Your child’s education is one of the most important things to spend money on. However the fees of college education are now increasing at an alarming speed. With in-state charges at a public school averaging slightly below $20,000 per annum, you might be asking yourself what to do. A great way to reduce the money obstacle of shelling out for university is the 529 College Savings Plan. A 529 College Savings Plan is a government subsidized savings plans which let you enjoy tax-free earnings. Deposits aren’t tax deductible for federal income tax uses, yet are tax deductible in many cases for state tax uses. Some basics you”ll need to know to start a 529 plan,are listed below:

1. Tax deductions are usually substantial.

Every 5 years, account holders may deduct as much as $55,000 from their estate per beneficiary without paying federal gift tax. For married people, the maximum is $110,000.* Here is an example: A rich married couple with 5 grandkids may put in $550,000 ($110,000 x 5) for their grandchildren’s college education and remove that amount of money from their assets. They may do this every 5 years before the limit is hit ($300,000+ per beneficiary in most cases).

2. You are in charge of the assets.

When you want to shut down the account, you’ll have to pay a 10% fee and income tax on any gains. The balance is yours to do with as you desire.

3. The beneficiary can be revised. Should your daughter make the decision to not go to university, the balance may be reassigned to another person. The account has to be moved to an suitable person inside of the same family.

4. Various US states, various plans.

Every state features its own plan(s), plus some tend to be superior to other plans. However you could put money into virtually every other state’s plans.* Theoretically, you can be an California citizen, choose a Florida 529 plan, and send your son or daughter to college in New York.

Plenty of versatility is offered, so you should definitely research options and rates before you decide to open an account.The charges linked to the different plans will also be essential to take into account. A few will be considerably higher than others. Actually, a lot of specialists consider the additional costs to be important factors when selecting a plan. Certain costs are charged when starting the account; additionally, there are yearly maintenance fees.

If you’re sure about the place you want to send your son or daughter to college, a lot of schools provide prepaid 529 plans. This could enable you to secure the price of future credit hours at the present rate. Sadly, there will be penalty charges in case you choose to send your kid some place else in the future. So when you decide on the prepaid 529 plan, be certain where you’ll be sending your child to school. On the flipside, investment choices are somewhat limited, and the option to swap among available investment options can also be restricted. The tax code presently curtails modifications to 1 time per calendar year.

As with any investment, 529 college saving plans might not meet your needs exactly. You’ll find so many other choices to fund a university degree, every single one with their personal positive aspects and constraints.Even so, when you have examined your investment choices extensively, you will probably find that the 529 plan is a great way to relieve the responsibility of coughing up for a higher education. The tax rewards are substantial, and you always retain power over your money. With the increasing expense of college or university, your children will appreciate you for the investment their futures.

Original post can be found here: How 529 Plans Work

In this ever-shrinking world, parents are getting more interested in raising bilingual children. After all, in this modern era, you may have friends and contacts all over the world, and they are no further away than an email or tweet. Thus, knowing another language may give your kids an edge in the future. Here are some tips for raising bilingual kids.

1. Take advantage of what your child already loves. If there is a favorite cartoon he or she likes, try watching it in Spanish (or whatever language you are learning). The same goes for interests in music, geography, and social studies.

2. Incorporate the culture with hands-on activities. Reading about a French food is not nearly as fun as making it in the kitchen! Learn about the dress, customs, holidays, and so forth in the countries where your target language is spoken. Then spend time living like the people in that culture, and speak the language in the meantime.

3. Take advantage of technology. It’s not a substitute for hands-on activities, but technology offers so many enhancements to your experiential learning. Look for television shows, cartoons, or music in your target language. Fire up Google Earth and take a tour of foreign lands. Download books in your target language. You can even change the default language on your mobile device!

4. Books are still relevant, even in today’s technology-immersed culture. Seeing the written words alongside illustrations is a time-honored way to learn languages. There’s no substitute for good foreign language books for children.

5. Show the relevance of the language you’re learning. Your child, especially if he or she is older, may be less motivated if they don’t understand the relevance of bilingualism. See if you can find a “pen pal” in another country that your child can communicate with. This ties the skill in with peer relationships.

You can also reinforce this lesson in relevance by having your child join a chat room or online forum where your target language is “spoken.”

6. Don’t forget to make it fun! Play games in your target language, such as “I Spy” (this could help with vocabulary words) or even board games.

7. Take advantage of what your kids already know. If you have a favorite poem or story, find that same literature in your target language.

8. Find a native speaker of the target language, or someone who is fluent in the language. See if that person can visit your home or join you on a play date, and let your child hear the language.

Original post can be found here: Top Tips for Raising Bilingual Children

Learning difficulties are not just a challenge for kids – they can be challenging for parents, too. Is there anything you can do to help your child succeed in school? Here are some strategies for concerned parents for helping their children with learning difficulties do well in school.

1. Don’t look for a cure

As a parent, it may be tempting to try and make the learning difficulty “go away.” While there are things you can do to minimize your child’s struggles, the fact that he or she has a learning difficulty is not going to go away. This is all the more reason to learn coping strategies. Your child needs to be taught how to work with his or her disability, not ignore it.

2. Think beyond school

When you help your child with homework, read books with him or her, and generally engage your child to help his or her learning, you are setting your child up for success beyond school. Children who understand their difficulty and have learned how to confront and deal with it may be more likely to succeed than those children who see themselves as helpless victims of an unfair challenge.

3. Be honest

Well-intentioned parents may try to keep a child’s learning difficulties secret. After all, they don’t want their child to be “labeled,” or they may want to avoid the possibility that their child will use the difficulty as a crutch or excuse. However, some experts believe that keeping the learning difficulty secret may send a message of shame and inadequacy. It’s said that the best approach is to honestly accept the difficulty, face it, and help your child understand and accept it also.

4. The whole person

You can help your child overcome his or her learning difficulties by providing the healthiest lifestyle possible. In fact, experts have pointed out the direct impact that diet and exercise can have on a child’s developing brain. So look into giving your family whole, organic foods, providing playtime and exercise, and practicing the principles of fitness and health.

5. Limit screen time

There have been multiple studies showing the negative effect on the brain that excessive exposure to screen-based media (television, computer screens, etc.) can have. Limiting the time your child spends watching television, DVDs, YouTube, or playing computer games helps get his or her brain in the mode to learn.

Original post can be found here: Learning Difficulties in Children – How Can You Help

Are you concerned that you are going to come across as “one of those pushy parents” if you read to your children early? Do you fear boredom or criticism from your older kids if you read to them? It might be a good idea to get past those fears – reading aloud to your kids is said to have many benefits.

Experts speculate that illiteracy could be greatly reduced if not eliminated if parents would read three or more stories a day to their children. Children who are read to not only tend to be early, proficient readers themselves, but they also tend to have a better grasp on language in general.

Studies have shown that kids do not learn as well from videos as they do from a live, personal interaction, even if the videos and person are teaching the same things. So while technology certainly has its place, children may not learn as well through a screen as from a real person.

Here are some other benefits of reading aloud to your kids.

1. Personal interaction

Reading aloud time is together time. It is a time set aside for you and your child to interact and spend time reinforcing your relationship. Some kids enjoy associating reading with something else positive – a drink, snack, or simply a time of quiet can be a positive experience for your child (and you!). Reading aloud can be bonding time.

2. Vocabulary

Children who have an adult read to them regularly tend to have a much bigger vocabulary than those who were not read to. Also, kids who are read to also tend to exhibit a greater proficiency at learning new words. Read-to kids apparently develop an understanding of various sounds of words and of how words work in general, setting the stage for easier learning of new words and concepts.

3. A World of learning

When you read aloud to your children, you are reading about something, right? Books are a wonderful way to introduce your children to other cultures, family structures, history, animals, science concepts, and pretty much anything you want to read about. There are books available at just about every level on a huge number of subjects. It needn’t cost anything if you make use of your local library.

4. A love of learning

Reading aloud sets the stage for a love of learning that will accompany your child for a lifetime. It’s also been said that children who are read to have longer attention spans, which is also a learning enhancement.

Original post can be found here: Why Reading Aloud to Kids Is So Important

Homework can be very challenging, especially for high-energy kids who have a hard time sitting still at school, much less at home. As a parent, you may find yourself at a loss as to how you can help your kids cope with their homework challenges. Here are some tips that may help.

1. Schedule it in

Your kids need to know that you think homework is important. One way to do that is to have a designated “homework time.” This kind of routine can be very helpful for kids, and also establishes homework as an important task with its own allotted time.

Having a designated homework time also gives you more flexibility. That may seem ironic, but you and your child get to decide how many hours are needed, and what time of day those hours can come out of. Letting your child help you decide can also be motivational – that makes it less about the parent telling the child what to do and more about the child working with you to solve a problem.

Another tip about the scheduling – consider setting aside an “academic time” rather than just “homework time.” For example, if your child knows he or she has to spend an hour doing something learning-related, he or she will probably be less likely to hurry carelessly through a homework assignment just to get it done. Your child will understand that if he or she finishes his or her homework early, then he or she must find something else school- or learning-related to do.

2. Check it over

Make it a practice to look over your kids’ homework assignments. You don’t have to nit-pick, but just see that the homework is completed and that there are no glaringly obvious errors.

3. Get to know the teacher

Try to find out your child’s teacher’s expectations regarding homework, so that you can help your child reach those specific goals. It may be surprising how much teachers can differ in their homework expectations.

4. Quiet time

Homework/academic time should be free from noisy distractions if at all possible. Don’t settle down with homework assignments near the telephone, television, or computer, for instance (unless the homework assignment requires research on the computer). Some music is okay, especially if it helps filter out more distractions, such as loud younger siblings or other family member’s television programs. Just make sure the music is not distracting in and of itself.

5. Quiet place

Choose a special place for homework. Your child may come to look forward to settling down in this cozy, customized area of the house. Again guarding against distractions, you can set up the area to have snacks, drinks (even a mini fridge), comfy chairs or cushions, a special desk or table, and so forth.

Original post can be found here: How to Deal with Your Kids’ Homework Challenges

For those parents who live in an area where language immersion programs are offered, it may be difficult to make the choice as to whether or not their kids will benefit. Here is a list of some questions to consider, and some pros and cons based on the experiences of others and the nature of immersion programs themselves.

First of all, just what is a language immersion program? This refers to a type of learning that involves total immersion in a foreign language. A variety of subjects are taught in the language, rather than teaching the language as a separate subject. In other words, your child won’t have Spanish, French, German, etc. class; he or she will have math, social studies, etc. class taught in the foreign language. The language being learned is spoken almost all the time during the program.

Questions to Consider

1. How does your child deal with his or her native language? If your child struggles with language concepts, you might want to consider the possibility that a foreign language could be very confusing.

2. How important is learning a foreign language to your family? You may have special reasons for having your child learn a foreign language, such as your location, relatives, or friends. Learning about another culture may be important to you as well.

3. Is your child an experiential learner? Some children learn best on paper; others by experience. In language immersion, your child will be experiencing the language first-hand. This really appeals to some children and helps them learn the language easily.

Pros of Language Immersion Programs

* Children tend to become fluent in the language, even if it’s not spoken at home.

* A child’s understanding of his or her native language may be enhanced, as he or she begins to see the roots of English words that are present in many foreign languages.

* Language immersion may make it easier for your child to learn other languages in the future.

Cons of Language Immersion Programs

* Children with dyslexia or other language-based learning disabilities are purported to have trouble with this type of language program.

* The “sink or swim” approach, where your child is “forced” to learn the language to survive the class, can be intimidating to some kids.

* Terminology in the subjects taught in language immersion programs, such as math, may present a problem for some kids when they are presented with those terms in their native language.

Original post can be found here: Language Immersion Programs – Is It Right for My Child?

Math is a subject that many kids find difficult. It seems for a lot of children you either have a natural knack for math or you don’t. However, even a child that is struggling in this area can make very good progress with the right strategies in place. For some children it’s not a matter of “being bad at math” but simply more of needing a flexible teaching approach to the subject.

Here are a few tips to help your child develop their math skills:

#1 – Don’t push too hard. It’s worth keeping in mind that some children can create an inner mental block when it comes to math. If they believe they just “don’t get it” it will be difficult to help them learn and understand the basic concepts.

Help your child relax by offering a lot of praise and letting them know that they will eventually understand the subject; it’s just a matter of practicing and applying. Try to avoid negative language such as “you won’t get into college unless you pass your math exam.” While this may be true, it can be a very daunting and frightening thought for children.

Instead concentrate on positive approaches such as explaining to your child that there’s a set formula to understanding math and that it’s not really a mystery – simply a matter of getting the formula right. Then let them know you’ll help them until they “crack the code.” By giving your child the confidence to believe that they will eventually understand the topic, you take a lot of pressure off them. In turn they may just surprise you with their progress.

#2 – Little and often. With math, as with may other subjects, an approach of little and often works best. For many children the thought of sitting down for even 30 minutes to work on math is daunting. A better option may be to practice their skills in five or ten minute bursts. Studies have shown that the ideal retention time for any new or difficult subject is eight minutes.

By practicing little and often your child may be able to develop their skills better. Another good “trick” is to write basic formulas or times tables on flash cards and let your child practice them several times throughout the days. It may only take three or four minutes but doing this regularly can really make a difference to their skills.

#3 – Use “real life” concepts. One of the best ways to develop math skills early on is to simply get a basic “real life” concept of numbers. You can easily do this by letting your child count coins or money from a young age. Did you know that because much of our money is electronic nowadays, children often can’t even recognize coins or actual money? Help your child get to grips with money by exposing them to counting and handling money early on.

Another fun and fantastic option for developing number skills is by playing games. Games like bingo, monopoly and even puzzles really develop critical skills that help with number skills. It’s a great opportunity for families to spend time together and learn. The children will simply think they’re having fun (and they will be) but they will also be learning valuable number concepts.

Helping your child with math can seem like a daunting prospect, but with these simple but effective tips you can make a big difference to your child’s skills.

Original post can be found here: Homework Help Strategies to Help Your Child Do Well in Math

Choosing the right school is an important decision for most parents. We worry whether our children will be happy and safe, learn effectively and make good friends. Although choosing a school can be a daunting process, the better prepared you are the better your chances of making the right decision for your whole family.

Here are a few things to consider when choosing the best school for your child.

#1 – What’s right for one child may not be right for the other. While it’s nice to get feedback from friends and family about certain schools, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be a good fit for your child. Children come with a wide range of personalities and abilities, and a school that is great for one child may be quite the opposite for another.

By focusing early on the fact that the school you choose is best based around your child’s personal needs rather than the schools reputation or what the other moms say, you can make the best decision for your child. And if you do choose a school that seems just right on all levels but turns out not to be a good match for your child, take comfort in the fact that it’s quite a tricky decision to get just right. And it’s never too late to change schools if you’re not happy with your current one.

#2 – Visit the school. Reading school reports and talking to other parents is helpful, but nothing is a substitute for visiting the actual school your considering in person. If possible take your child along to get their feedback. Ideally, you will want to visit the school when it’s in full swing. This way you can see how children interact with each other and their teachers.

You may come away feeling a great energy about the school or perhaps feeling that something just wasn’t quite for you. By visiting several different schools early on, you can compare their differences and really see what is right for you.

#3 – Speak to the principal. The principal or head of the school is the guiding force behind everything to do with that school. While the teachers, staff members and children play a significant role, the principal may have the final say on policies and ethos of the school.

By speaking to the principal directly you can gauge what their thoughts are about education and other important matters. However, be wary of making a decision based on your personal thoughts about the principal as a person. They are just a person, after all. And although you may not particularly like their personality or dress sense, that doesn’t mean they won’t make a fantastic leader.

The key here is to see how well thought out their views about the school are. By speaking directly to the person in charge, you may be better able to make your final decision.

Choosing the right school for your child isn’t an easy task, but with a little foresight and planning the task is made easier. By knowing that your choice needs to be personal to your child, visiting the school and speaking the key people involved, you have the basis for making an informed decision.

Original post can be found here: Choosing the Best School for Your Child

There are many ways for you to provide homework help for your kids. Even if you are busy and you are minding so many things, this is one aspect that you must never miss out on. This is a vital phase on your child’s life. If you cannot allot ample time to be able to accomplish such task, you can always look for help and suitable individuals that can carry it out.

Where do you find the help that you need in this regard?

1. Talk to kids’ teachers. You can ask them for pointers as to what are the strength and weaknesses of your kids. This way, when you look for tutors, you will know exactly the qualifications of the person that you are looking for. Some teachers will also agree to tutor your kids during their free time for a minimal fee. This will be a better setup because you are assured that your kids are on the right hands. Their teachers know what areas they should focus on to be able to help your children perform better.

2. You can also ask for referrals from friends. You will likely find qualified individuals in colleges. These people need the money that they can get from this sideline. And they have enough knowledge to share with your kids about the aspects that they are finding difficult to understand.

3. If you will browse online about the topic, you may also bump into people who are offering this kind of service. You have to be careful in dealing with them. It will be better to conduct series of interviews before you seal the deal. Even if the setup can also be done online, you have to be sure that you will be investing your money on the right person who will ably fill the gap which you cannot afford to make time for with your kids. This is popular these days. You can even find people at the other side of the world who can render such services for you.

Even if you already have someone handling the homework of your kids, you must still help on your own little ways. During your free time, you must make sure that you keep up to date with whatever’s happening to your kid’s school life. You can also try any of the following to help you in this case.

1. It is okay to go out with your kids on weekends and let them enjoy their time with you. But on Sundays, you must make sure that they get home and sleep early so that they won’t feel tired the next day when they have to come to school.

2. There are times when it is okay to allow them to watch TV and play their favorite electronic gadgets. But you must set the limit and ask them to prioritize their studies. You must learn to reward them when they performed well.

3. Everyday after coming home, you must ask your kids how they have been doing at school. Ask them about the things that you want to know to learn if there is any progress. This way, you will gauge if what you are doing is enough or you might need more reinforcements to make sure that they will get whatever they still need in relation to homework help.

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Original post can be found here: Where to Find Suitable Homework Help for Your Kids?

Home works are always the point of contentions between parents and their kids after school. One side just want to have a rest after a whole day of work in school while the other want their kids to learn the value of hard work and therefore would want them to continue the work when at home when they are assigned by their teachers. But home works are necessary part of school life and need not be something that parents and kids will fight about. In fact, parents can even help their kids with their home works without really providing the answers to it.

Here are some of the ways that you can do this. They are so obvious, you may even be doing them already with your kids.

1. Put value into it
Kids are logical beings. When you explain how important doing their homework is, they will learn to place value into it. You can do this by giving your children rewards for a job well done. Award them with toys that they like when they have gotten into the Top Ten of their class or give them certain privileges when their grades are high enough.

Rewards need not be something material. It can be in the form of praises and words of encouragement. This is especially true for kids who are weak-hearted or those that are easily frustrated.

One advice is to be careful in giving too much rewards. Too much of it will get children to focus more on the rewards rather than on the deed itself. That can be a problem because their motivation and their efforts to do things will depend on the reward. If they don’t want the reward, they will not do anything. Or worse, when there’s no reward, they will feel that it is not worthy to make the effort. Keep it balanced. That way, you can teach your child values in the process.

2. Make it fun
Studying and doing homework may be serious things but you can make it fun too. You can do this by giving your kids a special corner which they can have for themselves. Having a spot where they can work will emphasize how important studying and doing their homework is. It will also give them something to look forward to so that they will be motivated to study.

Another way to make it fun is to inject games into the learning process. Make tests that they can answer as a review for their lessons. Create some guessing games or word games for their English and history subjects. You can also perk up the learning process by giving your kids reference materials that are colorful and kid friendly. For instance, if you are going to buy an encyclopedia, don’t buy the heavy ones. Rather settle for those that are age-appropriate with accompanying pictures.

You can also give your children access to the internet. Here they can find virtually anything that they to know about to help them with their homework. Of course, when doing this you have to make sure that there is an adult that will guide them.

Original post can be found here: Tips on How to Help Your Kids Finish Their Home Works