Suggestions to help your child at home:

· Set up a special area just for your child to read, draw, write, etc. Supply paper, crayons, pencils, picture dictionary, magazines, scissors, glue, paint, etc.

· Play card games and board games with your child. These games will help your child learn to take turns, how to win and lose, strengthen memory, recall, and problem solving skills. While playing, the child will also learn shapes, number recognition, color, etc.

· Work on jigsaw puzzles with your child; make it a family project to work on a little at a time daily. This helps your child with location skills and identification of shapes, which helps with reading.

· Take your child to the grocery store or shopping with you. This will help in learning value of money, and distinguishing types of money. While shopping, it would help your child be involved in finding specific items (take labels to match). When putting things away, let your child help and categorize them (all soups, cereals, cleaning products, etc.)

· When doing laundry, let your child help categorize items such as socks by shape and color to predict to whom they belong.

· Take out a public library card in your child’s name, and help them use it often.

· Let your child know how you use math in daily life, such as putting gallons of gas in the car, writing checks for monthly bills, counting money, programming VCR, keeping track of time, check temperature, making an order and adding the items, measure while cooking, etc.

· Give your child responsibility and follow through to see the job is done. This could include dressing his/herself, taking a bath on their own, cleaning their room, and helping to clear the table.

· Set up playtime with relatives, friends, your child’s class buddies, or time at the park. This reinforces social interactions as well as allowing your child to be a child and to foster friendships.

· While traveling, read road signs, play word games such as how many words can they spell or rhyme, etc.

· Practice telephone number and address, and what to do in case of an emergency.

· Most importantly, talk with your child. Ask questions about their day; ask about their opinions and feelings. This will let them know you value their views.