Create new habits through practice

Practice may not always make perfect, but it certainly makes better! The key to success in any skill-building process really is practice. By devoting time to mastering a new skill in a thoughtful and focused manner, your child can eventually turn new behaviors into old habits. For example, if your child is learning a new reading strategy or exploring a new writing process, urge her to practice mindfully the process as she makes her way through her work. Often, verbalizing aloud the steps she’s going through can help cement the process and highlight any areas of particular difficulty. While it’s tempting for many students (and adults) to rely on their “old ways” of doing things, the simple truth is that the only way to get better at something new is to take the risk of trying it and practice until it becomes “old hat.”