Play and toys are a very important part of the development of your child. There are some things that parents can do to make sure that their child is getting the best possible use of their playtime to help them develop the skills that they will need in their later years.

The toys that parents choose for their child should be age appropriate. This is perhaps one of the most important factors to look for when you are shopping for toys. If you buy toys that are too young for your child, they will not learn anything from the toys that you are providing. Likewise, toys that are too far beyond your child can result in frustration on the part of your child and they will not play with them.

The words “Schools Out For Summer” strike joy into the hearts of children and often a sigh of relief for parents who are just as eager to take a break from homework as their progeny. However taking a complete break from the books for the entire summer can be problematic.

Studies have shown that children forget between 1 and 3 months of school during the summer vacation. While reading is the least effected, the most impacted subjects are spelling and math. Obviously it is important for children to have time to play and relax — to just enjoy being kids during the summer. Children should not be pushed into a high-pressure study schedule over summer vacation. But parents can take steps to slow down that loss of knowledge and erosion of skills.

If your child

• seems very frustrated when trying to read

• has started to avoid reading altogether,

• or has started to fight going to school

He or she may be dyslexic. And that is very good news.

It’s good news, because dyslexia really is a talent, once you get past the reading challenge, and there are ways to do that — in a relatively short period of time, for relatively little cash outlay.

When students review with a teacher or sit through a class the day before the test, they treat it like any other day.

For the kids that fool around, they’ll do that. For the kids that space out, they’ll do that. And for the kids that pay attention, they’ll do that.

What no one seems to pick up on are the subtle tips teachers give to students that highlight important parts of the material. Important tips that the teacher probably repeats more than once.

Important as in…it’s going to be on the test you knucklehead so pay attention!

Kids are born winners. They feel they can do it all. In kindergarten, everyone raises their hand, everyone tries a new activity, and everyone wants to try again when they can’t do something the first time.

Yet, as time goes by, they begin to lose this fearlessness and they start to doubt themselves.

They doubt their ability to give the right answer, they doubt their ability to perform and they doubt their ability to learn.

They become like wilted flowers that stop showing their beauty. One of the causes is the negative thoughts in their heads. By the 2nd grade, kids hear negative comments 7 times more than positive comments.

I used to have a student who wrote down a lot of information as soon as he got a test. At first, I thought that was a great idea. Until I saw his grades. It was obvious that writing down notes on his test were not helping him.

Another student used to take a deep breath at the beginning of a test, and then race through the test with her feet and legs shaking like leafs on a tree.

Her grades were not so hot either.

It’s unfortunate that school holds such a revered place in society. I don’t say that because I feel education is unnecessary. On the contrary, I’m a teacher (15 years) and I believe in the power of education to transform lives and benefit society.

I’m referring to the fact that parents and kids look at school performance as the ultimate gauge of self worth. Get good grades, get into a good college, get a better job and have a better life.

What a chain of events!