Preparing a Child for High School

Is high school right around the corner for your child? If so, chances are both of you are feeling anxious. Making the move from eighth grade to high school is a big step with new responsibilities, class options, and social experiences. While few children respond to a parent's advice on making social adjustments, it's still possible to help your child prepare for the academic aspect of high school by reinforcing the basics--math and reading.

Math: Consider the Basics

High school offers advanced math classes that depend on your child's understanding of the basics, often with little or no review. Geometry, pre-algebra, and eventually trigonometry, statistics, and pre-calculus lie ahead and all depend on the basic math skills developed in earlier grade levels. Biology, chemistry and physics all incorporate basic arithmetic and more advanced lab-related calculations.

Reading: The Magic of the Written Word

Reading is a major aspect of every subject your child will encounter in high school. Even art classes will require them to read and understand instructions. But in history, literature, English and foreign language classes, reading and comprehension skills can be the difference between passing and failing. Your child will be expected to read and understand new ideas and large amounts of information in short periods of time. What's more, they'l have to be able to express their ideas on paper. The subject matter they'll be dealing with may be new, but the skills they ened to handle the challenge are the very skills they've been developing all along.

Summer is about More than Sunshine

Encourage your child to practice their math and reading skills throughout the summer. Get some teacher-recommended summer reading books and consider enlisting the help of a computer-based educational program to solidify math basics. If you feel your child has not walked away from junior high with a firm understanding of these skills, consider hiring a tutor. Try to participate as much as possible in the summer study program.