If it weren't for the last minute...

...nothing would ever get done!  I was called a "procrastinator" when I was child.  I waited until the last minute to do things that I didn't like.  As a child it was school work (and I work in education now, go figure!).  Today it is household tasks such as laundry.  I once bumped into a college roommate with my boyfriend (now husband).  After I introduced them the first thing she asked was "I bet she still doesn't do her laundry, right?"  Well, knowing is half the battle for us procrastinators, and I am trying to be better.  One thing I know for sure, I'm not the only one out there who procrastinates and slacks off a bit.  Take heart, there is hope.  

Our question of the week from Jean:

"We have two more weeks before school begins and my daughter, who is going into the second grade has not cracked a book, looked at a math problem or even done a crossword puzzle!  I'm afraid she will be behind and I think she will give me a hard time if I try to crack down now.  What should I do?"

Don't Despair

 

You can begin by rereading my opening paragraph above.  My point: Even a slacker can find her way!  Seriously, while I believe in importance of keeping up with school work over the summer and building it into routine, it can be complicated.  Don't despair, children can bounce back once the school year has begun provided they have good study habits and there are no other circumstances that prevent them from progressing on their grade level.  However, you can use the remaining 2 weeks of summer vacation as an opportunity to mentally prepare your child for the arrival of the school year and at least have her get into the academic groove.

Make the Most of the Time You Have Left

Two weeks before school begins is a great time to put routines in place.  Start to set up appropriate bedtimes and wake up times, reading time, work page/academic activity time.  Try to make a simple schedule or at least try to do certain academic activities at the same general time each day.  Be cognizant of subjects that cause anxiety or stress and time them when your child is the most rested and open.  Discuss with your child that school is coming soon and it is a good time to prepare our bodies and minds for the new school year.

Choose Your Instruments Wisely

Workbooks have come a long way.  Some children love them and others hate them but there is enough out there to find one they enjoy.  I have a few on my aStore.  I like the Kumon series but there are many to choose from at many local bookstores.  Let your child choose, they may be more willing to their work.  Don't dismiss the important skills that come out of doing activity books such as Mad Libs, crossword puzzles, Sudoku (all can be found on my aStore) or even from some computer programs.

The Power of Choice

Children at many different stages need to feel empowered and feel like they have control (especially during this transitional time between the end of summer and the start of school).  Let your child choose what they want to read even if it is beneath their reading level or it's not the finest piece of literature.  As an educator, I bite my lip a great deal when I see my children choose lesser quality literature.  Your child's ownership over their learning is one of the most important skills you can have them achieve.  Don't argue or put down their choices.   If you just can't help yourself when you are looking in a bookstore or a library, find a book that you loved as a child and say to your kid  "I loved this book when I was a kid...I made pop-pop read it with me all the time."  You might have a chance at them seeing it as a possible option.

Math Exchange

The subject of math is truly where studies have shown children fall behind over the summer. Start playing store, monopoly, set up an allowance and create math problems around it.  For example, "If I give you $2.50 a week how much will you have in 4 weeks? 9 weeks? a year?". Create charts and graphs tallying how many boxes of cereal, pasta or vegetables you have in your kitchen.  Ask questions like "which type of food do we have the most of?", "which types of food do we have the least of?"  If you still have your child's old math book from last year choose pages from workbooks that have not been done or have your child explain to you how they came up with the answers from problems previously done.

In the end, be firm about doing a little everyday if possible, two or three times a week for sure. Think about allowing children to read or do their academic activities in the backyard, in the park or at a coffee shop.  After all, it is summer and in this day and age, work will travel.