Hacker Valley Elementary School

Look back at learning successes to revive your child's motivation Is your child less than motivated to do well in school? Put him on the right track by helping him see how much he has already accomplished. Remind him how his efforts have helped him master previous topics. If he's baffled by fractions for example, you might pull out some of his old math worksheets and say, "You really struggled with division, remember? But you practiced and got the hang of it. You can do that with fractions, too." https://tpitip.com/?11kW18889

Positive reinforcement improves self-discipline Teachers have found that talking to students about the good things they do is an effective way to reinforce the students' self-discipline. These informal talks work at home, too. For example, you can turn a bedtime story into a bedtime chat. When the lights are out, your child may open up. And when you give her a genuine compliment, she'll go to sleep thinking about something she does well. https://tpitip.com/?11kV18889

Collect all the states in a license-plate game Studies show that U.S. students tend to do poorly in geography. Here's a game to help your child learn where places are. When your child is in the car, make him the "license-plate lookout." He should write down the out-of-state license plates he sees. When you get home, help him locate the states on a map or globe and let him mark each one with a sticker. https://tpitip.com/?11kS18889

We’re thrilled to announce Webster County Board of Education’s new app! It’s everything Webster, in your pocket. Download the app on Android: https://bit.ly/3oKNJ3n or iPhone: https://apple.co/3ukSWjE.

Use loving notes to build vocabulary You can increase your child's vocabulary as well as her self-esteem by including an encouraging note with her lunch. From time to time, write a note for your child to let her know you are proud of her. Use simple words she knows and also a few challenging words that she might have to sound out or look up. She'll enjoy getting it and may even write back to you! https://tpitip.com/?11kR18889

Help your child stay organized with checklists Help your child be organized for school by teaching him to use checklists. He can use a "head-to-toe" checklist to make sure he's ready to go out the door: "My hat is on my head, my coat is on my body, my backpack is on my back. My gloves are on my hands. My boots are on my feet." Have him make another list of items he needs for school each day. Post it where he can check it as he gets organized the night before. https://tpitip.com/?11kQ18889

Creating acronyms can help your child remember To help your child learn lists of words or facts, teach her to use acronyms (words made up from the first letters of a group of words). To remember the names of the Great Lakes, for example, she can think of the acronym HOMES, which stands for Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior. What other acronyms can your child make up for lists of words to remember? https://tpitip.com/?11kP18889

Celebrate Geography Awareness Week with a map activity November 15-19 is Geography Awareness Week. Here's a fun activity that will give your child practice reading maps. Find a road map of the country online. Let your child choose a place he'd like to visit. Together, try to determine the best route. Have your child use the map's scale to estimate how many miles it is to your destination. How many hours or days would it take to drive there? https://tpitip.com/?11kO18889

School friendships help students thrive Children learn a lot from their friends, such as loyalty, sharing, leading and following. And research says friends can also help children do better in school. Children who know they have school friends are more likely to take positive risks, such as trying out for a team or participating in class. Encourage friendships by inviting your child's school friends to join your family for an activity. https://tpitip.com/?11kK18889

Promote responsible choices with encouragement You want your child to learn to make responsible choices, at home and at school. But constant lectures can wear him down. Instead, encourage good behavior by thanking him when he behaves responsibly on his own. Praise his efforts, not just their outcomes. And encourage your child's involvement in activities that keep him busy. Busy kids need less external control than those with too much time on their hands. https://tpitip.com/?11kJ18889

You are the teacher your child looks to most Parents are their children's first teachers. Even after kids start school, they spend only about 16 percent of their time in class. Parents have the other 84 percent of their children's time. Make your child's education a priority for that time. You are her most influential teacher. https://tpitip.com/?11kI18889

True or False? These strategies improve test success Many tests feature True or False questions. Share these tips for answering them with your child: For the answer to be true, ALL of the information in the statement must be true. Your child should also think carefully if the statement contains absolute terms such as "always" or "never." And if he doesn't know the answer? A guess has a 50 percent chance of being right. https://tpitip.com/?11kH18889

Learning perseverance is worth the effort Perseverance is hard work. But your child's effort to develop the habit now will help him achieve in school. Teach him that "You're never a failure until you give up." Talk about a time when you wanted to give up, but didn't, and overcame an obstacle. Then have some fun: Set out a jigsaw puzzle to do together, and don't quit until the last piece is in! https://tpitip.com/?11kE18889

Put the focus on learning with a hands-off approach Sometimes parents help too much with their child's school projects. It can be really tempting. After all, you want your child to get good grades. But there is a better approach. Instead of thinking about grades, think about what your child can learn from doing the project herself. Ask the teacher about the best ways to support your child's efforts. https://tpitip.com/?11kD18889

Celebrate the season with art projects Art teaches many lessons, including cause and effect, problem-solving and self-expression. And it is creative fun! Help your child explore his artistic gifts by making some seasonal crafts together. To turn a brown paper lunch bag into a colorful turkey puppet, have your child draw a turkey's face on the bag's bottom. Then he can decorate half a paper plate like a turkey's tail. Glue the plate to the bag so it sticks up behind the face. https://tpitip.com/?11kC18889

Show off your child's work in a special gallery When you display your child's excellent and improved schoolwork, it builds his sense of himself as a capable student. But there isn't always room on the refrigerator. One mom created a family gallery by installing a strip of corkboard along a hallway wall, low enough for her children to reach. Now the kids put their own work up for family viewing, and the displays change all year long! https://tpitip.com/?11kB18889

Chart the moon's phases with your child Help your child learn more about the moon this month. Watch the moon together every evening. Keep track of when it rises, and help your child create a picture chart of how its shape changes during the month. Have her use her chart to answer questions: For how many days does the moon get bigger? Smaller? How many days does it remain full? https://tpitip.com/?11kA18889

Reading brings the world to your home Sometimes a pretend trip can be just as fun as a real one. You and your child can "visit" Italy, Argentina, Thailand or anywhere else…by way of the public library and the internet. Choose a country and ask each family member to gather information about it. Then plan a dinner of dishes from that country (check out a cookbook from the library) and discuss the interesting facts each of you has learned from your reading. https://tpitip.com/?11ja18889

Nurture your child's inner motivation to learn Successful learners are motivated more by their own curiosity than by any other reward. To promote this kind of "intrinsic motivation," allow your child some independence to explore the things he's learning about. Provide learning challenges he can be successful with. Then, when he completes a task, ask him to evaluate his own efforts. When you offer praise, compliment efforts more than accomplishments. https://tpitip.com/?11jZ18889

Break big tasks into small pieces to help your child see them through Many elementary schoolers have a tough time thinking ahead and following through on their plans. One reason is that they lack a realistic sense of time. Your child may really think one day is enough time to finish a big project. Help her break large assignments down into small parts to do over several days. https://tpitip.com/?11jY18889