10 Ways to Help Your Kids With Their Homework

1.Set the time
Structure is always important. Designate a specific time frame for homework to be completed. Creating a regular routine will increase productivity.

2.Get involved
It is important to be active in your kid’s education. Most schools offer online services to check on grades, homework assignments and overall progress. Keep yourself up to date on all of these things.

3.The proper setting
Provide a quiet and well lit location. Make sure there is a spacious work area and all necessary items to complete the assignments. Preparation is half the battle.

4.Limit distractions
Our homes are filled with distractions. Televisions, cell phones and video games just to name a few. The use of these items should not be allowed during homework time. The mind should be focused on the task at hand.

5.Organize
Multiple subjects and classes can create confusion. Provide a planner and instruct your child how to organize and prioritize assignments. Create a solid game plan.

6.Be a cheerleader
Always show support and give encouragement. Reward strong effort as well
as results. We want our children to always give their best.

7.Provide guidance
We all get stumped sometimes. Make sure help resources are available when needed. These might include yourself, school provided telephone services, or school approved online assistance. A child should always be able to ask a question and get an answer.

8.Work first
Just as their parents, children have busy lives these days. Homework should always come before sports and social activities. Make sure education is the number one priority.

9.Notes
Make sure your child develops an excellent note-taking system. Experts believe an outline form of note-taking is the most efficient method. However, all children are different, so just make sure they have a system that works for them.

10.Study habits
Help instill strong study habits and work ethic. Tests and projects require plenty of planning. Provide tips and techniques that will bring the top-notch results that are desired.

MAD HATS ARE DUE THIS WEEKEND!!!

REMIND YOUR KIDS!

MAD HATS ARE NEEDED

BY SATURDAY NIGHT FOR DISPLAY!

Be creative. Any kind of head covering works!

Decorate it or don't,

as long as it's MAD

and fits on your head!

The Outback Adventure Continues with Day 5 of Creation: Sea Life!

The History Hunters are back in the CW Playhouse this weekend exploring Day 5 of creation at the Great Barrier Reef as our Outback Adventure continues in the land of Australia! This week, we'll be focusing on the incredible variety of sea life as we look at fish and their wonderful design by a masterful creator! Don't let your kids forget to bring their Road Map (Take-home page) and Bible so they can get a piece of candy or two from Rowdy Raccoon! And they might want to bring their snorkel and fins too!

(Ok, maybe not. We're a bit far from the real ocean, unfortunately.)

Correction's First Step

When you need to correct your child, start with calm words, avoiding threats or harshness. If children can respond to words then no further consequence is necessary. After all, that’s the mature way to handle conflict and mistakes. When a boss sees an employee doing something wrong, the best thing is to start with words of correction. If that doesn’t work, the boss may have to bring in some other kind of consequence.

You're teaching your child something very important when you start the correction process with words. You might even say to your child, "If words work, then that’s all we need. If you don’t respond to my words, then we’ll have to go to the next step.” Whether you’re working with a preschooler jumping on the couch or a sixteen-year-old coming in past curfew, the principle is the same—start with words of correction.

We’re not suggesting that every time there’s an offense, you have a dialogue. If your son hits and you’ve already talked about hitting, then you can just proceed to the next step. What you’re trying to do, however, is train your children to eventually receive correction through words without needing a further consequence.

Although your kids may need more than words at first, over time you’re moving them in the direction they should go in order to listen to God. It’s always best to respond to the whispers of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. But when we don’t listen, he’ll use other ways to get our attention. As parents, we don’t like to go further, but we will if we have to. Children need to see that their responsiveness or resistance determines the extent of the correction.

For more on how to build a good Correction Routine with your children, consider the book, Good and Angry, Exchanging Frustration for Character in You and Your Kids, by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

Summer is over and it's Family Week! Time to Decorate Mad Hats!

This is Labor Day weekend and the beginning of Family Week, the break between Summer Cinema and Awana Clubs which begin the following week, Sept. 15th! Enjoy the week with family and friends. And take some time to look over your kids' Outback Adventure Road Map (Take-home paper) with them. It's a great way to have some family discussion around God's Word and reinforce what they are learning at church.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Don't forget to help your children get and decorate a Mad Hat this week. Hats need to be finished and turned in to the church for display by next Saturday if possible! Any goofy looking hat (or various head coverings) will do! Have fun with it!

The Value of Training

Every day you're training your children to become healthy responsible adults. Is it okay to get up and walk away in the middle of a meal? Is it acceptable to leave the table without helping to clean it up? Is it all right to eat without saying thank you to the one who prepared the meal? How will kids learn what's appropriate if you don't train them?

Unfortunately, as parents we get upset when our children need lots of correction or when they can't seem to change right away. It is true that some problems our children have take longer to overcome than others. Our response as parents is important, though. Our exasperation can damage the relationship. Firmness is important but the harshness can do more harm than good.

Kids make mistakes. Whether the errors are deliberate or accidental, children need a godly way to think in order to get back on track. Identify an issue you wish would change in one of your children. It might be arguing whenever you give an instruction or complaining when life doesn't go just right. Break the problem down and think of the alternatives you wish your child could do or think.

Talk about healthy alternatives and look for positive ways to motivate your child to maturity. You may have to use consequences to motivate change but don't neglect the potential of teaching new patterns of thinking, developing new skills, and giving children a vision for doing what's right.

Most of all, be patient. Training takes time and implies lots of work. You're a coach and your children are in training. Give your kids a vision for living life on a different level and they will grow into some great relating patterns.


This idea was taken from the book, Home Improvement, The Parenting Book You Can Read to Your Kids, by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.