In my time working with children I have discovered that bookmarking websites is a common hole in their tech know-how. Yet, it is something t

While digital calendars accessible by smart phones work best for the way that many of us adults manage our lives, a physical calendar will b

To be clear, losing track of one's possessions is not a moral failing. So many things that are out of a child's control can contribu

In traditional teacher-centered classrooms, information is presented in lecture style. There might be pauses for demonstrations, practice problems, or questions, but the basic format remains the same. One of the great advantages of teacher-centered classes is efficiency because the teacher can more easily control the pacing. Lecturing has some critical weaknesses, however. One of them is that it is hard to determine what students have learned. The assessment of the lesson usu

The best advice I ever received in my teacher training was "Look for the good." In the daily grind and the chaos of a classroom (or home life), this is also the easiest thing to forget. Academic and behavioral deficits need correcting, after all. And, when one sees the good in a challenging situation, finding time to acknowledge it is also difficult. Last summer I was reminded of how important looking for the good is and how little effort is required to recognize it. I traine

The famous words “Homework! Oh, Homework!/ I hate you! You stink!” from poet Jack Prelutsky have resonated with many children and their parents for years. If homework is a drag for your household, I can help. I am available to speak to parent groups about strategies they can use to help after-school work feel less burdensome. Topics in my one-hour presentation include: How to be a good homework coach for your child Avoiding forgotten homework assignments Strategies tutors and

You may have braved the aisles of your local big box store already to complete your back-to-school shopping. Or maybe you have an Amazon box with the requisite supplies that your child's teacher listed for this year. However, if you have an upper elementary school-age child at home, I have some additional supply recommendations for you. These are items that, while rarely included in teachers' supply lists, will help make homework and projects go more smoothly. After years of

The basic math facts are the sums and products of the single-digit numbers 1-9, such as 2+2, 4+5, 3x3, and 5x7, as well as their opposite subtraction and division facts. After mastering the concept of addition, students usually start learning their addition facts and subtraction facts in the first grade. Review continues throughout the primary grades, and they then learn their multiplication and division facts in the third grade. Some teachers will require additional practice

You've probably started to do some back-to-school planning and stocking up on supplies too. I'm also getting ready for the upcoming school year. That includes scheduling both returning and new clients. My area of specialty is working with elementary school age-students in kindergarten through the sixth grades on math, writing, reading, organization, and/or study skills. I typically work one-on-one with students, but I have worked with sibling pairs and with small groups of ne

Writing, like most other skills, improves with practice. And yet, it can be difficult to make practicing writing appealing to children. Whether you have an enthusiastic or reluctant young author at home, I highly recommend 642 Things to Write About: Young Writer's Edition. This book is full of fun prompts of varying lengths. There are unlined quarter-page spaces where a child can include drawings along with answers to unusual questions like "You are Otka, hermit crab and king