Teaching Tip Tuesdays

Teaching Tip for Tuesday, May 24th

Free Summer Activities

With summer just around the corner, here are some free and engaging activities to continue learning and fun with your child!

Teaching Tip for Tuesday, May 10th

Endings are Hard

As the end of the school year gets closer, your child may be feeling both excited and anxious.

Pause. Now is a good time to find time to pause and start a discussion with your child about those feelings that they may be having. Take time to listen to worries and answer questions that your child may have as honestly and completely as you are able.

Plan. If your child’s anxiety is due to worrying about a change in schools next year, make a plan to drive by the school and schedule a summer tour if needed. All schools will have an opportunity for students to meet their teachers and tour their building in August, but if your child needs more time to see the school or needs a time when there are less people and activity, call the school to see if a time can be arranged for a short visit this summer.

Celebrate. Celebrate successes that your child has had this year. Ask your child what they are most proud of accomplishing. Your child’s answers may surprise you! Don’t forget to celebrate the little successes too.

Teaching Tip for Tuesday, April 26th

Fidgets - Tools Not Toys

Fidgets are a buzzword that educators throw around, but little time is spent discussing exactly what a good fidget is, how to use a fidget, and when to use one.

Let’s start with the basics–what a fidget is. Not all fidgets are spinners. Fidgets are small items that are designed to help increase focus, attention, and calm. Fidgets come in different textures, shapes, and sizes but are small enough to not be distracting to others. For this reason, fidgets should make little to no noise. Fidgets are typically held in the child’s hands and provide sensory input needed to increase feelings of calm or to promote focus. Some fidgets are designed to provide sensory input through a user’s feet.

Fidgets are tools, not toys. Children don’t know this so we have to teach them how and when to use fidgets. First, begin by identifying times that fidgets might be helpful to either increase focus or increase a sense of calm (e.g., waiting in the doctor’s office, doing homework, standing in line at the grocery store, sitting in church). Talk with your child about times that they might feel anxious or need to focus. Make a list of times that the fidgets might be appropriate and consider putting that list near the place fidgets are kept.

Consider developing some rules with your child on how to use fidgets. For example, one rule might be that if the fidget is distracting to the child or others, it must be put away. Another rule might be deciding where fidgets are kept and how they should be put away. If needed, model the rules you develop with your child.

With a little guidance, fidgets can be wonderful tools to increase focus and feelings of calm for your child.

Teaching Tip for Tuesday, April 12th

Waiting is Hard!

For many reasons, this life skill is one that can be difficult to teach. Time is a hard concept to understand–five minutes sounds like FOREVER to some learners. Some learners may not understand the social rules of waiting yet; and, let’s face it, waiting can be really boring. Because waiting is such an important skill and a part of everyday life, here are some strategies that might help make waiting a bit easier:

• Look for opportunities to practice in a low pressure situation before practicing the skill in a higher pressure situation.
• Clearly explain why waiting is important–especially where safety is concerned.
• Begin with an amount of time you’re confident that your learner can wait.
• Set a timer for that amount of time that your learner can easily see or show the child what time the wait will be over on a clock.
• Praise for your child for waiting well.
• Slowly increase the amount of time your learner waits.
• Consider using a visual reminder if your child is struggling with waiting. Wait cards and first/then cards can be especially helpful.
• Try not to bribe your child. Instead, make what follows a naturally occuring activity (eg., After we wait for your pizza to cool, you can eat it)
• Waiting doesn’t always have to be boring. Turn a wait in a doctor’s office into a game of I spy. Turn waiting in the grocery checkout line into a game of how many blue shoes do you see.
• Teach when it’s okay not to wait–someone is hurt, you are hurt, something dangerous is about to happen.

Teaching Tip for Tuesday, March 29th

Testing Season Anxiety

State testing season is upon us and your child may be more anxious than you realize. Besides eating a good breakfast and getting a good night’s rest, here are some strategies that might help alleviate your child’s anxiety:

• Provide Perspective!

• Remind your child that no matter how they do on a test, they are valued, loved, and capable.
• Encourage your child to do their best, but also let them know that no one test will make or break their future.
• Explain that these tests are meant to provide information on what they know and what they still may need to practice.
• Let your child know that they most likely will not know every answer on the test– that’s how tests are designed!

• Provide Practice in Calming Strategies

• Make a plan for what to do when your child doesn’t know an answer.
• Have your child practice visualizing doing their best on a test.
• Practice deep breathing exercises with your child (taking in a slow, deep breath and then releasing that breath slowly).
• Practice positive self-talk (eg., “It’s okay if I don’t know the answer to this yet,” “I am smart and will do my best” and “I won’t give up even when it gets hard.”)

• Provide Test Taking Strategies

• Make your best guess when you don’t know the answer, and then move on.
• Eliminate answers you know are wrong and make your best guess from the answers left.
• Answer the easiest questions first.
• Don’t leave any questions unanswered.

Teaching Tip for Tuesday, March 1st

Conversations and Eye Contact

Ever wondered why it can be hard for your child or student to have a difficult conversation without looking away?

Scientists think they have an answer…Our brains can have difficulty handling the cognitive load of discussing hard things while also focusing on a listener’s face. Communication is complicated–all those unwritten rules become even more difficult when you’re directly facing someone because it becomes very clear when you’ve made a mis-step. Now add in a difficult or awkward topic (and for those of you with pre-teens or teens, you know they consider soooo many things awkward!) and focusing on the listener, and the difficult topic becomes just too much.

The next time you plan to have a difficult conversation with your child, consider sitting next to them. The simple act of not having to focus on a face can free-up cognitive space so your child can more clearly articulate things or answer hard questions you may have. Car rides can become magical places where your reluctant teen or child can open up because both of you are facing forward…this time can become a window into your child’s world. So listen up, but don’t look!

Teaching Tip for Tuesday, February 15th

Focus on IEP Meetings and Translation Planning

Student participation in IEP meetings should begin early– elementary school is not too early to start! Participation in IEP meetings builds understanding of the process, encourages self-advocacy, and promotes opportunities for meaningful communication. Once a student is in the 9th grade, IEP teams are required to develop transition plans for students. Once transition planning begins, it is critical to have the student be an active participant in their IEP meetings. Below are some resources for secondary IEP teams to teach students how to be self-advocates in their meetings.

Teaching Tip for Tuesday, January 25th

Free Social Skills Apps for Parents/Guardians and Educators