Help! My child is not grasping a concept!

If you sense your child getting frustrated with a particular skill, do not panic but take a break. Learning is developmental, just like riding a bike. If your child is not developmentally ready to ride a bike, you are not going to continue to put him on it day after day. You may wait a few weeks or months and try again. Apply this concept to your teaching.

It is important to realize that most learning occurs in waves. The peaks of learning are referred to as “lightbulb” moments. It is when your child grasps a concept that you have worked on for days, weeks, months, or even years. Some children need a lot of variety and repetition, while others seem to almost teach themselves. Take your time and progress at your child’s own pace. Most importantly, do not rush to keep your child on “grade level.” Children can catch up on years of learning in a matter of months.

For example, I once taught a child in third grade who was reading on a first grade level. He had a “learning spurt" which moved him into the head of the class for reading by the end of the school year.

Sometimes there is not a developmental issue, but you may need to focus on the underlying problem. When your child is struggling with a concept, take a step backwards and analyze the problem. One example of focusing on what is causing the problem in your child’s learning is if your child needs help with handwriting to stop having him practice writing letters sheet after sheet. Let’s go back to the underlying cause, which is more than likely weakened muscles in your child's hand and arm. Counteract this weakness with strengthening your child’s hand and arm muscles. Another example is if your child is struggling with fractions. Go back and review the multiplication and division facts. These facts set the foundation for fractions. One step backwards may lead to two steps forwards!

A Lap Harp is a great first instrument

Playing a musical instrument will help your child develop concentration, patience, and perseverance. Practicing musical instruments will improve hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, which also improves penmanship.

The first instrument my children learn to play is a lap harp, which is an easy instrument to play for all elementary children. It is so rewarding to see your child independently playing songs on an instrument within minutes. It gives them an appreciation for music and makes them feel special. 

Enjoy making music FUN!

Yummy Math Ideas!

Did you know food and learning math go together? We are going to use items in your kitchen to make learning math FUN.

*Have your child use gumdrops or marshmallows and toothpicks to create geometric shapes.

*Use pies, Hershey's chocolate bars, and pizza to teach the concept of fractions.

*Use pretzel sticks, popsicle sticks, toothpicks, and straws for addition, subtraction, and tally marks.

*Have your child use Teddy Grahams or Goldfish for counting activities. Tell stories while your child uses these objects to act it out, such as “There were a school of ten fish and three fish swam away. How many are left?”

*Use small objects, such as beans, raisins, and Cheerios, for counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In addition to these skills, you can use Skittles and M&M’s to create patterns.

There are even books that combine food and math! Here are two of my favorites:

The M&M's Brand Counting Book by Barbara McGrath is the tastiest counting book yet! This yummy little counting book teaches the numbers 1 - 12, colors of the M&M's chocolate candies, and three primary shapes: the circle, square, and triangle. Hungry learners are rewarded in the last section of the book, where they learn simple subtraction by eating the manipulatives, twelve M&M's. The review page at the end ties it all together and reinforces newly learned concepts and skills.

To balance the sweets with something healthier, Apple Fractions by Jerry Pallotta uses a variety of different apples to teach children all about fractions. Playful elves demonstrate how to divide apples into halves, thirds, fourths, and more. This innovative and enjoyable book allows children to understand fractions at a concrete level.

Enjoy making learning fun,

Spice up reading!

Big Books are a valuable tool in teaching reading to early elementary children. Most public libraries have an assortment of Big Books available to check out. When choosing Big Books for your child, look for repetitive language structure, themes that would interest and motivate your child, and bright, colorful illustrations.
For independent readers, keep in your home a wide variety of high-interest reading materials to foster a love of reading, which may include: a Guinness Book of World Records, children’s magazines, newspapers, question and answer books, comic books, joke books, poetry collections, and science books. Include books that build on your child’s interest. For example, provide plenty of books on trains if that is what your child is interested in at the time. Place a small bookshelf or a basket filled with books in a room where your child likes to read. Do not get into the habit of using only schoolbooks, as those can limit your child’s reading expectations. The goal is to get your child to read for pleasure.




You are your child’s role model. If your child sees you reading for enjoyment, chances are he will learn to do the same. Using D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) time in your home where everyone reads, including parents, is one of the best ways to instill a love of reading in your child that will last a lifetime. This silent reading time is for everyone, including the parent, to read independently for a specified amount of time (usually about fifteen to thirty minutes). Younger children may be given a stack of picture books if they are not yet reading. Make sure the television and phone ringer are turned off. What an excellent way to model the love of reading, plus you can get some reading done yourself!