I would just like to say a few sentences to all parents who have forced their child to go to the next grade level when he/she wasn’t at all ready or well prepared. I mostly am talking about Kindergarten retention and moving on to first grade when you shouldn’t, but what I have to say goes for any early elementary grade level. When an elementary ...

How Was Your Day When your child comes home from school please take some time and have a conversation with him/her about how the day went.  When you ask “How was your day?” don’t accept a one word answer like fine or OK. Really?  Your child has been out of your sight for 7 or more hours and you are willing to accept a one word answer telling you ...

Does your child have a dress up corner?  It’s time to give them one.  Playing ‘dress up’ gives children an opportunity to dream, stretch imagination and stimulate creativity.  Children work hard at this type of play because they have to make it up themselves and they learn a great deal while having fun.  There are many stores and online sites that ...

Sleep deprivation seems to start early. A 2004 survey by the National Sleep Foundation found that on average, children in every age group from infancy through fifth grade failed to get even the low end of the recommended range of sleep. Experts say that most children do not get enough sleep each night and are being asked to work at school without ...

80 Skills that will help your child make a smooth transition into Kindergarten.  80 seems like such a large number until you look at this list and realize that your child is already successful in many of these skills, and isn’t even yet in Kindergarten. Parents continue to worry about preparing their children academically to start school, when ...

Many, many, many years ago when I taught third grade, girls would complain that boys tried to kiss them at school.  These same complaints have now found their way into first grade classrooms.   Both boys and girls are trying to kiss their classmates against the classmates’ will.  We have had to have several talks about kissing, when and when it is ...