Monday, September 3, 2012

How to Parent with a Purpose: Setting our children up for success



 School started two weeks ago in my hometown of Littleton, Colorado.  I love the start of the school year because I look at it as a chance for a new beginning for my son.   I take great pride in helping my son get ready for school.  I make sure he has everything he needs.  This is his last year in high school.  I recently got him a credit card, so I can teach him how to handle finances. It is both exciting and scary to think my youngest will be off to college in a few short months.

I do not have enough toes and fingers to count my blessings.  Two of three children have graduated from college and are living on their own.  Now, I have the opportunity to help my youngest son finish his high school career with a bang and be ready for college fall 2013.   

I love being a mom.  I also love being a teacher.  This is why I write books for children.   The teacher part of me brings me back to when my kids were toddlers.  I remember spending countless hours reading their favorite books to them.    Setting children up for academic success starts when they toddlers.

The single best strategy for helping your children succeed is to encourage them to read. Reading is a skill that’s essential in all areas of achievement.

I believe reading well is a critical component in the development of young minds. Reading frequently will help a child foster his or her creative thinking, enhance word recognition, improve cognitive skills, and help achieve a greater understanding of people and the world around him/her.

Here are a few simple tips to help your child become a great reader.

o Encourage children to read on their own. Spending at least 30 minutes a day reading for fun will help a child be a better reader at school.

o Visit the library often. Take your child to the library at least once a week.

o Encourage books for gifts. Instead of spending a fortune on expensive gifts, buy instead books. Ask family members and friends to give gift cards to bookstores. Set aside a special date where you and your child can go to the bookstore to buy books.

o Get help for your child if they have a reading problem. There are many after-school programs through your local library. You can also ask the librarian for names of community organizations that offer free literacy tutoring.

If you are looking for ways to parent with a purpose and set your children up for success; I highly recommend you take time out of your schedule and read books to your toddlers.   This in my opinion is the best thing you can do for your children.  Great readers make excellent middle and high school students.

Here are the books I have written to help turns kids into super readers:



Click here to buy a copy

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Click here to buy a copy




















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