Friday Fact - Secrets of Happy, Healthy Families

According to Parents.com the happiest, healthiest families...
*make healthy fun
*snuggle
*enjoy music
*maintain balance
*snack smart
*cook together
*make kids important contributors
*reward good behavior
*take 10 minutes to read, talk, etc. with each child
*stick to a schedule
*celebrate one another
*garden together
*read food labels
*read and write together
*don't stop at "I'm Sorry"
*bring games to the table
*laugh a lot
*make sure everyone feels valued
*keep the spark alive

To read more about each habit click here.

Friday Fact - Television Viewing

Did you know that the average child watches 6,240 hours of television before entering first grade?  That comes out to be about 2 hours and 45 minutes per day!  There can be significant consequences for watching this much television…

It has been shown that children who watch television more than 10 hours a week suffer negative academic effects (www.cybercollege.com).  This could be the reason why:

• Viewing television is a two-dimensional activity, because it has a flat screen.
• Watching multiple hours of television per day can impact the eye’s ability to focus correctly.
• Our eyes are designed to adjust focus at many different angles and ranges.
• When children are playing around, their eyes are constantly refocusing.
• When they watch television, their eyes are sustaining focus at only one range.

The long-term effects of too much television watching can be harmful.  A child’s eyes may:

• Struggle keeping near objects in focus (such as worksheets, reading materials, and other deskwork).
• Have trouble focusing quickly, and accurately, between near and far objects (such as the desk and board when taking notes, doing a worksheet, or working on a class project).

Source:  Minnesota Learning Resource Center

Friday Fact - Family Meals

Research has shown that from the time children are very young, making the effort to establish a family meal habit (sitting down together with no tv, cell phones, etc.) is an investment in their future as students, athletes and overall participants in their community.  Statistics show the impact is evident in grades, behavior and overall success.
-Family Dinner Book by Laurie David

Friday Fact

Vocabulary - a way of naming things we know about

Did you know...

*children who have large vocabularies and lots of experiences using language are more successful in school. (Hart & Risley 1995)

*research has revealed that vocabulary knowledge is the single most important factor contributing to reading comprehension.

So...

TALK, TALK, TALK with your children. Discuss the things around them, answer their questions, ask questions, read non-fiction books. You'll be amazed with how much information they will retain and you'll be contributing to their future comprehension abilities.