This page offers previously asked questions and answers.
Should I worry that my primary schooler seems to have a smaller vocabulary than her peers?
There is a wide range of what is considered "normal" in regard to vocabulary development in primary school. If your child's teacher is not particularly worried, then you should not be either. However, building a strong vocabulary is important as students move into higher grades and the demands are raised.
There are many activities that you can do with your child that will help build her vocabulary, the most important of which is to make sure that you are speaking with her and explaining the world to her as much as possible. Children learn language through imitation. They use words to which they are exposed. When you speak and read to your child, she is exposed to a larger vocabulary. As you are going through your daily routines, explain as much as you can about the world around you. Talk about the different types of foods at the grocery store, the stores that you are passing and the news that you hear on the radio. Explain how things are categorized and talk about synonyms, antonyms and homonyms. Play word games like categories. All of these things will help build her vocabulary.
You can also help your child by encouraging imitation of language. One way to do this is by repeating back what she says and extending the words that she currently using in her speech. If she says, "I ate cookies for snack." You can say, "Yes, you ate some warm, delicious chocolate chip cookies for snack today." Additionally, you can ask her to repeat what you would have her say. For example, when their child does not say "please," many parents simply say, "What do you say?" This does not really teach children to learn how to ask properly the first time. Instead, say, "May I please have a cookie?" and have your child repeat the whole phrase before she gets the cookie. This strategy can (and should) be used frequently. Living with two preschoolers and a toddler, I often feel as though at the end of the day I have had the conversations of four people--and I often have--but eventually this is how they learn to speak themselves.
I suspect that my daughter may have dyslexia. She's doing well enough for a beginning reader, but she's flipping words around with unusual regularity; should I have her tested?
It is very normal for beginning readers to flip letters and words, so it is probably not a problem. However, early intervention of reading problems is very important, so I would check with her teacher and ask her opinion. Ask for a meeting and bring specific examples of your concerns. Ask the teacher to track what she is seeing in class and ask for a follow-up meeting.
If you decide that you do want to get your child tested, you can ask the school for a referral for special education. In 1975, Congress passed Public law 94-142, the Education of All Handicapped Children Act, which provided some of the first legal rights to children in special education. That law, later renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), has been modified several times, most recently in 2004. If you are referring your child for special education, it is very important to understand your rights under this law. If a parent makes the request for referral, you have a right to free evaluations given by the district.
Homework is a battle every night at our house. How can I help my son get his homework done without doing it for him?
Homework presents such difficulties for so many parents! The battles that are waged can often become detrimental to our relationships with our children. Therefore, ending these battles is crucial. The first thing to consider is why your child is not doing his or her homework. Is the work too challenging? Is he having difficulty concentrating? Does she enjoy the attention that she gets from you when you are helping her with it? Try having a meeting with your child's teacher and explain the difficulty you are having and ask for advice on how much your child should be expected to know. It is important to include your child in the meeting so that he can hear what is happening. If the teacher knows about this transition period, you may be able to send homework in incomplete so that the teacher sees where he is having difficulty.
After meeting with the teacher, sit down with your child to make very specific routines around homework. Within those routines, explain that you will help your child minimally, but you will not do his homework for him. The metaphor that is used in education for providing structures to help someone learn is "scaffolding." This is what you should be doing--asking questions that will lead your child to get to the answers himself.
How can I tell if my 5 year old is ready for kindergarten? Many of his preschool buddies are waiting an extra year, and I'm not sure whether we should too.
Although each state has a cut-off for when they expect a child to enter kindergarten, parents are left with the ultimate decision. If your child is currently attending preschool, the first step would be to talk to his teachers ad ask their advice. The ultimate goal of preschool is to prepare a child for kindergarten, but that does not necessarily focus on academic needs. More importantly, the skills that a child needs to move up are social--understanding others feelings, knowing how to share, having interactive play. Your preschool teacher should be able to give you an idea as to where your child falls on the continuum of his or her peers in this area.
Additionally, it is important to consider that if your child is having difficulty socially or academically, special education services are often more comprehensive once a child enters kindergarten. Therefore, if you have concerns that your child may require special education services, it is a god idea to refer them for evaluation early and find out what services may be more accessible in their public school.
My 1st grade daughter has been given the green light to skip a grade. What issues should we consider before going ahead with it?
Most of the issues that you will consider will probably fall into the social category. If she has been given the green light, her teachers are probably confident that she will be able to handle the academics. However, if she does skip a grade, she will most likely be the youngest in her newly adopted class. The class that she will enter into will have already formed social groups. Therefore, it is important to consider whether or not she is confident enough to be able to enter those groups and make friends. Her maturity level is another consideration. Does she tend to like being around older children or when she is with multiple age groups does she gravitate towards the younger children? As she gets older, she will face "older" dilemmas: she will probably be the last to get a bra, her license, and her ability to drink and she will face peer pressure earlier. Although these are hard things to consider when she is so young, this decision will have long-term impact. In order to handle these issues, she needs to have confidence in herself and her ability to make decisions.
My son is starting preschool in September. Is there anything I should be doing at home to get him ready for school?
Preschool offers an opportunity for students to learn all types of skills that they will need in order to be successful in school: self-help skills (taking care of their own bodies), motor coordination (climbing, kicking, snapping), social-emotional (sharing, following rules), language (understanding and expressing themselves), cognitive development (writing letters, understanding parts of a story), and study skills (transitions, organization). The best way for children to learn these skills is through structured play--social interaction that is guided by adults. Children are not expected to come to preschool with specific academic skills, so put away the flashcards and workbooks! When your children are playing with others, it is certainly helpful to model appropriate behavior for them. In particular, it is helpful to give them the language that they need in any given situation. For example, if your child grabs a toy from another child, instead of just making them give it back, have them say, "Can I use that toy when you are through?" Also, you can prepare your child by working on his self-confidence and independence. Though it is often tempting, especially with your first child, to do things for him, try to gradually step back and let him do things on his own.