USE COACHING TO SHARPEN YOUR CHILD'S ABILITIES

Use the times you help your child with her homework to even greater advantage.  A few strategies will not only assist your child on her assignments, but will improve her skills in broader areas.  This will help her do even better in school.

Here are some things to try:

• Have your child tell you about the assignment as she is doing it.  This will tell you how well she is reading the assignment; whether she understands what she is reading and whether she has done any thinking about it.  This also helps your child pay attention.
• Ask her to clear things up for you.  Tell your child you don't understand how she arrived at an answer or conclusion.  If she can't tell you, then she doesn't fully grasp what she's supposed to be doing.  Have her do some research.
• Have her make associations and give opinions.  These strategies work her higher-level thinking skills.  Ask questions like, "Does that remind you of anything?"  "What do you think was really behind the character's decision here?"  "What would you have done?"