15+ Fun (and Free) French Activities for Kids

15+ Fun (and Free) French Activities for Kids Sign up successful To make it easy to browse, the activities are broken down into various categories, such as French cultural activities, French grammar activities, French vocabulary activities, and more. French Cultural Activities 1. Take your child to a museum France has produced some of the most talented artists, such as Monet and Renoir. Check your local museum’s schedule to see when it is featuring a French-inspired exhibition and bring your child along. The admission for children is typically free. 2. Celebrate French holidays Celebrating important French holidays, such as Bastille Day, will teach your child about French history. Celebrate by making some fun crafts or taking part in holiday traditions. Similar to the Fourth of July, the French display fireworks.   3. Cook a French meal Familiarize your child with French cuisine by having him or her help you whip up a traditional French meal. Your child can channel their inner Julia Child with traditional French dishes, such as quiche and crème brûlée. 4. Watch a French movie Fire up Netflix and host a French movie night with your family. Here are some kid-friendly French movies you and your child can enjoy: “A Monster in Paris,” “The Red Ballon,” and “Tintin and the Lake of Sharks.” 5. Listen to French music Do you have a Pandora or Spotify account? Download some French tunes to listen to while at home or on the road. Listening to French music will help familiarize your child with French accents and pronunciations. French Grammar Activities 6. Play Simon Says Put a French spin on the game Simon Says. Take on the role of Simon and issue commands. For example, Simon says…le pied!  or Simon says…le nez. This French activity  does a great job teaching kids the different body parts in French. 7. Twenty Questions Give this guessing game a French twist. First, think of a place or person and keep it to yourself. Your child will ask you 20 yes or no questions in French to determine what place or person you’re thinking of. 8. Put on a scavenger hunt Set up a fun scavenger hunt around the yard or house. At each destination, your child will have to read a clue (in French) to move onto the next destination. At the end, reward your child with a fun toy or treat. 9. Act it out together Gather the family and play a game of charades. First, divide everyone into two teams. Then, write out a selection of French verbs, nouns, or phrases to act out. The first team will act out a verb, noun, and phrase, while the other team guesses. 10. French nursery rhymes A great way to learn French is through song. “Alouette” and “Frere Jacques” are two of the most popular French nursery songs that kids learn. Print out the song and sing along with your child. French Vocabulary Activities 11. Puzzles You can download and print dozens of free French crosswords and word searches for your child. He or she will have fun playing, while simultaneously learning French vocabulary and simple sentences. Keep a stack in the car for long road trips. 12. Memory game Create some French flashcards and place them face down on a table. Your child will flip over two cards. If the pictures match, your child will flip over two more cards. The point of the game is to match all of the cards from memory. 13. Coloring books Purchase a French coloring book for as little as $5 on Amazon. These coloring books will spark your child’s creativity, while helping him or her  learn various vocabulary words and themes. 14. Read French books There are a ton of beginner French books. Le Petit Prince is one of the most well-known French children’s books. You can find the book in almost any brick and mortar or online book store. 15. Hangman This French activity  is played exactly like the original Hangman version, except you are using French vocabulary words and phrases instead of English. French Number Activities 16. Throw a bingo night Create your own bingo cards from materials around the house or print some boards from the web. Your child will have to listen and identify what number you’re saying out loud. 17. Toss it Standing in a circle, throw a tennis ball to another person within the circle. Once the person catches the ball, he or she must say the next number in French. If the person doesnt know the correct number or mispronounces it, he or she will step outside the circle. 18. Uno This classic card game is great for teaching your child French numbers. To make the game educational, have your child say the number of each card he or she  plays in French. Go Play! Getting your child to practice French outside of the classroom doesnt have to be difficult. Plan to do one or more of these French activities every  week and you will see vast improvements in your childs language abilities. Do you have any French activities that you play with your child? Share it with us in the comments section below! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

Accounting Courses in Manchester

Accounting Courses in Manchester Calling All Manchester Students to Accounting Class! ChaptersClasses in Accounting for the A-Levels StudentStudy Accounting Principles with a Private TutorAccounting in the Business WorldEntrepreneurship and AccountingDid you know that Greater Manchester is home to more multimillionaires than anywhere else in the country, outside of London?How much do you want to bet that those people engage the services of an accountant?Wouldn’t you like to be one?Accounting is, consistently but unfortunately, at or near the top of the list of overlooked professions, yet it is one of the unsung career fields.Have you ever heard a primary school student express the desire to be anything other than a firefighter or astronaut, dancer or doctor?To be sure, plenty of children aspire to various career fields but it is not often than any little voice pipes up to proclaim that s/he wishes to be an accountant when s/he grows up.Still, somewhere along the line, if these statistics are anything to go by, students get interested in maths and, while we cannot kn ow what percentage of them enter the world of finance and accounting, we might speculate that a respectable portion does.And why not? The median salary of a financial accountant is just over £50,000 per year â€" and they are at the low end of the earnings scale for accountants!Are you pretty good with numbers? Can you formulate a budget and analyse figures to find deficiencies?If so, perhaps a career in accounting is for you. Why not join your Superprof in finding accounting courses that will qualify you to land such a lucrative position?Find accounting courses in Cardiff and accounting lessons in Belfast too!You may take online accounting classes to help you prepare for you A-Levels Source: Pixabay Credit Stock Snap PhotosSurely you already have a rough idea of where and how to study for your accounting A-Levels but it doesn’t hurt to explore more options, does it?In fact, you may want to take part in an online accounting class so that you can study at your own pace, from a curr iculum designed to prepare you for success, both in test-taking and in the field of accountancy.The Open College offers just such a programme to those who want to study accounting.They will take you from basic accounting â€" recording financial data and checking accounting records, through ratio analysis and business performance, all the way to activity-based costing and capital investment appraisal.What we particularly liked about this course is their focus on the legal, ethical, environmental and economic aspects of accounting.By the time you finish this course, you will have an understanding of the limitations of accounting information systems and know exactly how effective they can be.All of that for £449: we’d have to conclude that is great value for the money!Even if you are scheduled to sit your exams next year, you still have time to benefit from all of this knowledge!You can find similar accounting courses in Birmingham and accounting classes in Edinburgh too!Whether you are an undergraduate or learning accounting practices as an executive, it is always a good idea to work with a tutor! Source: Pixabay Credit: Startup Stock PhotosStudy Accounting Principles with a Private TutorWhether you are a GCSE or A-Levels student, an undergraduate or a managerial accountant aiming for CPA certification, you might master accounting concepts faster and better with a one on one tutor.Manchester Tutors work with students at all levels, even beyond university level, on a variety of subjects.While they do not specifically address accounting as a subject, you may get help in understanding maths, economics and business studies, all of which may enhance any accounting classes you might also be enroled in.Or you could head directly to Superprof’s accounting page, where you will find at least eight accountant tutors ready and willing to help you.At least eight? Do we not know how many accountant tutors we have located in Manchester?Of course we do! Those eight are jus t the ones physically located in Manchester, that would come to your home or meet you in a convenient location.Superprof tutors delight in saving you money, so plenty of them offer lessons via webcam and, if you’re not averse to online tutoring, you would have more than 5,000 accounting tutors to choose from!Perhaps the best part of choosing a finance tutor is knowing their success rate.Each tutor’s profile indicates his/her speciality and the level of student s/he best works with, and there are plenty of testimonials from previous students to make your selection even easier!However, if online tutoring does not appeal to you, Chioma, Roy or Akhtar are all in the Greater Manchester area and any of them would respond to your request for help within 24 hours.To make things even better: they all offer their first hour of instruction for free!Whether you are an accounting major or studying principles of accounting in anticipation of one day earning your undergraduate degree, it only makes sense to get the most qualified help to be had at Superprof.With Superprof, you can get help for your accounting courses anywhere in the country!Accounting in the Business WorldShort of having earned an MBA, if you’ve been in the workplace for any amount of time, you surely know that accounting and business go hand in hand.If you have been recently promoted to manager, you would definitely need a bit of education, possibly in the realm of financial and managerial accounting.To that end, we highlight Souters’ Finance and Accounting course, a curriculum tailor-made for those professionals for whom accounting is secondary to other business aspects.Through their two-day course, you will learn double entry bookkeeping and how to record transactions in a ledger system. Furthermore, they touch on how to maintain a cash book and balance petty cash.And, they go further to explain:How to record invoices and credit noteshow to record credit and cash transactionshow to prepare a trial balancehow to create a profit and loss balance sheethow to reconcile bank statementsfinancial statement analysisThis course is intensive â€" that’s a lot of material to absorb in two days! However, to gain a better understanding of how the financial side of a business works, this course is a fine introduction.For only £499, this much education is a steal!Find related accounting courses in Glasgow...You too can make your dreams take flight, just be sure to learn about accounting beforehand! Source: Pixabay Credit: AlyibelEntrepreneurship and AccountingWith news reports of teenaged millionaires popping up with startling frequency and startups claiming ever more attention in the business world, it’s not surprising that everyday people who’ve long dreamed of turning their idea into a goldmine are making a go of things.The main aspect of such innovation to be mindful of is the financial aspect.Please don’t do as Paul Graham did: come up with a solid idea, do all of the work... only for everything to fall through in the marketing phase of his operation - ultimately costing him all of the money and preparation he put into his plan.To avoid this pitfall, what you need is the Business Management with Accountancy course from The Centre for Excellence.This is an online course that will teach you, among other aspects of starting a business, to consider every aspect of owning and running a business.In particular, they will teach you business accounting, bookkeeping, profit and loss recording, and touch on cost accounting and accounting systems.Were you looking for accounting courses in London?Should you decide that your current job is not fulfilling and your new business should involve being a public accountant, you may need to take different courses, such as the ones offered through The Manchester College.They offer a fully accredited AAT Foundation certificate in accounting, and you don’t need to have sat any A-Levels to earn your accounting certificate throu gh them.NOTE: AAT stands for Association of Accounting Technicians. It is one of the most prestigious bodies representing accountants, on par with the Institute of Management Accountants.There are no prerequisites required for this course; it is ideal whether you have any knowledge and skills related to accounting or not.Please note that this is their Level 2 course; if you have absolutely no knowledge of accounting, you may select their foundation course before exposure to this expanded version of accounting skills.At this level, you will become more familiar with generally accepted accounting principles, basic costing procedures and the many forms of a computerized accounting system.Because this course is considered intermediate accounting, you may also discover the phases of the accounting cycle, accounting standards and other aspects of the discipline related to public accounting.Although you would not earn an accounting degree  through them, as you would at university, should y ou continue this training program, maybe move on to advanced accounting, nothing says you can’t become a certified public accountant.And what of those who pursue a degree in accounting at university?As it turns out, the University of Manchester does have a business accounting programme.Theirs is a three-year programme and, should you opt for the fourth year, you would be placed in a full-time employment position as an accountant.If you’ve ever wanted to learn all about financial accounting, management accounting, forensic accounting, international accounting; taxation or auditing, you could not do better than a bachelor’s degree from this school.There is an accounting program for anyone who wants to learn the accounting business in Manchester.As you learn to crunch those numbers, know that your Superprof is behind you all the way, even if you are taking accounting courses in Leeds: with tutoring help or just moral support!

Algebra help can bring you closer to success with Tutor Pace

Algebra help can bring you closer to success with Tutor Pace Whenever it comes for me to write about mathematics, it becomes tiring for me to write as I dislike mathematics a lot. For me mathematics is such a subject in which you have to take immense pressure that will bring you more and more tension in your lives. When we all were a kid we never thought that mathematics would turn out to be so difficult. As time went by I discovered that mathematics is much tougher than I have ever imagined. You need to have a strong base for mathematics to be easy for you. You can make mathematics easy if you enroll yourself under the guidance of a good teacher. Now comes the point that from where will you find the good teacher. It is tough to find a good teacher that easily. You have to move about here and there to find a good teacher. After schools every student goes to any of the good teacher who makes it a point to teach the student with utmost care and confidence. School teaching is not at all enough for any student to cope up. Something extra is needed that will help one to survive in this hard core practical world. That extra input is derived from a private tutor. Private tutors are easily available in today’s time. When you go to a private tutor you have a great thinking process that you can get to know the subject deeply. But in many cases it is so that the private tutors do not deliver their best to their students. They are very much involved into gaining popularity and having a good lifestyle. Professionalism is more important to them rather than changing a student and their future. This is the reason many parents fear to admit their child into any such private tutoring classes. They have a tension that this type of tutoring classes will never be able to provide that level of teaching facility which is needed. So what is the next option for helping your child to over such type of tuition so that you can provide your child with the best tutoring facility? Yes, for those tensed up parents you do not have to be tensed as a new way out has come up and that is the online tutoring facility. Do you have any idea about what is online tutoring and how is it effective? It is a new way and also a great way through which your child can be taught well. Yes a unique and a new type of concept that brings in the best in your way with immense amount of patience and care. Online tutoring facility is possible only with the help of internet. Internet brings in online tutoring at your doorstep. In today’s generation each child knows how to handle internet and also knows various usage of it. This kind of tutoring facility will help you to change the perception of your knowledge and also the approach towards the subject. Advantages of online tutoring Now it’s time that you should also know about the benefits of online tutoring. Online tutoring brings in the best from you and also helps you to increase your grades with ease. The online tutoring facility has some of the best teachers present at the institute. It is one of the best institutes that can help you to grow with the subject. The subject is very tough and thus availability of good teacher is necessary. When you have an experienced teacher by your side the entire concept of a tough subject also changes into an easy one. The easy way of having the learning process is through online tutoring. Good teachers are available because of the fact that the interview process through which the teachers are appointed are very tough and thus the best brings out with ease. The availability of the teachers in online tutoring is found all round the clock. This is called the best way for any student to avail the facility of online tutoring. Whenever you want to attend the classes the students can easily attend the classes. This helps a student to save the time for any student. The time that is used for moving to any of the tuition classes can be easily mended into being into the classes. The 24*7 classes bring in a great help for the students as the students can easily fetch the classes whenever they want. The entire process is very easy and it helps the student to save time, energy and transportation expenses. The online tutors are efficient enough to know how to deal with the entire process of turning a student into a successor. The first part of the tutor is to study every whereabouts of a student and to get the idea that how much does the student knows related with the topic. When the teacher has an idea about how much the student knows about the topic then they can make up strategies that help the student to understand well and also the teacher to explain in such a manner that will help the student to learn pretty well. The prices that are charged by online tutoring institutes are very less and this is the reason that in today world every parent who is getting used to with the concept is trying to make a point to enroll their child in any such institute. The amount is very reasonable and so this is the best way through which a student can get best guidance with the affordability of the middle class parent as well. Tutor Pace can guarantee you some best facility Tutor Pace is one of the reputed institutes that help in providing you with the best teachers and with the best facility of teaching. All the benefits that are mentioned above are found here in this institute and it also brings one near to success.  Algebra help is a part of the entire list of service Tutor Pace provides.  

5 Keys to Mastering Opera Singing Technique

5 Keys to Mastering Opera Singing Technique Jessica Dais Opera singers are known as the true “vocal athletes” in the music world. They must rely entirely on their body to be heard: no microphones allowed. (Unless they’re performing in a stadium, of course)! Operatic singing requires voices that can easily be heard over a full orchestra in very large houses. Although pop music dominates today’s televised talent shows and the radio, opera is still a celebrated art form that is more accessible than ever. Every year, many young singers begin their studies of opera singing technique in the hopes that they will have a successful career singing the music of composers like Mozart, Puccini, and Verdi. Have you always wondered what it takes to become an opera singer? Let’s take a look at the five keys to mastering opera singing technique so you can find out how to get started! How to Master Opera Singing Technique   1. Find the Right Teacher An opera voice teacher must have a strong knowledge of the “bel canto” technique, which means “beautiful singing” in Italian. Renowned opera singers such as Maria Callas and Jussi Bjorling knew the importance of bel canto and made it a point to study with such teachers often. When looking for an opera instructor on TakeLessons, you can easily find someone with experience who specializes in bel canto. See if the instructor lists who their teachers were, and what master classes or other programs they have attended. If you’re really serious about opera, you should study with someone who has learned from the experts. 2. Practice Opera Singing Technique Daily Yes, daily. Opera singing requires more than other genres, and to succeed you must have stamina. There are several helpful resources you can purchase that opera singers use, including the vocal exercise books by Vaccai, Concone, and Sieber. These books are inexpensive and can be used daily to improve your opera singing technique! It’s important that you spend time perfecting your arias. However, keep in mind that there is such a thing as practicing too much! While there isn’t a magic number of minutes that every singer should practice, listen to your body. If you feel any sort of fatigue, it’s best to stop for the day so you don’t strain or damage your voice. Check out the video below for more helpful tips, including some good opera songs for beginners that you can try. 3. Study the Greats The best opera singers were considered great because there was consistency in their voices, and they knew how to treat them! Watch them closely and youll start to notice things, like how they never “push” or put forth way too much effort when they sing. They also knew what roles were appropriate for them, as they were fully aware of what their voices could and couldn’t do. Dame Joan Sutherland was often approached to sing heavy Wagner repertoire, but she declined knowing it would ruin her voice. She instead stuck with the bel canto repertoire, which showcased her incomparable coloratura skills. There is a reason why people still talk about artists such as Sutherland and tenor Luciano Pavarotti to this day. Both were absolutely committed to the art of bel canto.  They both enjoyed long careers on the opera stage because of their reliable technique. Here is a YouTube video of them describing some of the basics of bel canto, along with revered mezzo-soprano  Marilyn Horne. 4. Take Care of Your Instrument You are the instrument! Unlike a pianist or guitarist, you can’t put your instrument away it is with you at all times and you must care for it almost obsessively. Opera singers should be sure to have an exercise regimen and a healthy diet.   Many famous opera singers practice yoga as it helps them breathe more effectively. It’s also critical that opera singers get plenty of sleep and stay hydrated at all times. As for your diet, it’s best that singers avoid caffeine and too much dairy, as it can cause acid reflux and excess mucus. Operas are not known for being short performances. As mentioned previously, you will need lots of physical and mental stamina to sing your role well! Keeping your body and voice in tip top shape is necessary to improve your opera singing technique. 5. Study a Few New Languages Americanized vowels, such as the diphthongs you hear in country music, are frowned upon when singing opera. This can be one of the biggest challenges singers face when learning opera singing technique, but a good voice teacher will help you master “pretty vowels” (which bel canto is all about)! The main languages to focus on for opera singing are Italian, French, and German. The more you gain basic knowledge of each language, the more beautiful your vocal lines will be in your arias. Beginning singers should consider taking classes in as many of these languages as possible. Depending on what happens with your opera career, you might be visiting these European countries and you’ll need to know how to communicate with the locals, too! So there you have it. If you can master opera singing technique, you can sing anything! Are you ready to get serious? The best place to start is TakeLessons. Find the right classically trained vocal coach for you today! Post Author:  Molly M. Molly M. teaches online and in-person singing lessons in Schaumburg, IL. Her specialties include teaching Opera and Classical Voice to beginners, shy singers, children, and older beginners. Molly started teaching in 2002.  Learn more about Molly  here! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

Mastering the Art of Zen Guitar

Mastering the Art of Zen Guitar Suzy S. Billy Joel once said “I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everybody loves music.” Today, we encourage you to think about why you play the guitar.   Dreams of shredding on stage with Steve Vai aside, most musicians would cite the emotional connection to music as a big motivator. Guitar practice, after all, is like a form of meditation; think about it: theres a reason that art and music therapy have become a booming industry. The ties between human emotion and music are unmistakable. (Need extra proof?   Check out this video of a nursing home resident and his reaction to music from his era.) Many spiritual advocates encourage the act of living in the moment, a mindset that will help you leave the past behind and stop worrying about the things you cant control in the future.   For some musicians, getting lost in the music is natural.   For others, it may take some practice. So how can you add a little zen to your guitar playing? Here are some great tips for a zen guitar practice session, as originally published on Guitar Habits, one of our favorite guitar blogs: Solitude The best way to practicing this way is in solitude. Tell your family when and for how long you are going to practice. Ask them to give you some privacy for the time being. Find yourself a room in the house where you can have some peace and quiet. Create your own sacred hide out where you can play your instrument, where you can practice without distractions (turn off all electronic devices) and work on becoming a better guitar player or songwriter. Slow down Slow is the way to go. When you practice licks, solos, chord progressions, or anything at all, you first need to practice things slow. We are all eager to play faster, but we also need to play fluently. Your fingers and your brain need to get used to new moves and shapes. Be patient and take your time. Concentrate on clear notes, steady rhythm and guitar fluency. Make sure you can play things perfect slowly and then build up speed gradually. Pause Take a moment to breathe and release the tension from the muscles in your fingers, hands, arms, shoulders and back. Let them rest for a few minutes. Go through a small relaxation exercise for great results: Focus on single parts of your body and relax them one by one. Self-fulfilling prophecy You design and live the life you create. Buddha said: “All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” Therefore banish all negative thoughts like: “I can’t do this,” “This is impossible,” and “No way this is going to work.” If those lines enter your mind you will just say to yourself: “I let you go now.” Replace that with positive, motivational and inspiring thoughts like: “I will get there,” “I’m becoming a better player with each workout,” “I’m working on something cool here” and “Practice makes perfect.” What do you think of these tips?   Are you zen in your guitar playing?   Stop by our Facebook page and share your thoughts with the community! Learn more about guitar sign up to receive email updates with even more expert tips and advice! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher You might also like Stop Stressing: 3 Remedies for Musical Frustration Excel at Music By Acting Like a Child Whats Causing Your Stage Fright? Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography.

5 Reasons My Guitar Might Be My Best Friend

5 Reasons My Guitar Might Be My Best Friend Sign up successful I’ve had it since I was 18 years old.   Friends, girlfriends, pets, even family come and go, but not this guitar.   It has followed me to places as far away as India and Africa, not to mention all over the USA.   It has played gigs, lessons, jams and entertained thousands while never missing a beat, although, it has broken a string or two on occasion. 2.   This guitar has been a good investment. It was the first decent instrument I ever owned and has held its value, something I can’t say for any of the cars or houses I have owned.  Even if it were worth a million bucks, though, I don’t think I would sell it. 3. This guitar never complains. I’ve played it in the rain, the snow, the very cold and a windstorm so severe that speaker columns got blown over. Once, at a beside-a-lake gig, we were swarmed by so many insects I could hardly see the fretboard.   But it just kept playing. 4. This guitar speaks its mind. It won’t say a word until I pick it up.   Even then, it waits for my fingers to point it in the right direction.   It can be very eloquent and downright sassy when the mood takes it, which is often.   Plug it into a wah-wah?   Forget about it, you will not get a word in edgewise. 5.   This guitar is never boring. When I first picked it up, all I wanted to do was play fast and loud.   But then I got interested in learning more about chords.   When I started experimenting with alternate tunings, I almost lost my mind.   Taking on fingerstyle was quite the worthy challenge.   Wow, so much guitar, so little time! Is your guitar your best friend?   Have you given it a name?   Maybe it’s just a piece of wood and steel to some, but if you spend some time with it, I guarantee you will not be bored! Like this post? Dont miss any of our tips, tricks and advice! Sign up for a free email subscription to receive our updates! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher You might also like 3 Easy Guitar Chords for Beginners What You Can Learn from a Less-Than-Perfect Gig 5 Reasons to Fit Jam Sessions Into Your Guitar Lessons Ed C. teaches music theory, music recording, songwriting and guitar lessons in Gresham, OR. He joined the TakeLessons team in February 2013, with over 30 years of experience playing guitar, singing, writing songs and making music. Learn more about Ed, or search for a music teacher near you!

Strategies for Smartphone Success

Strategies for Smartphone Success In last weeks post, I discussed guidelines for deciding if your teen is ready for a smartphone. While as a rule of thumb, experts recommend waiting until your teen is at least 14 years old before giving them a smartphone of their own, many teens with ADHD may not have the maturity or social skills needed until they are well into high school (or beyond). With that in mind, if you think you have a teen with ADHD who is ready for a smartphone, then plan carefully before handing over the phone. Create Ground Rules. The organization Wait Until 8th, which advocates for healthy and safe smartphone use, recommends laying out ground rules in three categories: how to use a phone 1) safely, (2) appropriately, and (3) moderately. The ground rules recommended by Wait Until 8th are excellent but are too detailed for most kids with ADHD to keep in mind. I recommend focusing on the three rules in each category that are most important for your family. Choosing a single rule that covers multiple topics and situations can help limit the number of rules needed. For example, the rule I will not text or post anything that I would not say to my grandmother/father/mother/pastor/rabbi, covers many smaller, more specific rules that can be left off the list. Post the Ground Rules in Your Home. Having a conversation about the ground rules is not enough for teens with ADHD. Also, post them in your house in a location that can be seen by everyone. Here they will serve as a subtle reminder for your teen and will be easy to reference if questions or conflicts come up around your teens smartphone use. Plan Consequences to Use if Rules are Broken. If your teen violates one of the ground rules, then put a consequence in place immediately. If a rule-break does not lead to unsafe behavior, then you can consider planning to give your teen one warning before issuing the consequence. Just remember to let your teen know in advance which rules will not come with a warning and will lead straight to a consequence. If your teen breaks the rule again after a warning, then be consistent about using consequences. Taking away the phone for a period of time, around one or two days, is usually an appropriate consequence. Tell Your Teen that You Will Be Monitoring their Phone. Install parental monitoring software on your teens phone and let them know that you will be monitoring their phone regularly. Also, create profiles on any social media sites used by your teen, and make it a rule that your child must add you as a friend or contact on these sites so you can monitor their social media activity. This may feel like an invasion of their privacy, but in fact, its necessary to make sure your teen is using social media safely. Talk about ADHD and Smartphones. Having ADHD makes it harder to use smartphones safely, appropriately, and moderately. Struggles with attention make it harder for them to put the phone down when they need to, and their impulsive tendencies may make them more likely to do or share something they will regret later. Talk to your teen about these challenges to help increase their own awareness. If you think your teen will not be receptive to having this conversation with you, then ask a school counselor, pediatrician, psychologist, or other professional to talk with your teen. Plan a Trial Period. Institute a 30-day trial period. During this period, closely monitor their phone activity using parental monitoring apps on the phone. Make sure they are following all of the ground rules. Before the trial period starts, let your teen know specifically what would result in losing their phone privileges. For example, breaking three ground rules (or the same ground rule three times) during the trial period may result in your teen losing their phone indefinitely. Education, consistent monitoring, and consistent consequences are essential when it comes to helping your teen use their smartphone in a healthy way. While it will take extra effort on your part, like all other aspects of parenting kids and teens with ADHD, this effort will pay off and will make life easier for everyone in the long run. ABOUT DR. MARY ROONEY Mary Rooney, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco. Dr Rooney is a researcher and clinician specializing in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD and co-occurring behavioral, anxiety, and mood disorders. A strong advocate for those with attention and behavior problems, Dr. Rooney is committed to developing and providing comprehensive, cutting edge treatments tailored to meet the unique needs of each child and adolescent. Dr. Rooney's clinical interventions and research avenues emphasize working closely with parents and teachers to create supportive, structured home and school environments that enable children and adolescents to reach their full potential. In addition, Dr. Rooney serves as a consultant and ADHD expert to Huntington Learning Centers. ABOUT HUNTINGTON Huntington Learning Center is the tutoring and test prep leader. Its certified tutors provide individualized instruction in reading, phonics, writing, study skills, elementary and middle school math, Algebra through Calculus, Chemistry, and other sciences. It preps for the SAT and ACT, as well as state and standardized exams. Huntington programs develop the skills, confidence, and motivation to help students of all levels succeed and meet the needs of Common Core State Standards. Founded in 1977, Huntington's mission is to give every student the best education possible. Call us today at 1.800.CAN LEARN to discuss how Huntington can help your child. For franchise opportunities please visit www.huntingtonfranchise.com. This website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this site is provided for educational purposes only.

Five Tips to Prepare for Exams

Five Tips to Prepare for Exams Improving Academic Performance As you move into the end of a semester, the pressure of exams can daunt even the most successful students. It’s a busy time of year in general, and the mounting strain of a large looming test can feel outright agonizing! Fear not. Here is a list of go-to tips to help you be your most prepared and confident self going into those final exams (or any tests, at any time!) Prioritize Prioritize and get your schedule in order. Which final gets first, as they say, dibs? It might be the one that gives you the most stress, your most challenging subject, or perhaps one that holds more weight on your final grade. Whatever the reason, pick an order of how you want to tackle each subject area and test. You might devote five hours to an algebra final and only two to an English one, or perhaps vice versa. Know yourself and set realistic goals for each individual exam. Get organized(click here for more tips from the New Yorker) Gather your materials and get them in a relatively neat and organized folder and space. Do you use tangible materials, like notebooks and flashcards? If so, get them in order. Know where they are. Have all necessary textbooks, novels, printouts, and websites readily available. Are you more techie and have it all compiled on your laptop or tablet? Have a folder on your device for each set of test notes. Pick a study space The area where we choose to study can have a great impact on our ability to concentrate and retain information. Where do you focus and study best? The library? Coffee shop? At home in your room? Pick a space that you know is conducive to concentration and staying on track. Perhaps a study partner helps you, someone to bounce ideas around with or to quiz you, and maybe you do your best alone. As an article from Edutopia states, if you’re introverted, certain personal choices will make learning a whole lot easier. You might need to choose the absolute quiet or invest in some of those noise-cancelling headphones. If you’re more extroverted and like the bustle of a study group, join one or form a crew of your own. Talk to your teacher/professor Got some last minute questions? Need some clarity on a certain formula, theme, or essay question? Don’t be afraid to talk to the teacher. Bounce some of your ideas off of them. Engage in a dialogue about what you learned throughout the semester. Reflect on what you’ve learned and also look ahead. Such conversations not only help clarify your queries, but they can also create a bit more peace of mind around a stressful time. (Just, you know, don’t badger them - they’re stressed, too!) Set goals and rewards Setting small goals for each study period and providing rewards at the end of both small and larger tasks creates motivation and inspiration. If you put in a solid two or three hours working through your science or history notes without huge interruptions to check social media, give yourself a nice reward, like a delicious (nutritious) snack or something indulgent for the weekend like a massage or a little shopping trip. Humans respond very well to the process of achieving something and being rewarded, so do a little experiment on yourself. That snack or massage or shopping item will feel far more satisfying if you’ve sufficiently met a goal. Try it out! And the icing on the cake… If you take good care of yourself and practice these suggestions, things will fall into place, but always remember to put good self-care at the forefront of your overall recipe for success. Remember those things mom used to bug you about, like eating well and getting enough sleep? Well, they work! Stay hydrated and well-fed on nutritious snacks, avoid all-nighters, get some exercise and time outdoors, and perhaps try meditation or breathing exercises in order to keep the cortisol and adrenaline in your body to a healthy minimum. Most of all, have confidence in your ability to be successful. Best of luck, and remember - learning is fun! About the Author Stephanie Ingraham is a former English teacher turned writer and tutor with a BA in English from UCLA and a Masters in Education from Pepperdine University in Los Angeles. She is deeply passionate about education, psychology, child and adolescent development, literature, and writing. She believes the education world can benefit greatly from the meditation world - mindfulness and self-compassion are key! In her free time she loves reading and writing, music, baking, yoga, dance, animals, and exploring new cities. She currently lives in Chicago, Illinois.