Other Tips For Success in 2nd Grade

• Encourage children to read at home. Help with a daily journal or diary. Children need to constantly express themselves. They are learning to put their thoughts into words. We want more creative thinking and less TV.

• Tell children that they are moving up to another level that in the beginning may seem really hard. But it's OK that it is hard. School is a place to learn new things. Parents should make sure kids get to bed on time after the summer's loose hours.

• Support your school's philosophy and discipline policy. The goal is involvement and communication between parent and the school. Really successful students are from homes that support their schools.

• Help your child realize that more will be expected in second grade than in first. Assure them they will do fine, given some time. And help your child recognize his own individual strengths and weaknesses - and emphasize the strengths.

• Parents should be aware of the subjects and the skills their children are learning. There is a need to show some enthusiasm for learning. If parents are excited, that gives kids a spark.

• Six Ways to Jumpstart a Closed Mouth

• 1. Pick the right time. Seize those moments when your child is the most relaxed and interested. It might be over a snack together or while you are driving them to school. Bedtime can also be a good opportunity. The room is dark, it's quiet, it's just the two of you and your voice can be soothing.
• 2. Let your child know your chat won't last forever. When you start firing out a lot of questions, kids sometimes think, "Oh, no! Here comes a twenty-minute conversation!" Explain that you plan to keep it short.
• 3. Keep distractions to a minimum. If you're cooking in the kitchen or out washing the car and trying to talk to your child at the same time, good luck. Kids figure that anything distracting you from giving them your undivided attention must be more important than they are. Stop what you're doing first.
• 4. Be a fabulous listener. Body language counts for a lot. Kids can be every bit as sharp as adults in picking up cues that you're not really listening. Often kids can't wait to tell you about their day, but the second they see a rushed expression on their parent's face, they may decide not to bother.
  Besides making eye contact, lean toward them and focus on what they're saying. It may also help to talk on their level, whether it's sitting at the kitchen counter together for a few minutes or getting down on the floor with a younger child.
• 5. Make a game out of it. This can be especially helpful for young children who may be having trouble articulating what's on their minds. One parent recalls a time when her youngest daughter seemed sad at the end of each kindergarten day. She created five finger puppets, one bearing her daughter's name, the others representing each of her four female classmates. She was able to discover that because of the odd number of girls in her class, her daughter was the only one who didn't have a "best friend." They were able to "talk about it" through the puppets as well.
• 6. Avoid preaching. Adolescents, in particular, tend to avoid conversation with parents who immediately offer their opinions or ask too many evaluative questions. "For example, you've opened up a conversation and your eleven-year-old child tells you that she and her friends have decided not to play with one child anymore. Asking "Why are you being so nasty to that girl?" closes communication. Your child now feels judged by you and too angry or upset to continue. It's better to help your kids think through situations on their own so that they reach more reasonable conclusions. A smarter question to your child might be, "What is it that she does that you girls don't like?" If she answers, "She never shares," then follow with other specific, information-seeking questions. You might ultimately ask your child if she'd like your opinion, but your primary goal is to encourage greater thoughtfulness of her own.