Since it’s Reading Month, I wanted READING to be the focus during my mentoring hour with my six year old today. With very little effort, I was able to help him with all five components of reading AND have fun at the same time… in fact, his giggles were contagious! I enjoyed laughing with him. […]
Here’s a Christmas game to try that will help build vocabulary and critical thinking skills, all while having fun together! Here’s what you do… 1- Purchase 2 Santa Hats at your local dollar store so both you and your child can wear one. They will love being silly with you! 2- Next, write different words
Summer is a great time to try out some new games and I have found a fun one! It’s called Spot It! and I like it for several reasons. First, it doesn’t take a lot of time to learn or to play. Second, it is small enough to fit in your bag. Most importantly it
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I am sure I’m not alone when I say that I had a hard time saying goodbye to my little mentee for the summer. If you are struggling with letting go, here’s some advice that may help. 1. Find a time to connect with your prayer partner. Have coffee or a meal and share yor
Know the 411 The children we mentor deal with much change and loss. Many may have experienced some form of abandonment. It’s important to have closure at the end of the year whether or not you are planning to continue mentoring your child next year. He or she may move and you want to have
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You can help your child increase their attention span and grow academically by connecting them with nature. Many children in urban environments do not get the oppportunity to explore nature. Take a walk at school and pay close attention to the trees around the playground. Bring in picture books that include photos of oceans and
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Mazlish is right when she says real listening is hard work. You have to concentrate with children so you don’t just give them pat answers to questions they may have. So here are five tips to being a better listener and helper; 1. DESCRIBE — to the child what YOU hear them being concerned about.
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Don’t Break the Chain is a great game that challenges the memory and gets you moving! Imagine my surprise when I found it in a Hallmark store! Hallmark stores across the country will be selling it this spring for $12.99. To play, the first player pics a card (“link”) and follows the instruction. For example,
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Get to know something about your child as you play a quick game of “Categories”. Share a category (my house, my bedroom, my neighborhood, my school, the playground, my friend’s house, my mentoring hour) and let your child list things they like to do at each place. Pay close attention to the activities that your
How can we teach the children that we mentor to walk or run away from trouble? Here’s a science experiment that might just stick in their mind the next time they are faced with a choice to obey or not to obey…. 1. Gather supplies: small bowl of water, pepper, liquid dishwashing detergent, toothpick 2.
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