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Here are just a few sample home activities to try with your child. Please let me know of any great suggestions that you do at home so I can add them to my list to help other parents.

READING AND WRITING

• Set aside a time to read aloud to your child each day.
• Talk about the stories
• Have discussions that allow your child to compare the similarities and differences between different stories and experiences.
• Make sure your child sees adults and older siblings in the house reading and writing.
• When your child reads aloud to you, give him or her time to hear and correct his or her own reading mistakes before jumping in with the correct word, or pointing out an error. The goal is to make self-correcting readers.
• Keep a journal next to your childs bed and encourage him/her to free write in it every day for 5 minutes.
• Take opportunities to have your child help write. Take dictation from your child until (s)he is writing independently. Shopping lists, letters, travel journals, a diary, are all important writing opportunities.
• Writing thank you notes about activities or captions for the family photo album are a great chance to write.
• Talk about the television programs and movies your child watches. Television programs often make good bridges to reading about an interesting topic.
• Find books at the library about a similar topic from TV, News, or another activity to peak your child's interest in reading.

MATHEMATICS

• Have your child practice measuring when cooking.
• Have your child count money and identify the denominations. A small allowance will motivate your child to keep track of money and save for special items.
• Figure out household math problems with your child. If the cousins, family or friends are coming for dinner and there are five of them and four of us, how many chairs will we need at the table?
• Let him or her in on your mathmatical thinking. How did you figure out how much cloth it would take to make curtains, or how much lumber it took to build the planter box?

SCIENCE

• Observe and discuss the changes in the seasons and weather.
• Go to a favorite park at various times of the year and notice how it is different and the same.
• Watch and discuss the animals around your home.
• Birds, pets, insects, and small animals are all around us. Finding a caterpillar on a plant can lead to a great discussion about life cycles.
• Plant a kitchen garden, either indoors or out.
• A sunny window can be a great spot for a few simple plants used in cooking.
• Read books and watch television programs which explore interesting scientific knowledge.
• Share your knowledge.

SOCIAL STUDIES

• Make a timeline of important family events.
• When out and about in the community, point out the police station, fire station, and other community agencies. Discuss the importance of community helpers.
• Look at a map or globe to find where family members live or where you will be driving on a trip.
• Tell your child the family stories of how people met, when (s)he was born, when the family came to America).
• Visit the Smithsonian or other cultural institutes

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

• Turn OFF the TV and send your child outside!
• Be sure your child has an opportunity to play outside and be physically active.
• Enroll your child on a sports team.
• Talk with your child about the importance of daily routines, such as brushing teeth, washing hands, and getting enough sleep.
• Take your child to a sporting event, such as a baseball game, or even a sibling’s soccer game.
• Discuss the skills, rules and cooperation involved in sporting activities.
• Always discuss how to be a good sport and model this for your child.