PTA Parent - Tuesday, March 17, 2009 |
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Guiding Your Family's Video Game Play If you have a video game system at home, it's likely to get a lot of use over your kids' spring break; if you don't, your kids may be playing video games at a friend's house. Video games and interactive play are great ways for children to learn. Plus, some new video games can even help your children become more physically active. But video games can also involve violent content and may not be appropriate for all ages. Read on for more advice for making video games safer for your kids. Always check game ratings before you let your children play a particular game, and take advantage of the built-in parental controls most new game systems have to make monitoring what your kids play a little easier. Some of the more advanced games involve the use of computer and Internet networks, so be sure you also monitor who your child is connecting with and how. Here are a couple more tips to help you make sure your family enjoys video games without the risk of exposure to something inappropriate:
Go to pta.org/ to learn more. Strategies for Social and Emotional Learning The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) promotes the idea that students perform better when academics are combined with social and emotional learning (SEL). According to CASEL, children can learn how to deal with their emotions and relationships with others in healthy ways just as they can learn language or mathematics skills. Key SEL skills include:
Mastering these skills helps children succeed in school and life, according to CASEL. They become happier and more confident. Parents can foster social and emotional learning at home with these techniques: Focus on strengths – When your child brings home a test, talk first about what he or she did well. Then talk about what can be improved. Praise specific strengths. Don't just criticize things that were done wrong. Follow up with consequences for misbehavior – Decide on consequences that are fair and can be carried out. Don't let anger lead you to say "No television for a month" when you know that the TV will go back on in one or two days. Ask children how they feel – When you ask your child about his or her feelings, the message is that their feelings matter and that you care. Find ways to stay calm when angry – Learn to recognize trigger situations and do something about them before you lose control. Sit down as a family and talk about what everyone can do to stay calm. Be willing to apologize – Parents need to be able to apologize to their children if what they said was not what they meant. By doing this, you are being a good role model and showing how important it is to apologize after hurting someone. Give children choices and respect their wishes – When children have a chance to make choices, they learn how to solve problems. Giving children ways to express preferences and make decisions shows that their ideas and feelings matter. Ask questions that help children solve problems on their own – Don't be tempted to step in and take over when a child has a problem. Asking good questions can help children develop the ability to find solutions on their own. For example, you can ask "What do you think you can do in this situation?" Encourage sharing and helping – You and your child can prepare food in a homeless shelter or go on a fund-raising walk-a-thon. You can help elderly neighbors or needy families. These kinds of activities teach children that what they do can make a difference in the lives of others. For more information, go to casel.org. Q: What are some of the benefits to joining PTA? A: The benefits are many and they include special offers from businesses such as BarnesandNoble.com, MedicAlert Foundation, Sharp Electronics, Southwest Airlines Vacations, and T-Mobile. To learn more about these member benefits providers exclusive to PTA members, go to the MemberBenefits page on PTA.org. PTA Briefs
100 Ways to Help Your Child and School Succeed There are many ways that you can help your child succeed! A few small activities each week will pay huge dividends over the course of the year. Here are a few that you can do this week:
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