months can be soothed by the gentle sound of reading. Of course they will not initially understand the words, but they will understand the tone. Make an effort to read at least fifteen minutes a day with your preschooler or kindergartener; younger children may enjoy several short “story-times” throughout the day in addition to the traditional bed time story.

2.    Rhyme, rhyme, rhyme. Whether or not a preschooler can identify and create rhyming words is a large indicator of success in reading. Rhyming teaches children that you can change letters in similar words to change the meaning. Plus, as Dr. Seuss proved, rhyming is fun for children!

3.    Focus on phonics. Phonics is the study of letter sounds; being able to identify letter names is not a literacy indicator.  Work with your child on “blending” sounds together and ask your child’s teacher for advice if necessary.

4.    Keep “child-friendly” books around. Repeated exposure to a book-rich environment can increase literacy skills as well. Make sure that you have at least some books that are “hands-on,” that you don’t mind if they get torn.

5.    Be available. As with many other aspects of parenting, simply being available to your child can help them succeed.

Your toddler will often seem to be reading though he or she has only memorized the words after hearing you read out loud repetitively. Do not discourage this action as this shows they are eager to be able to read.

Beginning readers will often stumble over words as they sound them out. Let them attempt to decipher the vocabulary before stepping in to help. Assist them one syllable at a time. Making reading fun and a positive experience will give your child the desire to learn.

by David McLeod

Owner School-Supply-List.com and Elementary School Teacher

David has been teaching elementary school in Central Texas for over 7 years and has over 15 years of experience in online education related websites and blogs.

As most any parent knows, motivating children to want to learn and do well in school is at times a challenge. There are a variety of reasons why a lack of motivation or apathy might occur. If your child is behind in required skills, such as reading, keeping up with the work and other students in the class can seem hopeless. On the other hand if you have an advanced or gifted student, he or she might be bored with the classroom pace.

There can also be a personality mismatch with the teacher. Not all teachers work best with all types of students. Another situation that sometimes occurs is when a child starts out as an eager learner and then as the youngster advances in grade school, interest wanes.  Some children excel early in kindergarten, when learning is fun based. As they progress into higher grades they have difficulty accepting the work load without the fun.

Whatever the reason, there is no denying that success in school is often a determining factor of success later in life. So how can you, the parent, help your child become a life-long learner? Here are just 6 of the many ways that you can encourage this love of learning.

1.    Eliminate all physical reasons why your child may not seem motivated to learn. A child who is hungry or tired is not going to be interested in what is going on in the classroom. Other physical causes for lack of motivation may be hearing or vision difficulties.

2.    Ask questions about what your child is working on in school. Do this in a positive way; do not embarrass your child or get angry with them if they cannot answer the questions. Your interest and involvement can often spark motivation. You usually know your child better than anyone in the early years.

3.    Communicate with your child’s teacher. Understand what type of behavior system the school has. Many teachers allow their students to earn extra privileges when they, for example, turn in completed assignments all week. Also talk to the school counselor and if needed the principal. Many times someone around the situation but outside the classroom will provide valuable insight.

4.    Institute a similar learning environment at home that is aligned with the school learning system. Some children are seeking consistency.

5.    Take family field trips. Exposure to hands-on learning activities outside of school fosters a love of learning that will carry over to the classroom.

6.    Change teachers. Every personality is different and some people just naturally clash. If you’ve explored all other possible reasons for lack of motivation, a change may be necessary. Most schools are willing to accommodate if you take the time to “make your case.”

There are circumstances where a professional third party might be needed to help get to the root of an issue. When all else fails, consulting a professional is advisable.

by David McLeod

Owner School-Supply-List.com and Elementary School Teacher

David has been teaching elementary school in Central Texas for over 7 years and has over 15 years of experience in online education related websites and blogs.