Now that it’s summer, it seemed like the perfect time to tweak my daughter’s the rules and rewards chart.
So instead of homework on her chart, we replaced it with either 20 minutes of reading, journaling (aka feelings journal) or working in her math workbook. Just like during the school year, doing her “work” is takes place right when we get home from camp while I am getting dinner ready.
Why have I chosen this path? Two reasons. 1) Studies show that without any type of mental stimulation during the summer, children experience what is wonderfully termed “brain drain.” Children basically, backslide and lose much of what they learned in the previous school year and 2) we both stay on schedule.
And why add the feelings journal? As everyone knows kids have temper tantrums, my daughter included. The feelings journal was recommended by my therapist as a way for my daughter to express her feelings an on-going basis. The therapist gave me a feelings chart so my daughter could use as a guide.
To make it special, I went and bought a fancy journal for her to write in and communicated that she should also draw pictures to go with her feelings. She actually likes writing in her feelings journal
And from my perspective, it makes her practice her writing and spelling skills. Sneaky, right.
Click here to read “Hurry Up, Rewards and Consequences” which lays out all my daughter’s daily routines and the rewards and consequences for her tasks.
Therapy Thursday is an ongoing series – If you are interested in reading more about my therapy sessions, scroll to the top of the site and click on Therapy Thursday.
Click here to read the first post in the series, “I admit it, I have a therapist” as to why I decided to go a therapist.
I need to do something with my step-kids. They only want to sit and play video games and it dawned on me my step-daughter when she does actually read, chooses 1st grade books despite being ready to go into 3rd. It is just hard though since they are only here for the summer and I do not want to be the mean step-mom making them do things they do not want to do.
I hear you. My daughter would watch tv all day if I let her. It is a struggle. I have had to secretly start hiding the easy books in my daughters "library" to push her to read more challenging books. I feel for you and the evil step mother feeling.