• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Cole Mines

parenting... from the heart

  • HOME
  • ABOUT THE COLE MINES – contact me
  • TOPICS
    • Parenting
    • From The Heart
    • Household tips
    • Recipes
    • Health & Wellness
    • Marriage

October 10, 2015

Day 9 One Smart Cookie

If you are continuing along in the 31 Days & 31 Ways To Be A Better Mom series, Day 9 One Smart Cookie touches on how imperative it is that we as moms don’t take a backseat in our child’s education.   The way we teach our children and the support they receive from us once they enter public/private education will have a life-long impact.  

One Smart Cookie

The Good Ol’ Days

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, parents did not need to worry about teaching their children fundamentals like the alphabet, basic phonics, reading and math.  These concepts would all be taught in due time by elementary school teachers.

Such is not the case now.  Preschool programs are now very much the norm and many kids are already reading at a basic level upon entering Kindergarten.  Teachers are under enormous pressure to have children meeting certain thresholds earlier and earlier.  

Now I must first say that there is a lot I don’t like about the pressure on young children at such an early age.  It seems as though we are moving up the timeline bit by bit and in turn, chipping away at the heart of childhood – play.  

But I also realize that my single opinion won’t sway the public one.  And even if it did, my stance would remain the same that moms who support the educators and education of their child are doing themselves, their children and society as a whole a huge favor.

So how do you do that?  How do you “support” your child’s education?

One Smart Cookie

Easy things really:

1.Take your child outside to play and let nature be your teacher.  Point out different types of leaves, use sticks to make letters, talk about the weather.

2. Spend a little time each day working on the alphabet 

3. Play rhyming games in the car.  You say rat, they say cat, you say fat and on and on and on.

4. Read to your child EVERY day.  You can never go wrong by reading.  Even when your child begins to read on their own, keep reading to them.  You will expose them to words and stories they can’t yet manage.  Check out some of my favorite books for toddlers!

5. Support your child’s teachers.  Say only nice things about them in front of your child.  And realize what a huge task they take on each day for far too little money.

6.  Volunteer in the classroom.  Even if you work outside the home, you can probably manage an hour or two a month to come help with guided reading or centers.  Nothing shows that you care about your child’s education like showing up.

7.  Have lunch at school.  As I learned today, doing this regularly lets you in an VERY important part of a child’s education – the social aspect.  By having lunch with my daughter at school, I get better insight into her friends, how she manages conflict and who is giving her a hard time.  

8. Help your young child with homework each night.  My oldest, Hannah, really likes when I sit with her and we go through her homework packet together.  I like it because I can readily see what she’s struggling with be it a spelling word or math concept.

9. Find fun but educational videos and apps for those times when you can’t sit down with your child. PS. I don’t advocate using these a ton but let’s be practical…sometimes we have things to have to get done!  I personally love the entire Leap Frog Learning Series.  The series is amazing and kids don’t even know they are learning! 

10. Never forget to tell your child they are smart, they are capable and they are special.  Children need to hear these things over and over to truly believe them.  

Because a child who knows they are supported at home will excel in ways we could never imagine.

 

 

hillary fb

If you have missed any in the series 31 Days & 31 Ways To Be A Better Mom, catch up here:

31 Days and 31 Ways To Be A Better Mom

INTRO TO SERIES:

INTRO TO 31 DAYS & 31 WAYS TO BE A BETTER MOM

DAY 1: OUR BEFORE SCHOOL RULE

DAY 2: UNPLUG AND PLUG IN

DAY 3: STEP AWAY FROM YOUR CHILD

DAY 4: EMBRACE YOUR CRAZY

DAY 5: BE A REBEL

DAY 6: DO AS I SAY

DAY 7: FIND YOUR VILLAGE

DAY 8: DIVIDE & CONQUER

DAY 9: ONE SMART COOKIE

DAY 10: CREATE YOUR OWN FAMILY TRADITIONS

DAY 11: STOP COMPARING YOUR CHILD

DAY 12: TAKE CARE OF #1

DAY 13: DATE YOUR CHILD

DAY 14: THE MEAL TIME RULE WE DON’T BREAK

DAY15: GIVE THEM KISSES LOTS OF KISSES

DAY 16: IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM, BE THEIR CALM

DAY 17: PUT YOURSELF IN THEIR SHOES

DAY 18: QUIT BEATING YOURSELF UP

DAY 19: RELAX…YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO FINISH

DAY 20: NURTURING YOUR MARRIAGE AFTER CHILDREN

DAY 21: WHEN THEY ARE HARD TO LOVE, LOVE THEM HARDER

DAY 22: FAMILY DINNER SHMINNER

DAY 23: REBELLION IS A CRAZY THING

DAY 24: TELL THEM IT WILL GET BETTER

DAY 25: YOU DON’T HAVE TO LOVE YOUR KIDS THE SAME

DAY 26: IT’S OKAY TO WISH TODAY WAS OVER

DAY 27: BE A GOOD DAUGHTER

DAY 28: QUIT TRYING TO BE THAT OTHER MOM

DAY 29: YOU CAN’T BUY THEIR HAPPINESS

DAY 30: TELL YOUR KIDS YOU ARE A FAILURE

DAY 31: LEARNING TO LET GO

Tweet

Filed Under: Parenting, Uncategorized Tagged With: 31 days, better mom, education, kids, parenting, support

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Day 20 Nurturing Your Marriage After Children - The Cole Mines says:
    April 11, 2016 at 9:12 pm

    […] DAY 9: ONE SMART COOKIE […]

    Reply
  2. Unplug And Plug In - The Cole Mines says:
    June 25, 2016 at 10:17 pm

    […] DAY 9: ONE SMART COOKIE […]

    Reply
  3. Day 4 Embrace Your Crazy - The Cole Mines says:
    July 3, 2016 at 11:12 pm

    […] DAY 9: ONE SMART COOKIE […]

    Reply
  4. Before School Rule - The Cole Mines says:
    February 1, 2017 at 5:01 pm

    […] DAY 9: ONE SMART COOKIE […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?

Find me here, too!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Hi I'm Hillary! Just a mom trying to raise my kids the best I can in this crazy world. I hope you'll join me as we figure out how to be the best mom, wife and person we can be!

Free encouraging tips

Our favorite things

  • Featured
  • from the heart
  • Health & Wellness
  • Household tips
  • Let's Get Crafty
  • Marriage
  • Parenting
  • Pearls of Wisdom
  • Raising Kids
  • recipes
  • Uncategorized

POPULAR POSTS

Why My Kids Don't Have Chores

Why My Kids Don’t Have Chores

Day 1 Our Before School Rule

Before School Rule

a june cleaver in a feminist world

A June Cleaver In A Feminist World

to my firstborn..I'm sorry

To My Firstborn…I’m Sorry

Best Gifts For Moms On The Go – PLUS GIVEAWAY

BLOG ARCHIVES


Footer

LET’S BE SOCIAL

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

BOOKMARK

  • HOME
  • BLOG
  • ABOUT THE COLE MINES

MEET THE BLOGGER

About The Cole Mines

Copyright© 2021 · by Shay Bocks