Hitting a bump in the road with school or homework?  Here are a few teacher tricks I’m reminding myself of, that maybe can encourage us both.

1) Every 20 minutes take a break. Play a game between subjects such as Blink, Set, Spot It Animals, Q-Bitz, Qwitch, and Tangoes Animals.

2) Incorporate physical activities and sunshine as often as possible, bouncing the ball for math facts, jumping on the trampoline for spelling words, using a Balance Board, cooking together to demonstrate adding fractions, etc.

3) Math is abstract, so you always want to make it hands on.  Get out the play money, count MM’s, and cut apples into fractions.

4) See, say, hear, move.  Learning something while doing all these at once engages the brain fully.  Ex: Use sign language for key words, write multiplication facts on the driveway in chalk and play hopscotch, act out the clock hands, write on their big toe, make it fun, etc. 

5) Have a basic schedule because knowing what to expect can be reassuring. There is an end in sight.

6) Give countdowns with clear expectations.  Give children time to transition between activities.  “I am going to count very slowly to ten.  When I get to ten this is what I want to see.”  Then count like a turtle.

7) Learning happens when we are calm.  Learning stops when we are stressed.  Praise something they are doing well: “I like how you are holding the pencil.” “Wow, you are working really hard & persevering!”

8) Be compassionate. Learners are vulnerable, struggling and making mistakes trying to master something new.  Recall how humbling it was to learn how to drive or another difficult task. Come along side your student.

9) Be curious why this is so hard.  HALT.  Are they hungry, angry, lonely or tired?  Why?  

10) Get to the root instead of focusing on the fruit.  Are you for the first time becoming acutely aware of learning struggles your child has?  If they can’t remember multi-step directions, have trouble reading, seem to forget concepts from one day to the next ~ it could be they need vital cognitive skills strengthened.  Ask for the More To Grow Cognitive Development Training Self/Parent Assessment to begin to dig a little deeper to the root issue.

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The mission of  More to Grow Cognitive Development Training is to improve learning ability and function through cognitive exercises that meaningfully transfer to all educational and everyday life situations so individuals maximize their potential. 

Darlene Lewis, darlene@moretogrow.com, https://moretogrow.com/