Is Your Child Struggling in School? 5 Early Warning Signs

Is Your Child Struggling in School? Five Early Warning Signs

Does your child dislike school? Do his grades leave something to be desired? As you and your youngster are preparing for back-to-school, it’s important to keep in mind the early warning signs that a problem may be on the horizon. Returning to school in the fall makes for a busy time of year for kids and parents alike, but don’t wait until parent-teacher conference time to inquire about your child’s academic progress. Unfortunately, many parents wait until it’s clear that their child is struggling before they take steps to correct the problem. By this time, the damage may already be done. To keep your child from slipping through the cracks, take a proactive approach by looking for these five signs that the new school year is posing problems for your child.

Preparing Your Child for Kindergarten

Preparing Your Child (and Yourself) for Kindergarten

Where did the time go? If you’re reading this post, then you’re probably in the same situation I am. My little girl is going to Kindergarten in exactly one month from today. I blinked and the little baby I held and rocked and examined from head to toe (just to make sure everything was there!) is about to leave the nest for the first time and fly off to Kindergarten by herself! How is this possible? What can I do to prepare her? Perhaps more urgently, what can I do to prepare myself? I’ve done my homework on the matter, and apparently, this is what you (and I) should do in order to make the transition to Kindergarten as enjoyable as possible.

Kid-Friendly Web? Red Apple Reading

Is There Such a Thing as a Kid-Friendly Web?

Do you find yourself constantly checking up on your digital savvy youngster? Does your heart skip a beat every time your child goes online to play a game or chat with a friend? You’re not alone. Although the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) takes steps to protect your child’s personal information from websites, there are many other online threats you’ll need to guard your child against, including mature content, online predators, and cyberbullying to name a few. So many parents these days struggle with the question of how to allow their children to benefit from all of the educational and entertaining aspects of the Web without exposing them to the dangers that we all know lurk behind the monitor.

Yay Summer! or Not… Traditional vs. Year-Round School Calendars & Their Impact on Learning

It’s July and summer is in full swing for many families: vacation, pool time, BBQs, beach trips, summer movies, keeping pests out of the garden (or is it just me?). But I was surprised when a Facebook teacher friend posted about going back to work this week, with students starting school on July 5th. Seriously? Summer has just begun! My curiosity got the best of me and I decided to do a little research.

Literacy Takes More Than Luck

March is a great month to reflect on how you promote reading at home or in the classroom. Promote? Yes, we have to continue to encourage youngsters to read! Reading is competing for attention against video games and phone apps. Reading development is paramount to literacy, and children don’t come hardwired for reading – they have to learn how to do it. And in order for them to learn, it has to be taught.

Beyond the ABCs - Red Apple Reading

Parents and Reading Readiness – Beyond the ABCs

I don’t think most parents have a clue how important they are to their child’s early reading success. Reading readiness begins from the moment your child is born – can you believe it? Children absorb and begin to learn language from birth, even when they are not yet communicating verbally. By the time children begin school, most of their neural pathways for letter sounds may already be set!

Social Media May Be Too Much of a Good Thing

Wow, have I been getting an education in social media lately!  There is so much out there I didn’t even know about a year ago (okay, 2 months ago). I had a Facebook account, knew about Twitter, watched some YouTube videos, and had heard about writing blogs, but had no idea those are just the tip of the iceberg – there are hundreds of social media sites connecting people today. When do people have time for all of this?