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All Pro Dad has a good article about motivating boys at school and home. If you have a boy that sometimes needs a little “kickstart” to work on homework, chores, or responsibilities, here are some ideas:

1. Treat boys like boys.

2. Bring Back Recess.

3. Make sure they’re thirsty.

4. Encourage.

5. Take the Goodies out of His Room.

Read the rest of the article for an explanation of each point.

Originally posted 2014-01-21 09:10:38. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

If homework is not automatic in your home, if it causes some battles, if you know there’s “got to be a better way,” consider Daily Homework Time. Your student will usually have only two kinds of homework: (1) stuff from class they didn’t finish, and (2) stuff they should work on at home to get better and smarter.

The second thing is called Daily Homework Time. The basic idea is for you set aside about 30-50 minutes Monday through Thursday for your student to get smarter; 30 minutes for 3rd graders, 40 minutes for 4th graders, or 50 minutes for 5th graders. Each night, they should practice some math, do some writing, and finish class homework. Other things might be to work on cursive, practice math facts, or work on spelling. There’s no such thing as, “I have no homework,” because there is always something to get better at, such as math practice or writing.

Your student probably won’t do this on their own. But with your guidance, you can help your student get into good habits of doing something every day to improve themselves (not to mention their grades).

Originally posted 2016-09-20 17:36:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Originally posted 2018-02-26 13:56:28. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Wise parents aren’t surprised by lying. They understand that children will lie in certain situations.

But that realization doesn’t make lying acceptable. Here’s a way to address the problem:

Very few humans, including adults, are like young George Washington in the cherry tree story. Most people, including children, tend to lie to protect themselves. If the youngster didn’t brush his teeth, and the parent asks, “Did you brush your teeth?” the answer will probably be a lie. So, why ask in the first place?

A better approach might be to say, “I hope you’re protecting your teeth by brushing. I’ve been a little worried for you since I pay for the good dentist reports and you pay for the bad ones. I hope you get a good report from the dentist.”

And yes, a Love and Logic parent would have the child pay for the bad report.

Read more about how to address lying.

Originally posted 2012-05-12 12:54:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Responsibility is something on the mind of both parents and students. Parents want their students to be more responsible, and students are always asking for more options to make their own choices and take charge of their life more.

One simple tool can help both parents and students: an alarm clock.

This isn’t earth shattering! Get your student their own alarm clock and have them manage it, setting it for the appropriate time in the morning to take up. It’s a great way to teach responsibility. Maybe they’ll even forget to set it one time and you can teach them the consequences. Mistakes are a good teacher and right now the consequences are a lot smaller than oversleeping for work one day.

Parents, don’t be the alarm clock! This is an area your student can grow responsibility in. And while you’re at it, make sure your student’s bedtime and wake up time is allowing them 10 hours of sleep a night or so. This will give your student the brainpower they need to focus and learn through the day. We all know how it feels to try to get work done when we are feeling groggy.

Originally posted 2018-09-12 16:55:59. Republished by Blog Post Promoter