Help Children Focus on Homework

Step One: Get ALL the Info to Organize

   Step one for helping children focus on school related tasks is to start with correct information. It helps to read everything the teacher sends home including textbook instruction, if needed, and the assignment book. Children may insist something absolutely must be done a certain way when it is not true.

Moving the Body and the Brain

  Before doing a task, consider a study by Faber-Taylor.  It shows that playing in a green setting helps children to focus and pay attention. Planning a little time outside in nature before sitting down to do something that requires focus helps concentrating, following directions, and completing tasks. 

  Take a little walk.  Run around the house outside a few times.  Ride a bike for ten minutes. Run, walk or jump around to help get the fidgets out and focus.

Turn off technology

Move & Prepare, No Tech, List To-Do's

   You can turn off all screens and phones and place them by a family charging station. When older children insist they can multitask with music, often the moment you are out of the room they will play a game or talk to friends.

  Before children tackle homework or anything else that takes concentration, turn off the noise of technology, unless technology is part of the the homework. If others are watching a screen or listening to music encourage ear phones or move to a quiet area to be far enough away from distraction.  Studying regularly in the same quiet place next to an adult, with an adult on call, or checking often is a good family habit.

Make a List

  Having homework and chores can overwhelm children. Help them focus on getting things done and done correctly. To avoid a melt-down make a list together and cross of the item when completed. Plan to finish projects days in advange and put that on the calendar.

Have some signals

Signal, Breathers, Habits

Take Breathers

  Homework can be exhausting. After working for 10 minutes or more depending upon the age and skill level stand up and take a drink located close by and then get back to work. Make the relaxing time short.

Develop Habits

  Child psychologists suggest we create magic moments within our family as incentives to finish tasks. Little children like a bath and talking time with a parent. Older children can take a relaxing shower, washing their hair, having a snack, brushing teeth, and reading before lights out. Playing video games, watching videos, or texting friends turns on the brain again and interferes with a great sleep.

For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons.

Warren Buffett: A Good Model for Kids

Develop Principles to Guide You Through Life

  “Who do you admire?” a third grader asks his grandpa.

 “One is Warren Buffet. He has principles and principles don’t change. They are your guide to help you be happy, successful, and care for others. You are never too young to learn them.”

Find work that you love

  Even when you are very young you will boost your chance of success and happiness. Learn to like work, not sitting around being lazy. Find joy in working hard and focus on that. Any job can create satisfaction. Warren Buffet happens to like working and reading about numbers. He likes to say he’s been able to “tap dance to work.” He means he likes to do his work. Search for  things you really like in school. They are there. Pay attention in school, ask questions, volunteer, participate, discuss, and work hard. Buffet says, “I just have a great time time every day. I’m getting to do exactly what I want to do in life and it doesn’t get any better than that.”

Stay calm under pressure

   Warren Buffet avoids making emotional decisions, panicking, losing his temper, or acting out. Take deep breaths, count to ten, say a little prayer, take a walk, make a little joke, laugh it off, or chuckle and discuss later.

Don’t compromise your integrity

Never Stop Learning

  Help someone when you know it’s the right thing to do. If someone is being bullied on the playground don’t be a bystander. Tell someone of authority, speak out, or redirect the group.  If someone is lying, stealing, or cheating, get out of there. Don’t be a part of the situation.

Never stop learning

  Warren Buffet reads, learns from books and newspapers, asks questions, and thinks.  He reads 500 pages a day. Always have a couple books going—school books, fiction, and nonfiction. Have an insatiable appetite for learning. “That’s how knowledge builds up like compound interest,” Buffet says. Compound interest is when you earn money on the money you’ve already made. 

Polish your Communication Skills

  Talk in front of groups of people every chance you have. Volunteer to be in front of people. Mr. Buffett is known for his folksy way of talking about subjects so people can understand. He said he was terrified about public speaking and had to learn how to do it in a Dale Carnegie class. He faced his fears and overcame them.

Keep Life Simple

Don’t Overspend

You don’t need all that stuff. Keep life simple.

Stick to Your Principles

   Think for yourself. Don’t always follow your friends. Your parents and faith have taught you right from wrong. Some books to read are Becoming Warren Buffett by Roger Lowenstein; IBD Buffett article by Adam Shell, for adults; The Tale of Tortoise Buffett by Lucas Remmerswaal, for kids; wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons; grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com; Facebook and Pinterest.

Photos, Fran Darling, fdarling fotos  

Economics for Kids Pays Dividends

 The best way to teach your kids about taxes is to eat one third of their ice cream cone .—Bill Murray

Teaching Economics Is Essential - Walk Them Through!

Teaching economics doesn’t need to be disgusting, but it is essential. Here are a few suggestions for teaching your children about making, managing, keeping, and making money work for them.  

Be Concrete

  Help children count out the exact amount of money for a taxable item and tell them they are going to learn a lesson at the checkout counter. When they pay for it, the clerk will tell children they do not have enough and must pay for tax. Digging out more money helps children remember the lesson. On the way home explain all the ways everyone pays taxes and where local, state, and federal taxes go. There are income taxes, sales taxes, gas taxes, fees, property taxes, licenses, internet, phone, utility taxes and more. Show children “taxes” on your bills.  

  How is the money used? Taxes pay for government 

How Is the Money Used?

buildings, parks, libraries, services like plowing roads, city, state, and federal workers like teachers, librarians, waste disposal, police, and fire workers. Family members may work for the government, receive a government payment or pension.

  Young children can practice earning money and managing it by playing toy store. They can learn that businesses and people have many expenses. When finished, count the till and take out about half for all fees, licenses, personal, employee’s, local, state, and federal taxes. Then take out more than a fourth for employees’ wages and other payments, utilities, insurance, and cost of materials. What is left is theirs.

Labor Equals Payment

  According to economists, the earlier we attach work to production and pay, the earlier we teach children the economic principle of trading labor for capital (money). No matter how small the amount of birthday and holiday money children have, set up four jars. Label them save, spend, 

Labor & Investment - Build Savings

invest, and donate. Savvy Pig on-line has divided piggy banks for sale. 3jars.com has good explanations of these principles for kids.  “Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?” by Richard Maybury gives a clear explanation of economics for everyone third grade and above and the many versions of Monopoly are good economics games.

 For older kids the stock market site howthemarketworks.com has good explanations. You can explain how your 401K ‘s, union, pensions, and individuals are investing in the stock market. With your help children can do a” fantasy invest” and watch a stock like Disney. 

  Other concepts like how compounding interest can hurt or help them, the investment rule of 72, and opportunity cost are useful. Check Google for quick explanations.

  You can teach children to charge interest when they lend money to siblings. The youngest usually cleans up. For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com; wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons; Pinterest and Facebook since 2009.

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling photos