Many American children today are falling further behind in their education each year due to cuts in school funding. With fewer factory jobs left in the US, a good education has become essential to finding a well-paying job in today’s information and technology-driven economy. Tomorrow’s economy will be even more competitive, and Americans will compete for jobs globally. Every parent wants their child to achieve the American Dream. However, schools do not determine, on their own, whether children have what they need to be successful. Parents are in the driver’s seat when it comes to how their children spend time outside of the classroom. You can make a big difference in your children’s future by avoiding these common mistakes.
Allowing too much “screen time”
The average American child spends 28 hours a week watching TV, which translates to 1,456 hours a year, and 24,752 hours by the time they turn 18 (assuming it starts on their first birthday, which is what many do). 24,752 hours is approximately 2 years and 9 months of your childhood spent in front of the television The time in front of the television is NOT spent on: reading, exercising, doing puzzles, drawing, playing with other children, doing homework and other activities that helps a child learn and grow as a person. In the time most kids spend in front of the TV, they could have learned a second language or earned a black belt in karate!
Not making sure your child reads daily
In New York City, approximately 75 percent of public high school students who enroll in community colleges need to take remedial math or English courses before they can begin work at the college level. At a minimum, this means that college students, or their parents, must pay for additional courses on top of the usual college tuition costs. According to the National Educational Association Today, the only way for children to become good readers is by practicing. Even small amounts of reading each week add up over the years.
neglect the arts
Many parents think of art and music as “fancy” and don’t realize that the arts can have a big impact on other areas of learning. In a UCLA study of Chicago-area schools, elementary students who attended schools where the arts were integrated into the classroom curriculum outperformed their peers in math who were not in the program. More than 60 percent of these students, involved with the Chicago Arts Partnership in Education, performed at or above grade level on the math portion of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills compared to 40 percent of your peers (who could fall further and further behind each time). year). Any artistic activity, from painting to visiting local art museums to taking music lessons, can have lasting benefits for the development of the mind.
So how can parents provide better learning opportunities outside of the classroom?
Here are some suggestions that cost little or nothing in time or money:
Limit or eliminate television Most parents won’t get rid of the TV entirely, but setting clear limits on viewing time, like not watching TV on school nights, will force kids to find other activities to have fun (or finish their homework). ). Some parents worry that as soon as they turn off the TV, their children will complain about being bored, but boredom is often needed as a motivator for the child to have fun in a productive way, finding a new hobby, playing a game. table. with her siblings, or participating in sports.
Go to the library at least once a month. Nearly every American household has access to a nearby public library, and many have an interlibrary loan system to provide access to books that their library does not carry. Many have a children’s librarian who can recommend good books and help find them on the shelves. Parents pay taxes for these services, why not use them?
Introduce your child to an art project. It can be as simple as placing crayons and paper on the kitchen table and asking them to draw pictures, asking them to make a homemade birthday card, or decorating cookies with icing and colorful candies. There are children’s project books at your local library and many free online sites for parent-child activity ideas. Even just looking at different types of painting introduces a child to a different art and broadens her horizons.