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LAUSD went back to school on Monday with a dozens of other school districts starting this week…
Teachers are speaking out about a few things they wish parents would do to prepare their kids for the school year.
· Reestablish routines - Whatever you can do to get them waking up and going to bed at a normal time — that alone is huge!
· Read every day - With younger children, parents should spend a little time each day reading with them. Teachers often see a ‘back to school dip’ with children who haven’t read at all and have spent a lot of time on screens!
· Find opportunities to practice fine motor skills - Encourage kids in lower grades to use scissors, work on puzzles, draw and use play-dough or clay. These activities can help improve their hand-eye coordination and make tasks like writing and using classroom tools easier
· Give kids responsibilities - Doing chores at home can prepare kids for classroom responsibilities, such as being a line leader.
· Center kindness - Instead of calling children out only when they do something unkind to someone else… call them out when they ARE being kind. I started doing this with Aiza because sometime she butts heads with her little sister and I have noticed a big difference in their relationship. I tell her how great of a job she’s doing being kind to Siveya and sharing her toys and they are getting along so well now!