Odyssey School Parental Involvement
Mrs.Priser, [email protected]
December January February 20142015
December 2014
Daily Learning Planner: Ideas Parents Can Use to Help
o 1. T alk about the activities your family enjoyed most during this past year.
Make plans to do them again.
o 2. H
elp your child learn the sign language alphabet. Use it to practice
spelling words today.
o 3. Ask your child, If you could go anywhere, where would you go and
why? Together, learn more about this location.
o 4. Make and send your own family greeting cards.
o 5. Begin telling a story, and when you get to an exciting part, stop. Let
your child make up the rest.
o 6. Visit the library. Get a book about holiday traditions around the world.
o 7. P ay your child a compliment today.
o 8. T alk about how your family can do something for others this month.
o 9. L et your child help make dinner.
o 10. Today is Human Rights Day. Talk
with your child about rights and
responsibilities.
o 11. Plan a "no-TV" day. Let your child
choose an alternative activity.
o 12. Make a puzzle with your child. Glue a
picture onto cardboard. Cut it into pieces.
o 13. Challenge family members to write, eat or do other activities with the
hand they dont favor.
Children Do Well in SchoolTry a New Idea Every Day!
o 17. A sk your child to guess how many times he blinks in a minute.
o 18. Write fractions on index cards. Mix them up. Help your child put them
in order from smallest to greatest.
o 19. With your child, think of words that sound like what they mean, such
as buzz, smash, hiss and thump.
o 20. Ask a librarian to recommend some award-winning books.
o 21. Cut a lime in half. Your child can dip it in paint and print on paper.
o 22. Name a state, province or country. Who can call out the capital first?
o 23. Cut apart the segments of a comic strip and ask your child to arrange
the pieces in the right order.
o 24. When your child asks a question you can't answer, write it down. Keep
a list of questions to look up later.
o 25. Use math to give your child instructions. For example, ask your child
to pick up 3 + 2 + 1 toys.
o 26. Ask your child what made the very best present she ever received special.
o 27. During breakfast, find an interesting word in the dictionary. Challenge
your child to use it three times during the day.
o 28. If your child is learning to read, try books with read-along audio.
o 29. Let your child pick a word. Together, put its letters in alphabetical order.
o 30. Keep a book handy to read when you and your child are waiting in line.
o 31. Find pictures of people. Ask your child to write captions.
o 14. Hug your child for no reason other than you love him.
o 15. Enjoy some physical activity with your child.
o 16. Ask your child about the qualities she values most in friendships. Talk
about why values are important.
Copyright 2014 The Parent Institute, a division of NIS, Inc. May be reproduced only as licensed by Helping Children Learn newsletter 1-800-756-5525
January 2015
Daily Learning Planner: Ideas Parents Can Use to Help
Children Do Well in SchoolTry a New Idea Every Day!
o 1. H
ave your child replace adjectives on a printed ad with their opposites.
o 2. Help your child set a goal and write a plan to achieve it this year.
o 3. Think of something you and your child would like to learn, such as
how to knit. Check out a how-to book.
o 4. Make an I am special scrapbook with your child. Use photographs of
special events in your childs life.
o 18. T ry a new kind of transportation with your child.
o 19. Explain to your child how people reach
compromises. Give an example.
o 20. Suggest that your child write to her favorite
author.
o 21. Role-play a difficult situation your child may
face.
o 5. T each your child to take her pulse. Have her jump up and down 15
o 22. Think of several words that start with the same letter. Challenge your
times and take it again. Has it changed?
o 6. Pretend you are your child's mirror. Do everything he doesin reverse.
o 7. S end your child on a treasure hunt. Make a map that will lead her to a
small treat.
o 8. Challenge your child to invent a drink, such as orange hot chocolate.
o 9. H
ow many farm animals can your child name?
o 10. Visit the library with your child. Check out a book about outer space.
o 11. Together, plan your childs TV viewing this week.
o 12. Start a family savings plan for something special that you have already
spoken about with your child.
o 13. Ask your child to close his eyes and describe sounds that he hears.
o 14. With your child, sing songs that you learned as a child. Have your
child to use them in a sentence that makes sense.
o 23. Try eating with chopsticks tonight.
o 24. Teach your child a skill hell need later in lifecooking, laundry, etc.
o 25. Hold a family meeting. Discuss your family's goals and successes.
o 26. Pick a category (cities, sports) and a letter. How many items from that
category can your child name that begin with that letter?
o 27. Make a chore chart with your child. List chores she's responsible for
and when they should be completed.
o 28. At dinner tonight, have everyone tell how they used math today.
o 29. Ask your child to notice things that come from plants.
o 30. Choose a poem to read aloud to your child. With your feet, stamp
syllables as you read.
child teach you a song.
o 31. Let our child read the label on a food your family eats. What vitamins
o 15. Ask your child what she thinks she is good at and why.
o 16. Tonight, take a walk with your child. Look at the stars. Can you see
does it contain? How much fat is in it?
any planets?
o 17. Trace your childs outline on a sheet of paper. Later, have him research
and map the inside of his body.
Copyright 2014 The Parent Institute, a division of NIS, Inc. May be reproduced only as licensed by Helping Children Learn newsletter 1-800-756-5525
February 2015
Daily Learning Planner: Ideas Parents Can Use to Help
Children Do Well in SchoolTry a New Idea Every Day!
o 1. Have a silent supper. During dessert, have family members share what
o 16. Show your child learning is a lifelong activity by learning a new sport
o 2. Plan to attend an event marking African-American History month.
o 3. Turn chores into a game. Assign each chore a number and have your
o 17. Give your child weekly tickets worth a half-hour of TV time each. Let
they were thinking about.
child roll a die to see which one he gets.
o 4. Talk with your child about what she does right. List as many things as
you can.
o 5. S hare a favorite quote with your child.
o 6. If you dont have time to read to your child at night, read in the
morning. Its a real power breakfast.
o 7. Ask your child to name his favorite sport, and say why he likes it.
o 8. V isit an art museum in your town or online and talk with your child
about the paintings.
o 9. See how many words your child can use to describe the sky.
o 10. Have your child write a special Valentines message to someone who is
sick or lonely. Mail it to them.
or other subject together.
her cash in unused tickets for special treats.
o 18. Test your childs knowledge of some facts, such as who is vice
president of the United States.
o 19. Look at a calendar and discuss how many days are in each month.
o 20. Plan a read in bed evening. Serve a healthful snack if you wish.
o 21. Visit the library. Help your child choose a book of poetry.
o 22. Its George Washingtons birthday. How many facts can your child list
about this famous president?
o 23. Dont watch TV tonight. Read, play games or put together a puzzle
instead.
o 24. At bedtime, allow a few minutes after the light is off for a quiet
conversation with your child.
o 25. Look at a map with your child. Where is your state? Which states are
nearby?
o 11. Write a nice note and tuck it into your child's backpack.
o 12. Talk with your child about a choice you have made. Then talk about
o 26. Can your child name an animal that starts with every letter of the
o 13. Do a crossword puzzle with your child. Or make up your own to
o 27. Have family members write reviews of books theyve read.
o 28. Go on a fraction search through todays newspaper. Which sections
the consequences.
review spelling words.
o 14. See how many red, pink or heart-shaped
alphabet? (Its okay to leave out the letter X.)
have the most fractions?
foods you can serve today.
o 15. At dinner, ask everyone to share something
that made them happy this week.
Copyright 2014 The Parent Institute, a division of NIS, Inc. May be reproduced only as licensed by Helping Children Learn newsletter 1-800-756-5525
