January is usually the mid-point in a traditional school year. During this “hump” time, you can help your child thrive by focusing on a few academic areas.

Math: Many early elementary programs dive into geometry, fractions, money and time in the later half of the school year. Here are a few quick ideas to reinforce what they are learning.

• Geometry: Using correct vocabulary, play I-Spy with shapes.  Example: I spy a blue circle, or I spy a red sphere.
• Geometry: Cut out 2-D shapes. Identify and sort them. Then use them to create art.
• Fractions: Find real world objects to explore fractions. For example, use ten pieces of candy, like M&M. Sort them and determine what fraction is a certain color. (Three out of ten, or three-tenths of the candies are red.)
• Money: If you carry money anymore, tell younger children you will give them the coins in your pocket if they can identify them by name and value. Older children can earn the coins by counting the entire value. The next time you go to a store, give children a real dollar to spend. They will learn to read price tags quickly!
• Time: You might not have access to an analog clock, but you can talk about what time you do certain activities. For example, would you eat breakfast at 7:00 AM or PM? Older kids can explore lapses in time. If it takes 15 minutes to eat breakfast and you start at 7:00, what time will you finish?

It’s also always helpful to practice addition and subtraction facts, something easily done during a car ride. For kids in second and third grade, skip counting helps them learn multiplication facts. Many fun counting songs are available on the internet, such as this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCBwSSDk9Mg

Reading: You become a better reader by reading. Struggling readers benefit from stories being read to them, reading easily decoded text, predictable text or audiobooks. Look for books of high interest and books with humor.

 Before you read, study the cover and pictures carefully for clues about what the story might be about. If needed, build background knowledge. For example, say, “This book takes place on a farm. What do you know about farms?” This may trigger some of the vocabulary your child might see in the text. As you read, think out loud. State what you notice, what you wonder, and make predictions based on evidence from the text. After you finish the book, try a writing activity to reinforce learning. Create a new story (dictated to you or written by your child) based on the same word patterns and plot. Write a letter to one of the characters or to the author herself. Create a picture showing your favorite page in the book. Review the book on social media.

Need a few good books to get started? This blog group boasts a number of award-winning children’s authors with books ripe for the reading. They include (with links to their websites):

Michelle Medlock Adams, Mindy Baker, Jarm Del Boccio, Crystal Bowman, Gail Cartee, Jeanne Dennis, Janice D. Green, Bonnie Rose Hudson, Wendy Hinote Lanier, Cheryl Maladrinos, Amy M. O’Quinn, Nancy I Sanders, ME!! (Lori Scott), and Karen Whiting.

Even when life gets busy, you can still carve out time to help your child succeed academically. Let me know in the comments if you have other helpful tips or resources for parents and kids.

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Until later! Lori Z. Scott– Author, teacher, friend!

Releasing October 2022, Inside the Ten-foot Line, a young adult sports novel geared for Christian female athletes. Find me on Instagram @Lori.Z.Scott.

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