Welcome to my Tuesday Tip. Each week over the summer I will post a Tuesday Tip on how to encourage learning through play. Read my recent blog post to learn more about how free play supports deep learning. Today's tip is about managing those summer school assignments!
The first day of school is around the corner (or may already be here for some). Did your child leave their summer assignments until the last minute? Are your final summer days spent trying to cajole your child to do their work?
I wish I could say that my own children have completed their work and we are enjoying a carefree end to the summer. But, I am struggling right along with you.
There is a lot of debate about how much of an impact summer work has on children's academic development. And, if you have been reading my Tuesday Tips you know that I am a believer in encouraging children to play and trust that they are learning tremendous amounts through play. But, I also know that schools
require summer work and understand the struggles with encouraging reluctant children to complete their summer work.
So, what can you do to help your reluctant child finish their school work before the first day? Here are some strategies that I hope will help.
* Empathize: this might be easier than you think. I am sure you don't want to spend your last days of summer inside helping your child finish their school work. Offering your child some empathy can help reduce their stress about the assignments.
* Offer Choices: sometimes resistance comes from a lack of control over a situation. If you give your child some choices about their assignment, their motivation to complete it, increases. Let your child decide when to do their work, where to do their work and let them choose which books to read. Give your child choices and don't interfere with their decisions.
* Encourage Autonomy: Remember that this is your child's assignment and an opportunity for the teacher to see your child's work. It is less important that they cross every i and dot every t and more important that it is their own work. Let them take ownership over their work, work independently and come to you when they need help. Doing this will increase their motivation and increase their confidence. If you struggle with perfectionism, remember two things (1. it does not need to be perfect and 2. children learn more through their mistakes).
Be Creative: If your child is really struggling to finish their assignments, think outside of the box. Learning is a process and the goal of summer work should be for children to learn not to hand in a perfect product. Evaluate how important it is to follow every rule of the assignment. Maybe your child can get creative with the assignment and:
* choose a book off of the reading list (one that interests her).
* can he write his own story instead of writing a book report?
* can she make a video book review?
Think about your child's learning preferences and keep in mind that teaching creativity, flexibility and love of learning are invaluable to long-term academic success.
Please comment below if you have strategies that have worked with your children in the past.
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