Life doesn’t come with a lifeguard and the closest you’ll have are parents and teachers. Being able to deal with things, plan ahead and talk about challenges gives kids the extra life skills to make it through. Here you’ll find some interesting thoughts about supporting kids at home, at school and in life.

Education

Curriculum

•  Curious to find out what your child is learning this year? Talk to your school and find out where you can find their curriculum for the year. Most school districts have this information posted online.

• For our local Ministry of Education in British Columbia you can find out about the curriculum on the Ministry website and select the area and grade you’re interested in and focus on the prescribed learning outcomes.

Tutoring

• Maybe you’d like to find some tutoring support for your child if they are having difficulties in Math or Reading – Orton Gillingham style of learning works well for decoding challenges and we’ve found it extremely helpful for our daughter.
• Apps have become a tool school resource teachers are using daily with kids helping with everything from spelling, reading, math and motor skills.  Every month I feature the Top 5 RealKid Apps tested and vetted by education professionals.  Try these apps with your child and find fun new ways to engage and support their learning.

Advocating for special needs and learning disabilities

• Need to be more hands on with your child’s school? You may have a child with a learning disability or a child with a challenge in one or more areas; maybe your not sure how best to support them in school so they succeed.  “How do you know if your child has a learning disability” is an article that gives the clues in determining if you child might have a learning disability.  We have a child who is both Gifted with a Learning Disability and this designation comes with it’s own diagnosis and support.  It took almost three years to figure out what was happening with our child before we could begin to support her.  LD online has great information about Gifted LD, also called Twice Exceptional students.  The best advice would be to read, read, read and take matters into your own hands if you think something isn’t right. Once you do know what’s happening it will be up to you, each year, to educate your child’s teacher so they understands how best to support you child’s strengths and challenges.

• Not all learning challenges come with one on one assistance. If you find you aren’t getting the support you need you may need to engage more with your teachers and school administration.  Here is a good concise article about advocating for your child at school.

Life Skills

Bullying

Bullying isn’t a new phenomenon but how we deal with it is changing.  Bullying, RealKid advice for Parents offers a personal story and shares some first hand challenges kids have in school offering advice for parents.

The facts of life – body science for kids and parents

Talking to your child about their body doesn’t need to be uncomfortable.  I wrote a post on Sexual Health Educator Meg Hickling on Body Science for RealKids that offers some compelling reasons to do so sooner than later and her book offers is a great tool full of facts and age appropriate information.

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