Every now and then I like to share some fun activities you can do at home with your student to support the academic and social skills we are working on at school. Here are just a couple ideas for your Monday morning:
Reading: Make reading visible in your home. Point out all the different times you have to read in your everyday life. Do you read the weather forecast? A recipe for dinner? The note that comes home from school? Let your child see how important reading is! Take it one step further and have your child help with YOUR reading. Can your child read part of the forecast? How about the recipe? Practice reading in every context you can - it helps build fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and background knowledge!
Math: Do math problems in the car. Pick any number from 1-1000 and ask your child to name 10 more than that number, 10 less; 100 more, 100 less, etc. Make your child think backwards from that number and create a math sentence that would have your number as the sum or difference. For example, if you give the number 32, ask, "What two numbers could you add together to get 32?" or "What numbers could you subtract to get a difference of 32?" For one entire car ride, play with the same number and see how many different activities you can come up with for that same number.
Writing: We are constantly telling students how important writing is to every career in life, and yet, do they see what you write? Just like reading, make writing visible in your home. Have your child add items to the grocery list. Have your child write a note saying they will be picked up today by Aunt Marie (you just sign it). Could your child write your address on the insurance form while you wait for your prescription? Any chance you get, ask your child to help with writing. It gives application, as well as practice and it allows you opportunities to nudge and adjust any writing errors.
