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Safety
Home Alone
Before deciding to leave your child home alone, first consider:
Is your child legally old enough to be home alone?
Is your child confident and independent?
Can your child use the phone effectively and follow emergency instructions?
Are there trusted adults nearby for back-up help if needed?
Prepare a plan with your child before leaving them home alone, which includes these safety procedures:
Practice locking and unlocking doors with your child
Show your child where the first aid kit is kept and review first aid and safety rules
Prepare an emergency power black-out kit with flashlight and battery operated radio
Discuss what your child will do if someone knocks at the door or telephones
Arrange for back-up help from a trusted friend or neighbour
Discuss phone rules and whether your child may have friends to visit
Review emergency numbers with your child and ensure they're easily accesible
Tell your child to lock all doors once safely home and call you to check in periodically
(Source: Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada: “Does This Ring a Bell”, a pamphlet for parents on after-school options for children)
Education
Tips To Help Your Child Succeed at Learning
• Make math fun - Help your child measure out recipes or calculate batting averages
• Use time in the car to have fun with geography, science or math... ie: how far is it to the nation's capital?
• Encourage your child to plan for projects and set deadlines, notice when they meet them and reward their successes.
• Ask about homework. Encourage your kids to do homework every day and congratulate them when they do.
• Help with homework, but don’t do it for them.
• Provide a quiet, well-lit space for homework away from the distractions of TV and toys
• Encourage reading. Read with your child at least 20 minutes every day.
• Help your child start a hobby such as playing an instrument, doing photography or star gazing
• Limit TV watching and Internet surfing for the kids and yourself.
• Acknowledge and celebrate their success at school.
• Put aside your own worries for a moment and concentrate on what your kids are telling you.
• When your kids ask for your advice, present options and let them make choices.
• Delight in their discoveries when they’re reading, watching TV or a movie or just exploring.
• Take interest in their school and visit their teachers.
• Expect their best, but not perfection
• Be patient when your child is struggling with school or homework… focus on the positive.
• Schedule daily homework time at home and stick to it.
• Have a variety of books and other age-appropriate reading materials at home.
• Identify insects in your garden at home.
• Encourage your child to try new things.
• Ask your child to help create a recycling plan at home.
• Spell out words with alphabet soup or cereal
• Enjoy a family outing to the zoo, botanical gardens or bird sanctuary
• Talk about future travel adventures using a map.
• Ask your child to teach you games he or she plays at school.
• Try a new game or sport.
• Have a scavenger hunt around the house.
• Help your child make a budget for a trip, grocery shopping or to save for a gift.
• Have your child label household items in a language they are learning at school.
• Ask your child to teach you to make a craft or show you a magic trick.
• Speak positively about your own learning and work experiences.
• Have age-appropriate word games and puzzles around the home.
• Attend as many school events as you can.
(Source: Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, Power Up! academic support program)
What Can I Do if My Child is Being Bullied?
It’s tempting to tell you child to stand up to a bully. However, the fact is that such action usually creates a far more dangerous situation. Bullying is real and must be treated seriously, right from the start. So remember to never blame your child for the bullying, and never tell your child to deal with it on his or her own.
Intervention is vital. But how you intervene is just as important.
Generally, it’s nor recommended that you contact the parent of a bully. Instead, talk with your child about reporting the bullying wherever it is happening. The older your child is, the more resistance you’ll get, so remind him or her that there’s a difference between “reporting” and “tattling” or “ratting”. Reporting is done to keep someone safe. Tattling is done to get someone in trouble.
You may even want to talk to other parents about developing a plan to help keep your child and their children to be safe from bullying.
Knowing you are there for them is a big help for any child dealing with bullies.
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