The purpose of our individual tutoring is to teach children efficient learning skills and techniques. It's important that parents take action early and seek a tutoring service that develops these skills for success.

The following are signs that indicate if your child needs a tutor:

• Slowly failing grades in school
  
• The child develops low self-esteem and thinks negatively of himself or herself because of his or her school performance
  
• Making excuses as to why he or she is not doing his or her work
  
• Misbehavior in school
  
• The child is becoming rebellious toward schoolwork and loses interest in learning
  
• The child is preparing for college testing

Although parents may not have the necessary skills to tutor their child, they can take the right step by obtaining the proper help.

Fun Tips To Help Children Master Math

Are some students destined to struggle with mathematics because they're inherently "not good at math?" According to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the answer is no. A study from NCTM shows that everyone can succeed at math.

Parents can help their children master math and dispel the notion that math is difficult by talking math with children as they use it in everyday activities whether it be shopping, cooking or dining out. Many math experts believe that by combining traditional math drills and memorization of math facts and formulas with real-life examples and activities, math becomes more approachable and math discovery becomes fun. Using games and activities is a great way to encourage math discovery and enhance basic skills.

Here are some tips and ideas to help your children have fun and become successful at solving math problems:

1. Play popular board games that require basic math skills. Chutes and Ladders® and RackO® develop number sense. "24" and Yahtzee® help computation speed and accuracy, and problem solving skills are developed through games like TriOminos® and Connect Four®.
2. Review previously learned math concepts before tackling new assignments. Starting with familiar concepts helps build your child's retention and confidence.
3. Ask your child's math teacher for a schedule of math topics. Take time to develop two projects or exercises per week that will reinforce what your child is learning in class.
4. Work with your child to solve math problems using multiple methods. This will help your child develop a fuller understanding of the computation concepts.
5. Provide pictorial examples of math concepts. Draw or collect pictures of animals, objects or people to show addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and fractions.
6. If your child receives an allowance, use it to formulate mathematics problems and teach them about saving. For older children, relate percentage problems to their allowance.
7. Allow your child to plan the next family trip. Help him compute miles, cost of gas, expenses for food, hotel and entertainment.
8. Encourage your child to do math aloud and to explain the series of steps used to solve the problem.
9. Follow your child's progress through her math book, tests and homework.
10. Don't let problems with math linger. Since math builds on previously learned concepts, it's essential to identify and address problems early so they don't compound (to use a math term).
11. Assemble puzzles with your child. Puzzles help children learn spatial and visual organization. These are the basic lessons of geometry.
12. A deck of cards can be a valuable math tool. Card games begin to teach the lesson of probability and reinforce addition and subtraction memorization for children learning basic math facts.
13. Dice are helpful for younger children to practice number facts to six. If they are stumped, they can count the dots to find the sum.
14. Relate math to your child's favorite sport. Keeping score is a math exercise! Ask him to calculate the number of points needed for his favorite team to win. Encourage him to create multiple point combinations to reach that score.
15. Play other car games like "guess my number." This will reinforce logic skills with children of all ages.
16. Dominoes are a great game for children of all ages. Smaller children can use them to recognize similar quantities while older children can explore the concepts of probability.

Parents Play Key Role in Developing Reading Skills That Are Critical For Lifelong Reading Functions

Throughout our lives, we read directions or instructions to perform a task, we read newspapers, magazines and other materials to be informed, and we read stories, poetry, plays and other enjoyable materials for the literary experience. If you had not developed solid reading skills as a child, you may have difficulty completing job-related tasks or reading for enjoyment as an adult.

As students in grades four through eight become more sophisticated readers, their reading behaviors become more analytical and their thinking more abstract. Children at this level dissect words and word parts for meaning and continue to expand their vocabulary. They read for enjoyment in areas of interest and take particular interest in reading series books. By engaging children in the world of reading, parents can help their child enjoy reading more and become a more proficient reader. The general recommendation is for parents to spend at least one hour per week -10 to 15 minutes a day - doing some form of a reading activity with their child.

To help parents nurture their children's reading behaviors, we offer these tips and ideas for reading at home for children in grades four through eight:

• Pick a different country each week, and challenge her to learn a bit more about that country by visiting the library or researching it online.
• Help your child with the latest experiment in his science book. Talk through each step and discuss what he is going to do next.
• Research and select books about your child's interests, such as a sport or hobby.
• Make a trip to the library a weekly "date" with your child.
• Read the newspaper with your child. Elicit his opinion about current events.
• Encourage your child to read series books (Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket, The Chronicles of Narnia, Little House on the Prairie, etc).
• Create a family book club where you and your child read the same book and discuss it.
• Help your child find a favorite author. Have him create alternate stories for the author's repetitive characters.
• Read their favorite books.

Understanding and Nurturing Reading Skills for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Children

Reading is an adventure that begins early in a child's life and should extend beyond the classroom. Children exhibit certain reading behaviors at a young age. By understanding and nurturing these behaviors, parents can make reading fun and motivate their children to develop a lifelong friendship with books.

For pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children, this is their first introduction to reading. They are just beginning to understand that print holds meaning and use illustrations to give meaning to stories and words. Younger children enjoy listening to stories read aloud, and by engaging children in the world of reading, parents can help their children become more proficient readers.

To help parents nurture their children's reading behaviors, we offer these tips and ideas for reading at home with pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students:

• Make cookies together. Read the recipe aloud to your child.
• Read directions to your child when completing a project.
• Subscribe to a magazine for your child (Ladybug, Your Big Backyard, Zoobooks, etc.) to learn about topics of interest to him.
• Pick a storybook character (Arthur, Strega Nona, etc.) and pretend that character is coming for dinner. Help your child plan activities that character would like.
• Help your child relate read-aloud stories to events in her life.
• Read stories aloud and act them out.
• Engage your entire family with "Drop Everything And Read" time each day.

More Families Enroll Preschoolers in Early Reading Programs

With competition for the best preschool and kindergarten classes becoming more intense, school readiness is top-of-mind for parents of young children. With a greater demand for children entering kindergarten to be ready to learn to read, a growing number of families across the country are enrolling their preschool-aged children in tutoring programs.

Research confirms the value of early education for young children. Pre-kindergarten programs that support effective teaching practices lead to important growth in children's intellectual and social development, which is critical to their future academic success. High quality programs that provide challenging but achievable curriculum engage children in thinking, reasoning and communicating with others. With adult direction and guidance, children respond to the challenge and acquire important skills and concepts that prepare them for elementary school. Many parents also believe that enrolling in early education programs helps foster confidence and a life-long love of reading from an early age.

Addressing this emerging trend, we have begun tutoring children as young as 4 ½ years old in early reading. This interactive program is designed to make reading fun from the start and gives children a foundation in reading that will prepare them to enter the classroom with confidence. By the end of any beginning reading course, children should be able to recognize words, distinguish colors, print their names, write capital and lowercase letters and more. A beginning reading program can become an invaluable part of parents’ efforts to ensure that their children enter kindergarten with the necessary language, cognitive, and early reading skills – laying the groundwork for their future academic success.

How can parents tell if a structured academic program is right for their child? Ask a qualified tutor for a reading readiness assessment. If the child is not ready, parents should continue to read aloud with their child and consider having him or her reevaluated in three months. A few months can make a dramatic difference in a young child’s development.

To start the reading adventure with preschoolers, we recommend:

• Set aside time for reading and storytelling, which help stimulate reading and writing skills.
• Read aloud to help spark imagination and orient children to oral language and written words.
• When reading aloud, point to the words on the page as you say them. Follow the sentence with your finger so that children begin to recognize how words appear on the page.
• Read often with young children, but don't expect them to focus for long periods of time.

Children love to learn, and the early childhood years — well before kindergarten begins — are the most important years for a child's reading development, when they're absorbing everything around them.

Sixty-six percent of North American teachers say they have been contacted by parents who were "unpleasantly surprised" by their child's report card. Interestingly, forty-one percent of teachers also report that their students have sometimes been surprised by their own report cards.

When asked why parents are often surprised by their child's report cards, 50 percent of teachers said that parents admitted they are not involved enough in their child's school experience. Additionally, 14 percent say the surprise comes from lack of effective communication by parents with their child's teacher. The teachers agree that parents aren't happy with report card surprises. In fact, 47 percent said that the most common comment heard from parents after receiving a report card surprise was "What can we do to improve my child's grades?" Furthermore, 21 percent remember hearing parents complain they didn't know their child wasn't performing well in class.

The first report card of the year can create feelings of pride, happiness and excitement for many parents. It can also produce feelings of anxiety and frustration for those who are surprised by their child's grades. However, effective and continuous communication among teachers, parents and students can help minimize the "report card surprise."

Report cards are part of every child's academic experience, and don't need to be a surprise to parents. If a parent is surprised by a poor report card, it often means that they haven't been effectively communicating with their child or their child's teacher throughout the year. Maintaining open and continuous lines of communication with children and teachers throughout the school year, and not just when report cards are issued, will help parents stay informed about their child's progress and help them avoid the report card surprise.

Students who are surprised by their own report card also need to improve their communication and organization patterns. A student who surprisingly receives a D or a failing grade on his report card learns the hard way that he needs to regularly talk with his teachers and stay on top of school work, homework and test results. Students should never be surprised by their report card grades.

Organization is an essential part of a student's education. By tracking test scores and all other assignments throughout the year and speaking regularly with teachers and parents, students are prepared for their grades come report card time, and can work to improve their performance prior to report cards.

It shouldn't take a surprise report card for parents and teachers to communicate effectively. Below are some ideas to help parents maintain clear communications with their children and teachers:

• Talk about school every day. Make it a regular part of the family's routine.
• Don't wait until report cards are issued to talk about school and grades. Frequently discuss with her how she is doing in each subject and what grade she anticipates receiving.
• Encourage your child to tell you about his day. Find out what he learned and what are his favorite activities.
• Teach your child that education is important to your family.
• Discuss goals and objectives for the school year. This may be a great way to learn about difficulties your child is having in specific subject areas.
• If your child is having trouble in school, talk about a method to help organize her schedule, subjects and activities. A calendar can be a great way to track tests, homework, activities and study plans.
• Talk with your child about his extracurricular activities, such as team sports or after-school jobs. Being overscheduled may affect his grades.
• Set improvement goals for your child. This will help her work toward an attainable grade for each class.
• Talk with your child about his study habits and develop a study plan. Set aside specific time for studying, projects and activities each evening and make sure that he has a properly equipped and well-lit area to work.
• Communicate with your child about her school experiences. Know what she is thinking and feeling. Also openly talk with her about her worries and concerns as well as her joys and achievements.

• Develop a parent/teacher relationship with your child's teacher and talk with the teacher at least once a month throughout the year. Remember that your child's teacher has direct contact with your child every school day and can offer invaluable insight into your child's day.
• Your child's teacher can benefit from background information about him - talk about activities he likes, special needs, close friends, motivation and things going on at home.
• Find out what the teacher's expectations are for the year and what type of curriculum she has set for the students. Have this insight at the start of school and keep track of it throughout the year.
• Talk to the teacher about any major programs or activities that are set for the year. Is there an annual science fair? A field trip schedule? Major papers? Tests?
• Remember - teachers are busy people, too. Find out the easiest way to communicate - by email, phone or in person. Finding the right communication method will make it easier to speak on a regular basis.

Within 24 to 48 hours after learning new concepts, students often begin to forget information. Unless academic theories are reinforced and applied immediately, even the best students may not be able to recall their classroom lessons during school breaks. Although a vacation from school is great for recharging your children's batteries, it can often offset the learning process.

Students can lose academic proficiency during school breaks, which could prove troublesome when returning back to school.  School breaks are an important time for parents to share in everyday learning activities with their children to enhance math, reading, writing, and study skills development.

No matter what your schedule entails over the school break, whether you are traveling or staying home, it is easy to reinforce learning activities. The following tips are fun ways to help your child continue to learn while away from school.

• Attend academic camps. To make the most of school breaks, look for camps that provide an academic focus. Programs should offer a broad selection of courses built to suit individual needs while targeting specific subjects and offering a small group environment. Camps can help a child better understand concepts, increase problem-solving skills, and sharpen overall academic development. When selecting an academic camp, look for programs with:
• Proficiency in the subject of your choosing
• Tutors with experience teaching children the same age as your child
• Flexibility in scheduling
• Write a story. To address writing development, encourage your child to keep a daily journal or write letters to family members to communicate weekly highlights. Encourage your child to read her writings aloud.
• Create a budget. Ask your child to assist in the creation of a grocery budget. This will help develop math skills and allow children to plan for "extras" that they might want during their break.
• Play a game. Promote imagination and create your own game. Board games and puzzles are not only fun, but encourage the development of analysis and logic skills. Play together as a family to double the fun.
• Take a trip to the library. Local libraries offer infinite resources for families and many offer free children's programs and clubs. Librarians can also help parents find books that are appropriate for your child's interests and reading level.
• Explore the Internet. There are an abundance of sites that provide educational enrichment for children and motivate students to study more often and for longer periods of time. For instance, visit www.bookadventure.com to create personalized book lists from more than 7,000 recommended titles. Students in grades K-8 can take quizzes on the books they have read at home or at school and earn prizes for their comprehension.

Understanding the Learning Styles Allows Parents & Educators to Help Children Excel in Education

Back-to-school season is just around the corner, which means it's time to pick out new clothes, shoes, backpacks and school supplies. As you outfit your child with the latest fashion styles, be sure that you prepare for a successful school year by understanding your child's "learning style."
Just as there are many different fashions, there are also many different ways a child learns. Understanding a child's learning style can help a parent and teacher personalize instruction or homework to ensure peak performance in school and build a child's self confidence.

People learn in at least eight different ways, according to the Multiple Intelligences Theory: visually, verbally, physically, mathematically, musically, naturalistically, through group activity or through quiet thinking time. Use these tips to assist in determining what type of learning style your child exhibits.

When reading the following tips, keep in mind that a child may exhibit more than one of the following learning styles.

• Visual/Spatial learners enjoy photography, visual metaphors, puzzles, illustrations and story maps. Seeing a bar graph on the cost of different cars, for instance, would be a better learning tool than hearing a list of prices read aloud.
• Verbal/Linguistic learners shine in activities such as storytelling, public speaking, drama and journal writing. Give children journals to keep for one month. Encourage them to write detailed descriptions of what they see, taste, feel and hear.
• Bodily/Kinesthetic learners thrive on hands-on experiments, field trips, body language, crafts and sports. Take a field trip to a local factory, then make a visual display of what was learned.
• Logical/Mathematical learners tend to be better at problem-solving, coding, data collecting, money management and scientific models. Help your child create a budget sheet that itemizes every cent spent during a one-month period. Determine what category drew the biggest expenses.
• Musical/Rhythmic students may play an instrument, sing, hum or tap during work or require background music while they study. Turn memorization exercises into rhythmic word play and set it to any musical style.
• Intrapersonal learners work better alone, doing individual study, personal goal-setting and self-esteem activities. This type of student can write down one objective and record the steps to achieving it.
• Interpersonal learners work better in group activities, such as clubs, peer teaching, conflict mediation and active discussions. They would enjoy volunteering at a nursing home, women's shelter or charity and documenting the experience in a journal.
• Naturalist learners tend to better understand ideas when it is related to a natural occurrence. These learners prefer outdoor activities (e.g., camping, gardening, hiking, bird-watching, etc).

When students return to school, they take English, History, Math and other classes. But a key area of academic development isn't taught in a specific class; without it, however, a student will struggle to excel in school. That skill is studying.

We can help elementary and secondary school students improve their study skills by focusing on four key areas: organization and time management; effective note-taking; reading and study strategies; and test-taking techniques.

By improving these skills, a student can learn faster, retain knowledge for longer periods of time, and recall that knowledge with greater accuracy. That means better performance on tests and exams, less time on homework and greater confidence in the classroom.

Use the following tips for elementary and secondary — level students to help improve their study skills:

• Keep a schedule: All students should keep a schedule of classes, assignments and other key dates. As part of that schedule, they should set aside specific time for studying and project work. That way, they're less likely to find themselves scrambling to complete a project at the last minute or cramming the night before a big test. The schedule should also set aside time for non-school activities like sports. In fact, the more comprehensive the schedule, the more efficient most students will be in completing their schoolwork.
• Take effective notes in class: Most students take notes in classes, but often when they review them, they can't make sense of the content. Effective note taking is a key academic skill that is rarely taught in the classroom. We work with students to help them develop note-taking skills that include identifying key information and capturing it in a style that makes for effective studying later. Different students need different types of notes. It's important for a student to find the note-taking approach that best works for them.
• Reading assignments: As students move into higher grades, they're assigned larger and more complex reading assignments. Poor reading skills or an inability to read for important information will make these assignments a burden and undermine overall academic success. We advise that students need to deliberately learn to read for key information. If reading skills are weak, it's important for the student to seek help improving them; otherwise performance in many subjects would be impacted.
• Test-taking strategies: A poor test result doesn't always mean that the student doesn't have a good grasp of the academic material or skill gaps. It's possible that the student understands the material but doesn't take tests well. An effective test-taking strategy includes: learning how to prioritize material when studying for a test; preparing for a test over a number of days and not just the night before; coping with stress during the test; and managing time during a test so that all sections or areas are completed.

By deliberately focusing on improving study skills, students can see improvements in all aspects of their schoolwork.

Sensible Tips for Helping Children With Their Homework

Parents want their children to get good grades in school. Unfortunately, not every parent knows how best to help their children meet academic challenges, including completion of homework assignments. So, how do parents maximize their child's chances for success in school? Start by creating a home environment that is conducive to homework and learning.

A simple way to help your child with homework is by creating an atmosphere that works with your child to efficiently tackle school tasks. Really get to know your child's homework style and develop a plan for school success.

Use the following tips and advice to develop a homework plan for back-to-school success:

1. Set Goals. Help your child set attainable goals for each class and help her identify what will need to be done to reach each goal. For example, to get an A in American History, she will need to turn in all her homework, participate in class, etc.
2. Know Your Child. There are visual (seeing), auditory (hearing), and haptic (doing) learners. If you help your child work within his style, he will work more effectively.
3. Create a Homework Zone. Set up an area in your home for studying, complete with a dictionary, paper and pens. Make sure the area is free from potential distractions and that study tools are at your child's fingertips to keep him focused on homework.
4. Develop Class Files. Develop a color-coded file for each of your child's classes. Make separate tabs for homework assignments, exams and projects, so your child can refer back to class materials when studying for comprehensive tests.
5. Set Weekly Milestones. For big projects or exams, get a large calendar for your child's desk area and help him set short timelines to ensure projects and studying aren't left until the night before. Celebrate with your child when each milestone is met.

By working with your child to develop a plan to efficiently complete homework tasks, you will find higher grades, fewer homework headaches and a more confident child as a result.