Archives for August 2010

Quiet Time before School Starts: It's Fun and Required for School Success

Is your youngster only quiet when asleep or watching TV?

Kids need quiet activities that require focus and concentration. The trick is getting them to do it.

And it's especially important for them to practice some quiet time before school starts. They'll be asked to sit quietly in school and often get in trouble if they don't.

You need the down-time too. Schedule some time every day which doesn't involve driving kids to the pool, and you'll stop counting the days till they're back in school.

O.K. I admit that hammering and building like the boys in the picture are doing isn't quiet. But it does require sitting still (or kneeling), concentration, and not too much talking. Plus it's creative. Count it as a great quiet time activity.

Succeeding in school requires the ability to be quiet and focus. Your kids will benefit by

How to Help Kids Get Organized before School Starts

One of the most important things you can do BEFORE school starts is to help your kids get organized for school.

And I'm not just talking about shopping for new clothes and shoes.

Even if your kids don't have ADHD, organizing all their stuff and keeping it organized is often a challenge.

Staying organized is also a big key to school success.

Proceed with one project at a time.

Start with their room if there's stuff on the floor, under the bed and piled everywhere.

Set an intention to do this together without arguing. Your job is to make suggestions, not demands. Buy three brightly colored bins (even three good-sized waste baskets will do). Label them

Back to School without ADHD

Worried that ADHD or ADHD-like behavior will get in the way of good grades and high test scores, not to mention completed homework, when your kids go back to school?

ADHD always got in the way of school success for me. I loved school and had the very best intentions but my brain just wouldn't cooperate.  Back then nobody had even heard the words "attention deficit disorder," much less had resources to provide for those of us who couldn't sit still, couldn't concentrate.

If you had ADHD when I was growing up, you just struggled, got in trouble at school a lot, and listened to your parents and teachers tell you that you weren't living up to your potential.

Now the challenge is

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