Get out the Map!

I am not a parent nor am I an educator, but please allow me to share parenting advice from an educator.

Years ago, I overheard a friend with three degrees in education including a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership giving parenting advice to a small group at a dinner party. I should add that someone in the group asked her opinion. She doesn’t run around doling out unsolicited parenting advice. Well, she might sometimes, but probably not nearly as often as she’d like.  

Her top tips for parents have remained throughout twenty-plus years in education. First, read to kids every night. This should not be a ground-breaking new suggestion for parents, but it’s become even more important as kids are getting more and more screen time at younger and younger ages. Hearing the language and picking up sentence structure in early years to recognizing words and pronunciations as they grow naturally helps students in school. Talking to them about story content and illustrations improves their comprehension and cultivates connections between the text and the world around them. Kids learn that the written word can be meaningful and fun, both through fiction or non-fiction as well as in the quality down time with another.

A winding down at night in close contact with a parent, sibling, or other loved one helps also sets the mood for sleep and fosters feelings of comfort and safety.   A good night’s sleep and regular nurturing practices allow for kids to be better students. Teachers can accomplish so much more when the material they work with are rested and fueled for learning.  Nighttime reading is fantastic fuel.

The second and more unique tip is to put a map in children’s rooms. A city, state, country or world map will work. It should simply be something that can illustrate where a child is in it. This lets kids see that they are part of something bigger, gives them a sense of belonging, and can initiate the ever-present wonder of how and where they might fit among their various populations.

Ask just about any District 25 student and they’ll tell you there are 16 more days of school before summer vacation. This is a perfect time to consider the introduction of a new family routine of reading or ensuring an already established practice continues throughout the summer months. 

The season is also a perfect time for adventures, so get out the map! Then put it on the wall. Kids will see and remember where they’ve been and imagine all the places they can go.