Merry Christmas

The tutors at Swan Learning Center would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas this holiday season!

Ways To Improve Your Kids Reading Comprehension

Books are Special Time
Turn books and reading into something special by taking your kids to the library, helping them get their own library card, reading with them, and buying them books as gifts. Have a favorite place for books in your home, or even better, put books everywhere.

Use the Dictionary
Let your child see you using a dictionary and encourage them to use it also. If they want to know what a word means, tell them to look it up in the dictionary.


Mind Tricks
You can give your child tips for figuring out the meaning of what he or she reads. Show your child how to summarize a story in a few sentences, for example, or how to make predictions about what might happen next. Both strategies help a child comprehend and remember. After reading a story together, think out loud so your child can see how you summarize and predict. Say something like, "I bet D.W. would have eaten some more if she hadn't known that it was spinach."

According to the American Library Association (ALA), "A child's early experiences with language contribute to healthy brain development and lay the foundation for learning to read when a child enters school." As a result, parents and caretakers are the child?s most important teachers before that child reaches school age. Basically, children learn better when they enjoy reading.

Tips For Teaching Your Kids Math

Teach Counting at a Young Age

Counting it is the foundation for math, and learning to count is the first math skill that any child learns. You can start teaching your child as early as 2-years old when counting is largely a game. Count with blocks, toys or any other objects and focus on repetition. Songs and nursery rhymes about numbers may also be helpful. Additionally, there are numerous children's books dedicated to counting and numbers as well as television programs and DVDs you can use.

Use Math for Problem-Solving

While multiplication tables and other math drills still have their place, the "new math" that is taught in schools today focuses primarily on problem-solving. By inserting mathematics into real-life practical situations, children can connect more with the material. Teach your child math as a problem-solving skill. Present problems that require math to be solved. For example, you could ask your child, "If I have five cookies and each of the three of you gets one, how many will I have left?" Pose only age-appropriate problems. You can gauge your child's level of comprehension by what she is learning at preschool, kindergarten or grade school.

Use Money to Teach Math

Most kids are fascinated with money, so it makes a good teaching tool when it comes to learning math skills. Money can be used to teach basic addition and subtraction. Play"store" at home with your children and use real money or play money to purchase different items. For example, you could ask questions like, "This item is $5 and this item is $3. How much will it cost to buy them both?" Later, take these games into the real world when shopping with your child. Put two items in your basket and give their price, then ask how much they cost together. Remove an item to teach subtraction. Offer positive reinforcement when your child gets the right answer. Even if he doesn't get the right answer, help him work out the problem instead of revealing the answer.

Helping Your Kids Improve Their Grades

Helping your child do well in school is one of the best investments that a parent can make. With the future of employment growing ever so competitive, our children will need every advantage they can just to compete in our global economy. The following are 5 ways to help them improve their grades.

1. Create an environment in your home that encourages learning.
This will be a major influence on how well your children do in school. Provide them with many different opportunities to become excited about learning. Make sure that appropriate materials from puzzles to paints to computers are available to stimulate their curiosity.

2. Provide your children with a well-balanced life.
A stable home, filled with love, serves as a solid foundation for getting straight A's. Establish routines so your children get enough sleep, eat regular nourishing meals, and receive sufficient exercise. Limit excessive TV-viewing and the playing of video and computer games.

3. Read to your children every day.
Most of the learning your children do in school involves reading. Read to your kids to teach them about reading, expand and enrich their vocabularies, and broaden their experiences. Reading aloud exposes them to materials that would be difficult for them to read on their own.

4. Encourage them to read extensively.
As your children progress through school, as much as 75 percent of what they learn will come from the printed page. The more children read, the better their reading skills become. Make sure there is a wide variety of interesting reading materials in your home to encourage the reading habit.

5. Show your children how to be organized.
Children who are organized find it much easier to succeed in school. One of the best ways to teach organizational skills is through example. Show your children how to use such organizational tools as assignment pads, calendars, notebooks, binders, and backpacks.