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Preparing Your Child For College

Every parent wants her child to be successful, and that usually means getting a college degree. In today’s shaky economy, it may seem like something you simply cannot afford to give your kid. With a little shift in the way you think, commitment from your child, and willingness to work while going to school, you can still offer that education.

Most parenting resources will discuss the venerable institutions like your state University or the great ivy league institutions. However, more and more, associates degrees and technical education are coming to the forefront. We live in a technical world, and you’ve witnessed its effect on child development in your home.

Kids are computer whizzes. Therefore, think about enrolling your child in online college courses. You’ll be able to save money because housing costs disappear. The transportation costs will be almost non-existent, and you can urge your young student to work while going to school. Online courses are often available at the student’s convenience.

Here are a few tips and tricks for making online learning successful for your child:

  • It’s about discipline. If he lives at home, you can still set study times to make sure the course work gets done.
  • It’s about responsibility. Demand you child has a job while in college. This will also improve time management.
  • It’s about money. As your child becomes more responsible, ask him to take part in paying for his education.

You have, in essence, become the school counselor. You’ll be preparing your child for the real world. If he understands self-discipline, it will equip him for success in his first job after college

 

Filed Under: Child Development, Education, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

It’s Never too Early

If you have little children, it’s definitely tempting to think that they are going to stay little forever.  But you need to get real – they are growing by the day.  You know how they outgrow clothing almost as quickly as you can buy it, even if it’s a couple of sizes big at first?  That is nothing compared to how they’ll seem to grow every time you blink your eyes later on down the line.  One day you’re bringing them home from the hospital, and the next day, it seems like they’re learning to walk and talk.  After that, they need their first school books that have more words than pictures in them.
No matter how young they may be today, you are going to have to prepare for the days when they go off to make their own ways in the world.  Yes, it’s a little disturbing to look at your tiny tot and see them as a young adult, but this is just the way the world works.  You raise them as best you can, and then they go off to make their own decisions.  And no matter how good of a job you did, they are going to have to make their own mistakes.
Of course, there are some things you can do to help them prepare.  Things like SAT, ACT and GMAT class online can be a real boon to their later successes, when the time comes.  No, it might not be next week, or even next year.  But isn’t it best to see problems (and the solutions to those problems) before they turn into something urgent?  If you can do that, you’ll accomplish two things at once.  For one, you will help them to prepare for one of life’s issues.  For another, you’ll help them learn about life’s preparations.
Filed Under: Budgeting, Education Tagged With: , ,

What Parents Need to Know about Online Schooling

Did you know that approximately 11 percent of all college students take at least some courses online? Or that many states offer online curriculum to help parents home school their children? That means thousands of students each semester are logging onto their computers instead of going to class. Online degrees and courses allow students more flexibility with their schedules than the traditional classroom setting can offer. But there is a lot that students — and their parents — need to consider before deciding to study online.

To successfully learn online, a student must have fantastic time management skills. A lot of online coursework is mostly self-directed, and students will not have daily or weekly in-person interaction with a teacher or professor to make sure they are on track. Keeping tabs on assignments will be solely the responsibility of the student. Parents, you may need to help your child develop these skills so he or she can achieve success.

Parents will also need to consider their child’s work ethic. Is your child a self-starter with a drive to succeed? Does he or she have a mature attitude about life and school? If so, online schooling may be a great option for your student.

If you are a homeschooling parent, designing an effective curriculum for your child can be challenging, especially if you do not have an educator’s background. Thankfully the Internet is full of resources to help you succeed. Websites can help parents explore online degree options, find home school resources, and more. Do not forget to look beyond curriculum resources and explore the many online forums and communities for homeschooling families. Here, you can ask questions and share tips and tricks with parents following a similar lifestyle.

Online degrees and courses are growing in popularity for a variety of reasons and may be a perfect fit for your child. Just do your research first so you can make an informed decision.

Filed Under: Education, Expert Advice Tagged With: , ,

Creating a Love of Reading

Kids are exposed to numerous books at school, so their opportunities to read are practically endless there, but what about at home? Is your family taking the time to foster a love of reading after school or during the summer?

If your child is struggling in school with reading, the focus needs to shift from school to home. There are alot of online courses offered by accredited online colleges that helps child increasing their reading speed and fluency. Teachers can only accomplish so much during the school day, and your child can never get the individualized attention he can at home.

The single most important thing you can do to help your child develop a love of reading is to model. Kids who observe their parents reading will emulate the habit. Try to make reading a fun family activity. Don’t limit yourself to one genre—show your child there are magazines, newspapers, and even comic books to be read. Take turns reading aloud to each other, and model expression, especially during character dialogue.

For children who need to practice fluency to increase their reading speed, have them reread a familiar book aloud. Already knowing most of the words helps them build reading confidence. To get them to read the same book out loud, express how much you love it and how you want to hear it again.

Go shopping for books. Whether it’s in a bookstore or the library, let your kids pick out their own books. Don’t worry too much if you think a book may be too easy or too difficult for them. The important thing here is to foster their independent selection and help them determine their favorite genres.

Work together to write readers theatres—take a favorite story and turn it into a simple play that your family can perform for each other. You can dress up for the performance or even use puppets to put on a puppet show. The more memorable the experience, the more your child will love reading.

Filed Under: Child Development, Education Tagged With: , , ,

Kids and Cell Phones

Ask almost any kid what they want for Christmas and they may pipe up with, “A new cell phone!” Even elementary school kids are jumping on the cell phone gotta-have-it bandwagon. But reasons such as, “My best friend already has one,” or, “Because this one is so cool!” aren’t convincing enough.

Parents are buying cell phones for kids at younger ages every year. You need to ask yourself whether your second grader is mature enough for a cell phone. If she has trouble remembering to bring her library book home on Fridays, she’ll probably lose a phone just as quickly. Does the school even allow cell phones?

Can your family afford another addition to your plan? If you have a child who will most likely end up maxing out your texting plan, can your household budget manage the additional cost of unlimited text? For a first cell phone, you may want to skip texting and a contract plan altogether. Go with a phone that has prepaid minutes so you’re the one in complete control.

If you feel safer allowing your child to have a cell phone in case of an emergency, then talk to your provider about kid-friendly phones. These are usually sturdier and can take more of a beating. You may also consider one with a GPS child locator. It’s probably not a good idea to allow your child to have unsupervised access to the Internet or even too many games. A child’s phone should be for calling, nothing much more than that. Keep it simple.

Make sure your child knows that the cell phone is for calling home and emergencies. Once home, have them turn the phone off and hand it over to you. Get in a routine of collecting the phone in the afternoon and giving it back when the child is away from home. That way time isn’t taken away from more important things, like sleeping, doing homework, or physical activity.

Filed Under: Child Development, Education Tagged With: , , ,

Free Software and Games for Family Fun

Future events marker for video games
Image via Wikipedia

Fun family times happen when the whole gang gets together and does something that everybody likes to do: Play video games!!

Alright, well maybe not everybody in the family enjoys playing video games, but it is, without a doubt, a fun time for the whole family to get together, be silly, and have a light-hearted competition to see who can win.

Many of the video games on the market today have discs that insert into a gaming unit that plugs right into the television. Whenever you want to play another game, you simply change out the disc, and you have another game to start, and the family competition begins again.

The gaming levels for each player can vary according to their skill level and abilities. The range for the levels varies according to the game’s difficulty and also the way it is designed. This, of course, can make the game very exciting for everyone, especially those in the family who are highly competitive.

There are other video games, however, that do not require a disc and can be downloaded from the Internet. There are also sites that offer free software for games that go directly to your computer or even your prepaid blackberry. You can also play other players over the Internet with some gaming systems, making game time even more fun and exciting!

Family night takes on a whole new meaning when there are so many different elements to the video game excitement. Whether it’s traditional discs, free gaming software downloaded off the Internet, or players who interact online, game time is never dull or boring. Just think of how much fun the entire family can have if they had game night every single week. Video games sure make chess and Scrabble look pretty timid.

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