homework

Helping your Child with Reading Homework

Helping Your Child with Reading Homework

Each afternoon parents check their children’s backpacks to determine what homework needs to be completed for the evening. Somewhere among the items listed one usually finds: read for __ minutes. While this task seems relatively straightforward, you may find yourself wondering what you should be doing to ensure this assignment is actually yielding the greatest benefit for your kiddo. Parents need not be over-involved in reading homework, but they can employ a few strategies to help their children get the most out of their book!

By Jennifer Campbell, ago

Spring Homework Help!

Now that the holidays are over and spring is just around the corner, children are beginning to realize that the end of the school year is in sight. While it is exciting to be fully in the swing of the second half of the school season, sometimes the energy and passion that were previously devoted to homework begin to diminish. How can parents help a child who is having a hard time with their homework or just experiencing a homework slump? Red Apple Reading has some suggestions for parents who want to help their children finish the homework race on top.

By Jennifer Campbell, ago
creative-ways-to-study-spelling-words-RAR

Creative Ways to Study Spelling Words

Most early elementary school students have weekly spelling tests. As parents, it falls to us to help our kiddos prepare. Whether our kids are good spellers or struggling spellers, the studying process can be tedious. According to the article, “How Words Cast Their Spell”, written in the 2008-2009 edition of American Educator, “The correlation between spelling and reading comprehension is high because both depend on a common denominator: proficiency with language….The more deeply and thoroughly a student knows a word, the more likely he or she is to recognize it, spell it, define it, and use it appropriately in speech and writing.” So, spelling is a vital part of the education process. But don’t despair dear parent! With some creativity and an open mind, you and your child can have successful spelling study sessions!

By Jennifer Campbell, ago
3 Smart Organizational Strategies for Busy Parents

3 Smart Organizational Strategies for Busy Parents

Busy parents often need a helping hand when it comes to supporting their kids during the school year. But then again, I’ve yet to see a parent who isn’t busy! If you’re among the many frazzled moms or dads trying to juggle work, kids, social events, school events, extracurricular, and the like, then there’s a good chance you could use some tips to keep it all organized.

By Melissa Maypole, ago

School’s Started, But Your Job Has Just Begun: Tips to Make Your Child’s School Year a Success

My three oldest children started the new school year last week. My daughter started high school, my son began his first year in middle school, and my younger daughter started Kindergarten. As I shooed everyone out the door that first morning praying their day would be a good one, I took a moment to take in the stillness of the house and the quiet the new school year had already beckoned into my home. I thought of all the work I’d get done while they were gone and the nap I might steal before the last bell rang. I realized that like myself, parents all over the county were secretly celebrating these little gifts that the fall had afforded them. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with counting your blessings, it occurred to me how easy it would be to simply wave goodbye to my children in the mornings and let the teachers take care of the rest. That’s what school’s for, right? Wrong! Although school is indeed back in session, our job as parents and co-educators has just begun. If you don’t believe me, just wait until your middle-schooler brings home a mountain of homework.

By Melissa Maypole, ago