For kids with Internet access at home, surfing the Web for information about favorite books, hobbies or holidays can be good practice. That s the key thing. It needs to be timely and connect with their own interests. She suggests that kids use a split-screen approach by searching the Web for information, then simultaneously opening a word processing program and taking notes about what they've learned. The combination of reading and responding to that material is an important activity for developing a child s language skills.
Parents can help preschoolers get a jump on reading by placing word cards on household items.
This drives home the concept that something in print has a sound and meaning. Creating chore lists, reading recipes, and using books to do crafts or gardening are activities that test reading comprehension skills. With safe school plans in place across North Carolina, schools are prepared for violence prevention strategies and crisis response, says Dr. Pamela Riley, director of the Center for the Prevention of School Violence, an affiliate of North Carolina State University. Each school district has turned in its plan to the state Department of Public Instruction, and each school has created a plan that fits its own needs, Riley says. The center has trained educators all across the state to identify early warning signs in troubled kids and to call on guidance counselors, school nurses, social workers and school psychologists to develop treatment plans for these children.