Conversation, Reading, and Education

Over the years many parents have asked me what is the key to my child being succeesful in school. I have given a variety of answers, however new research has changed my thoughts on this topic. The new research says:

1. Children need to hear 3 million words before they enter Kindergarden in order to be ready to read. (The words during screentime do not count, it is in person to person communication.)
2. Children need healthy social/emotional development to be able to properly engage in the classroom.
3. Children who can recognize and write thier name before they go to Kindergarten are ready to read.
4. Children need to read 8 million words from First Gradethrogh eighth grade inorder to do well and be ready to engage in the high school classroom.
5. Children need to engage in activities where they use math and math conacepts on a regular basis. The easiest ones at home is cooking, woodworking, and games like sudko.
6. Playing games like Junior srabble, Scrabble, Upwords, and crossword/word search .
7. The more children have discussions with others the better their ability to engage with language in real time conversations at school. 
8. Spending time as a family engaging in games, activities, and using teachable moment regarding lanugage and math, gets kids to practice almost without thinking about school. It gives them a better undersatanding of how school is really preparing them to live in the world.

Each of these eight areas can be a blog all on its own. So, over the next few weeks I will be taking each topic and creating a more expansive post for each. Let me just say this. There are two things you can do for your children to improve thier schooling. Read in front of them, read to them, and make them read at least one book a week, or a month if it is a chapter book. Chapter books you can actually read as a family; discuss what is happening in the story and talk about thoughts and feelings regarding the story. Which leads to my other thought talk to your kids, have conversations with them on a regular basis. Make it about interesting things that you like and share together.

1. Sports
2. Cooking
3. Hobbies
4. Cars
5. Fashion
6. Current Events
7. Vacations
8. Outings
9. Family Fun time or Issues
10. What you and they dream of having in your lives.

I guess you can see a theme throughout this blog reading and coversations are fundamental to supporting your kids education. It is a simple and as difficult as that.

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