Counselor’s Corner January 2019 Mrs. Snaith PreK – 1st grade Contact Information Phone: (225) 381-3871 Email: lsnaith@aloysius.org Please don’t hesitate to call, email, or make an appointment! Top Parenting Tips: In the next few newsletters I will be sharing some of my favorite parenting tips for raising happy, healthy kids. Eat dinner as a family According to a nonprofit organization affiliated with Harvard University, children who eat with their families roughly five days a week exhibit lower levels of substance abuse, teen pregnancy, obesity, and depression. They also have higher grade-point averages, better vocabularies, and increased self-esteem. Enforce no-screen time Researchers have found that the brains of young children can be permanently altered when they spend too much time using tablets and smartphones. Specifically, the development of certain abilities such as focus and attention, vocabulary, and social skills is impeded. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children younger than 18 months should have no screen time at all, other than video-chatting. For kids ages two to five, AAP recommends limiting screen time to one hour a day. For older kids, it's a matter of making sure media doesn't take the place of adequate sleep, exercise, and social interaction. The AAP also says parents should make the dinner table, the car, and bedrooms media-free zones. Source: https://www.inc.com/christina-desmarais/want-to-raise-kids-who-thrive-science-says-do-thes.html Guidance Lessons Guidance Lessons this month will focus on manners. First Grade students will hear the story Howard B. Wigglebottom and Manners Matters. In this story, Howard and his friends learn that having good manners makes people feel good and helps everyone to get along. Some of the manners discussed include saying “please”, “thank you”, “I’m sorry”, and “excuse me”. We will also discuss actions such as covering one’s face when sneezing, washing hands, knocking on closed doors, holding the door open, and waiting one’s turn. Students will practice these skills by playing a giant game of tic tac toe. In Kindergarten the story Do Unto Otters : A Book About Manners by Laurie Keller will be read and discussed. When a family of otters moves in next to Mr. Rabbit he quickly learns the golden rule: to treat others the way he wants to be treated. Students will write and illustrate a way they can use manners to follow the golden rule. Finally, PreK students will learn about the magic words: Please, Thank You, I’m Sorry, and Excuse Me. They will also practice using these words, and create a manners puppet.