3. A pivotal year for writing is 3rd grade.
The writing requirements in 3rd grade often catch parents off guard. Kids are expected to write a lot more—including multi-paragraph essays.
The irony is, in many teachers don’t have enough time during the school day to teach the strategic writing process in detail.
The result?
Writing struggles can really become apparent in 3rd grade!
There’s a relationship between your child’s ability to read and their ability to write. Children can’t write beyond the ability that they have for reading. This means that if kids are struggling with reading, then they will certainly struggle with writing multi-paragraph essays.
But even if your child IS a strong reader, your child may not have gotten the writing instruction they need.
You may need to take proactive steps to supplement what’s being done in school.
4. In 3rd grade math, the focus changes to “automatic recall.”
In 1st and 2nd grade, kids are encouraged to use their fingers and other counting strategies to add and multiply numbers. But by 3rd grade, these calculations need to be automatic.
If kids are still using counting strategies to add and multiply single-digit numbers, they don’t have enough brainpower left over to solve complex problems.
If you child doesn’t know 2+2 is 4, they are not going to be able to solve 52+72.
"Think about your drive into work this morning," explains Cortnee Berrill, Manager of Mathematics at Sylvan. "You adjusted your seat and mirrors, buckled your seatbelt and checked your surroundings. There was a lot you did before you even started the car. Once you started driving, you were concentrating on everything you did. When you get in the car, it’s like being on autopilot. These things are automatic to you. Math facts need to be as automatic to children as driving into work is for us.”
Psst .. Here's some more information on math facts, complete with fun tips and strategies to help your child master them!
Tips to help your child with the 3rd grade transition:
- Practice math facts to strengthen your child’s memory any time you’re with your child, from car rides, to waiting at the doctor’s office. Your child should be able to automatically add single-digit numbers with sums up to 20 and multiply single-digit numbers by memory.
- Make it fun. Look for “math fact” game apps for your smart phone, use flash cards or play board games that involve adding dice. Check out these fun math fact game ideas!
- Encourage your child to read every day. If you have been reading to your child, change roles and have your child read to you.
- Encourage your child to keep a daily journal. It can be as short and simple as answering: "What’s the best thing that happened to me today?" Journaling is a great way for kids to build confidence with writing.
- Set a good example and model the behaviors you want from your child. For example, turn off your electronic devices during dinner or family time, or whenever you’re trying to connect. Read a book or write a note or journal entry.
- Make sure your child’s skills are on track. Don’t wait for parent-teacher conferences or report cards to discover your child has some skill gaps. It’s much easier to stay on pace with class, rather than chasing after the class to catch up. Request an assessment from your school, or get Sylvan’s Insight™ Assessment. You’ll learn exactly how your child’s skills compare to national norms and where to focus your energy.
- Explore supplemental resources to strengthen skills. Your options range from online skill-building games, to tutoring. Sylvan offers a variety of math, reading and writing programs to help children dramatically improve their skills and confidence. We love helping kids go from, “I hate writing,” to, “Maybe I’ll be a writer some day!” Find your local Sylvan here and give them a call.