Kids who grow up in homes with a strong Home Learning Environment do much better in school and beyond.
So what can you do to strengthen your child’s Home Learning Environment?
- Remind your child to practice. Thinking and learning are just like sports — the more you practice, the better you get. Kids aren’t “smart” or “dumb”; all children can grow and improve if they keep at it.
- Make sure that there’s a quiet place for your child to read and learn. To learn well, children need a good place at home where they can concentrate. Whether that place is in the bedroom or a common area, make sure there’s time during the day when your child can concentrate without interruption.
- Display your child’s schoolwork. It’s important that children know that their family members are proud of what they accomplish in school. Put your child’s schoolwork on the refrigerator, a bulletin board, or a wall in your home.
- Talk about what happened in school every day. Some questions you might want to ask are: “Which of your friends did you spend the most time with today?” “Which class was the most fun today?” “Why?”
- Have your child pick one educational software game to play with you this week. Mark on the calendar when you are going to play together. If it’s a competitive game, discuss together what prize will be given to the winner.
Here are some great sites with more information about more that you can do to improve the Home Learning Environment for your child:
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