by Linda Castillo
This year my little one started preschool and it was important to me to establish routines to give her everything she needs to do her best in school. And without even knowing it, there are certain things that I do as a parent that my parents did with me growing up. For example, my parents didn’t let me watch television until my homework was completed and they also limited the amount of television I could watch.
To give my daughter a successful start in school here are some of my mommy tips:
Homework first – I set aside time to help my daughter with her homework and similar to my parents I don’t allow my daughter to watch television until she has completed her homework.
Early bedtime – I make sure to have my daughter bathed and in bed by 8 pm. And while she may not always go sleep at that time at least I have done my best to get her to bed early.
Parent involvement – When my daughter gets home from school I ask her a question about how her day was at school. And it doesn’t have to be the standard question: “How was school today?” Have fun and ask different ways. For example, you can ask “Did anything funny happen at school today?” “Did you help anyone today at school?” Also, take time from your schedule to attend school functions such as orientations, back to school day, volunteer in the classroom, and join in school field trips. Your child will know that her education is important to you because you are present and keeping the conversation going with the teacher.
Continue learning at home – Reinforce what you child is learning with at home activities. My daughter’s teacher will cover a different letter or color each week. Once I know that the teacher is focusing on a certain color, I will do my best to practice that color and number at home.
After school activities – This summer I enrolled my daughter in swimming class to build her confidence and expose her to a new activity. I will continue to have her participate in after school activities to build her confidence and expose her to new experiences.
Healthy breakfast – To make sure my daughter has the energy to learn and play at school I start her morning off with a healthy breakfast that includes a glass of milk. While my daughter is very picky with food, I am thankful she loves milk with every meal. Milk has so many benefits including:
- Milk contains proteins like casein and whey that can help muscles rebuild after physical activity.
- Calcium in milk may help reduce cavities when it is combined with normal brushing and flossing.
- Proteins, lipids, calcium, Vitamin A, B6, biotin and potassium all found in milk work together to help keep hair soft and shiny.
- Milk remains the best way to get your daily bone-building dose of calcium.
- A protein naturally occurring in milk may improve sleep quality
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While my daughter may be too young now to know about college I am taking the early steps to prepare her for higher education. It’s important to me that my daughter sees learning as a fun experience and that education is important.
Linda Castillo is the Founder and Executive Editor of www.ModernLatina.com. She writes on topics that empower and inspire Latinas including art, motherhood, green living, culture, travel, and issues transforming the Latino community. Linda has earned a B.S. in Business and a M.S. in Mass Communications from San Jose State University.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.