Whatever happened to the lost art of tongue twisters? 

This is a great activity to get the family laughing together, but it is also connected to vocabulary development, literacy, and speech articulation. Try some of the beauties on this website with your family - no fair practicing first! ;)

We live in an amazing time in history, but sometimes fail to take advantage. We can speak face to face, through video, across the world, for free. This assumes you have a computer with a web camera and fast enough internet, but many of us have the tools and fail to act. 

Make today the day you break through that invisible wall, sign up for a service like Skype, and talk with a relative. 

Our youngest likes this so much he often will choose it when he has free time. This is a great way to encourage reading as he can read a book long distance to his aunt (for example). Making connections, building relationships, extending language skills ... what a great way to learn!

Storytelling is an incredibly powerful medium for sharing important values, transferring information, and building language skills. It also can provide a glimpse into your past that helps your child understand who you are and what makes you tick.

In many families, stories are what bond the generations together. Your children will surprise you with how well they remember these moments even months later. The honesty, the sharing, and the joy of story are important and could be a great part of your family time.

Sometimes adults get frustrated because children will not jump into new activities and situations, but if you think about it, adults generally avoid new activities and situations and are risk averse. 

Modeling risk taking by openly trying new, possibly embarrassing things, can be incredibly powerful for your children to see - and can lead to lots of positive conversation. It could be jumping into a sport your child is playing, singing, playing one of their favorite video games, or any new activity that seems relevant and interesting to your child. Try it, you might like it. ;)

Have you been longing for a little peace and quiet in your house? Are screens dominating the free time? When was the last time you had a chance to read a good book? Family reading time is a solution to so many problems we can’t list them all here. It does take discipline, largely on the part of the adults, to stop doing ‘everything we have to do’ and join in the reading for 15-30 minutes. It is amazing how much influence we have over our children, but our primary mode of influence is through modeling - thus the importance of reading at home at a time when kids can see it. Family reading time also leads to many conversations about the books as children see what adults read and adults see what the children read.

Some ways to make family reading time extra special are to stick to a routine (give it high value in scheduling), help your child choose books through conversation (but let your child own the choice), turn off distractions (screens, music, etc.), and show appreciation for both your children and your own opportunity to read. In other words, make it clear from your actions that family reading time matters - and that it can be a special time for everyone.

At the Joyful Learning Network we highlighted the importance of family dinners in a recent JLN newsletter, but it is worth bringing back as an FTIP because it is so important. Modern life in America is hectic, but setting a standard (or at least a routine) for family dinners can pay off in a number of ways:

- helping create a stable environment for your children
- helping establish a healthy lifestyle
- helping with your child’s health and nutrition
- providing an opportunity for discussion and getting to know each other
- letting your kid/s know that you want to spend time with them
… and so much more.

There are many terrific resources for family dinners, again a few of these are highlighted in weekly wave #5 - check it out!