How To Improve Reading Skills

Does your child struggle with reading skills? As parents, we naturally want to help our children learn. Sometimes though, it is difficult to know just how to do that because teaching methods change as research on basic reading and reading comprehension identifies better strategies to develop specially designed instruction for reading disorders such as dyslexia. Despite this, there are some strategies you can use with your child at home that do not involve direct instruction and are unlikely to conflict with strategies your child's teachers use at school. Providing this additional help will, over time, dramatically improve your child's reading skills.

Reading Skills Improvement Strategies - Easy Reading Strategies for Parents to Use at Home

1. Participate in Library Reading Programs: Most libraries offer organized reading programs during school breaks for students based on their school levels. Many of these programs are themed and showcase some of the best works for children and young adults. The library staff may host activities based on books and have special events and field trips designed to help students explore the literature on a deeper level. Librarians are usually happy to help your child and can help find ways to involve all levels of readers within an age group.
2. Explore Different Forms of Reading Material: Check out works in both their book forms and books on tape, CD, or digital recording forms. Many of the highest rated literature for children and young adults is available on tape and in book form. By having your student read along in the book while listening to the same book on tape, you are providing excellent reading benefits. The student sees and hears words and phrases together, a good way to reinforce sight-word recognition. Your child may also benefit from assistive technology such as text readers. These methods provide the student exposure to works he might not otherwise choose to read because of the difficulty. He can gain knowledge of the content and increase vocabulary without having to struggle through the book and perhaps be discouraged.
3. Compare Books to Film: Have your student read a book and then check out the video version of a book. Talk about the similarities and differences in the two mediums. What did she like about each form? What didn't she like? Did she prefer the book or the movie, and why?
4. Study Reading Vocabulary: As your student reads books, have her make a list of words that were difficult or unfamiliar in the book. Make flashcards of these words, spend some time together talking about the meanings and looking them up in the dictionary. Take turns showing the cards and guessing the words and meanings. As the student masters each word, remove it from the deck and put it in a place of honor. When the whole deck is mastered, celebrate with a special reward.
5. Strengthen Spelling Skills: Use the same deck created in number 3 above. Have your child learn the spelling of each word. Practice the spelling. When your child feels ready, have him write the words on paper. Give him a reward for each mistake he finds and corrects. This is a great strategy to use throughout the year. It teaches students to self-correct and also reduces their fear of trying to tackle difficult words. Young students may enjoy using multisensory techniques for these activities.
6. Read the old fashioned way. Take turns reading passages, or allow your child to follow along as you read.
7. Compare Authors' Books: Have your child read two books by the same author. It is a good idea for you to read them too so you can discuss them. Compare how they are similar and how they are different. Which did you and your child like best? Why?

   Most important, remember to keep your reading activities at home stress free. Use mistakes as teachable moments. If your child gets tired of reading, take turns, or take a break. For most elementary aged students with learning disabilities, about fifteen to twenty minutes of reading at least three days a week is a good place to begin. If your child wants more time, then allow that to happen. If your child becomes frustrated, and has difficulty focusing for that amount of time, shorten the time, and consider a shorter text or a lower reading level. Establish a cozy and nurturing environment when reading. A bed time snuggle or a mid-afternoon read on the porch swing are some ideas. Involve your child in planning your reading sessions, and enjoy your time together as you get ready for school and get ready to read.

   Activities like these are important for children with learning disabilities because they involve reading in a low-stress, enjoyable situation. Using these strategies regularly with your child will build skills and encourage them to see reading as a rewarding activity.

   Is your child still reluctant to read? If so, try these tested and effective strategies.

Improve Your Concentration

When TV newscaster Diane Sawyer was asked the secret to her success, she said, "I think the one lesson I've learned is there is no substitute for paying attention."

Are you thinking, "I agree, but HOW do we improve our ability to focus and maintain attention -- no matter what?"

These five FOCUS tips can help you concentrate better -- whether you're working in a busy office, studying at school, sitting in a meeting, or trying to finish a project.

F = Five More Rule
There are two kinds of people -- those who have learned how to work through frustration, and those who wish they had. From now on, if you're in the middle of a task and tempted to give up -- just do FIVE MORE.

Read FIVE MORE pages. Finish FIVE MORE math problems. Work FIVE MORE minutes.

Just as athletes build physical stamina by pushing past the point of exhaustion, you can build mental stamina by pushing past the point of frustration.

Just as runners get their second wind by not giving up when their body initially protests, you can get your "second mind" by not giving up when your willpower initially protests. Continuing to concentrate when your brain is tired is the key to S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G your attention span and building mental endurance.

O = One Think At a Time
Samuel Goldwyn said, "If I look confused, it's because I'm thinking." Feeling scatter-brained? Overcome perpetual preoccupation with the Godfather Plan -- make your mind a deal it can't refuse. Yes, the mind takes bribes. Instead of telling it NOT to worry about another, lesser priority (which will cause your mind to think about the very thing it's not supposed to think about!), assign it a single task with start-stop time parameters.

For example, "I will think about how to pay off that credit card debt when I get home tonight and have a chance to add up my bills. For now, for the next thirty minutes from 1-1:30 pm, I will give my complete focus to practicing this presentation so I am eloquent and articulate when pitching this proposal to our VIP clients."

Still can't get other concerns out of your head? Write them down on your to-do list so you're free to forget them. Recording worrisome obligations means you don't have to use your brain as a "reminder" bulletin board, which means you can give your undivided attention to your top priority task.

C = Conquer Procrastination
Don't feel like concentrating? Are you putting off a task or project you're supposed to be working on? That's a form of procrastination. R. D. Clyde said, "It's amazing how long it takes to complete something we're not working on."

Next time you're about to postpone a responsibility ask yourself, "Do I have to do this? Do I want it done so it's not on my mind? Will it be any easier later?" Those three questions can give you the incentive to mentally apply yourself because they bring you face to face with the fact this task isn't going away, and delaying will only add to your guilt and make this onerous task occupy more of your mind and time.

How to Overcome Anxiety Attack

Many anxiety attack sufferers wish to know how to overcome anxiety attack permanently. Although the process require much time and effort, it is more important to understand the thinking and logic behind it.

One of the most important steps in learning how to overcome anxiety attack is to come to term with your anxious feelings. Everyone experience a certain degree of anxiety in their life, this is perfectly natural and normal. However, a lot of sufferers want their anxious feelings to go away, and that logic is wrong itself.

Anxiety is part of life, it need to be there. Its is neither healthy nor desirable to be rid of it forever. Sadly, this is what most sufferers are doing, trying their best not to feel anxious. In their haste to overcome anxiety attack, they are actually worsening their condition by trying to be rid of anxious feeling. Come to term with your anxiety, accept it.

More recent research have also indicate that anxiety attack is linked to the body's natural response to danger. By learning how to recognize these responses, you can make adjustment to change them.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is widely used to correct the irrational fear associated with these responses. Regardless of what your afraid of, it is possible to unlearn that behavior that make you anxious. Imagery techniques and relaxation skills will also be taught during CBT and they can help you to gradually learn how to overcome anxiety attacks.

Keep in mind that regardless of which techniques you choose to use to overcome anxiety attack, you must believe in them and practice them daily. Its normal to experience set-backs when training to overcome anxiety attack, the main point here is to not give up hope. Such techniques take time, but the rewards as well worth the effort. Imagine being able to overcome anxiety attack permanently, no more taking of medicine and drugs to control it.

Don't keep hiding and running away from anxiety attack. Left untreated, anxiety attack will slowly take over your life, seriously crippling your ability to live a normal healthy lifestyle. Take action now , take control of your life and make an effort to overcome anxiety attack!

How To Overcome Our Tension

Mental Tension is related to psychology and human beings suffer from tension because of many reasons.One of the possible reason could be when some work is not going according to our wish and might be something is happening against our wish or the results of some event might be against our expectation and so on...

We dont come to know as to how and when the tension might attack us, but still I am giving some 5 ways to overcome such tension. The only need is that the person who is suffering from tension should understand he is suffering from tension when actually he is suffering from tension and he has to realise because of what reason he is under such tension. For that just do these steps and then think about the reason. I have given the 5 steps just do this.

1> Take a few deep breaths and relax on a sofa. This may relieve your headache. Take a deep breath, hold it and then slowly let your head, arms and shoulder relax, as you exhale.

2> Brush your tension headache off. Put hair brush on your right temple and brush in small circles, working towards the back of your head. Repeat it on the other side. Then brush in small circles from the top of the head towards the back of the head. Brushing improves the blood circulation in the head, the lack of which may be causing the headache.

3> Exercising is a great way to keep off tension headaches. It tones up the system, improves circulation and generally makes you feel good.

4> Shut your eyes and relax. Just imagine you are lazing on a hammock close to a lake by the mountains. Hear the birds chirp and the wind rustle through the trees. In a few minutes your tension world have dissolved by the healing powers of the mind.

5> Take a walk. Many doctors suggest walking as a way to reduce tension headaches, since the body releases endorphin, the natural painkillers.

These are the some steps to be followed.Try this.

The next question is that,is that it is necessary to take tension?.Whenever i feel that i am taking tension i just sit quiet and think, if i take tension or not then also the result will be same.Then why to take tension!Is't it is a simple solution for the tension takers like me!

Another simple way to come out of the tension is just take it granted that GOD IS THERE,And god will help you at any condition and god is the parent of world and we are his children. No parent does any bad thing to his /her child then how does the god will do bad for us!.Just leave everything on god and proceed forward.ANY WORK WITH GOOD THINKING WILL DEFINITELY GIVES GOOD RESULT.Just believe this and you will be out of tension.And for this you need to believe me!

Overcome Your Fears

Fears are educated into us, and can, if we wish, be educated out.”
Karl Augustus Menninger

“The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear.”
Mahatma Gandhi

What is holding you back?

Whatever you answer, it will in many cases boil down to fear in some form.

Now, fear can be useful to keep yourself alive. But many times, especially if you live a life where you have the possibility to reading these words, fear is just a big obstacle in your path.

But what can you do about fear? How can you overcome it?

In this article I’d like to explore a few of the timeless things that people have learned about that throughout the last few thousands of years.

1. Face your fear to become stronger.

“I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.”
Frank Herbert

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
Eleanor Roosevelt

Every time you face a fear you gain the 3 important qualities that Eleanor Roosevelt mentions above. And the next thing that comes along will be easier to handle.

And if you have to handle a big fear, whatever it may be, and later realise you actually survived it, many things in life you may have feared previously seems to shrink. Those fears become smaller. They might even disappear.

You might think to yourself that what you thought was a fear before wasn’t that much to be afraid of at all. Everything is relative. And every triumph, problem, fear and experience becomes bigger or smaller depending to what you compare it to.

But to gain a wider perspective of human experience and grow you really have to step up and face your fear.

2. Facing your fear can be surprisingly anticlimactic.

“When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is perhaps my favorite quote about fear. From a distance and in you mind things may seem very difficult and frightening. But when you actually step up and take action I think many of us have been surprised of how the beard of that bully just comes off. Why? Let’s move on to the next tip…

3. Take action and get busy.

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”
Dale Carnegie

“Worry gives a small thing a big shadow.”
Swedish proverb

You can’t sit around think and waiting for courage and confidence to come knocking on the door. If you do, you may just experience the opposite effect. The more you think, the more fear you build within.

We often build scary monsters in our heads.

Maybe because of things we have learned from the news, the TV or the movies. Or we just think so much about something that our minds start to create totally unlikely horror scenarios of what may happen.

As you may have noticed in your own life, 80-90 percent of what we worry about never really comes into reality. Instead things can become anticlimactic when we take action. The beard of the bully comes off surprisingly easy if we just step up and take action.

And many times we get the courage we need after we have done what we feared. Not the other way around.

4. Fear is often based on unhelpful interpretation.

“Fear: False Evidence Appearing Real.”
Unknown

As humans we like to look for patterns. The problem is just that we often find negative and not so helpful patterns in our lives based on just one or two experiences. Or by misjudging situations. Or through some silly improper communication.

When you get too identified with your thoughts you’ll believe anything they tell you. A moe helpful practice may be to not take your thoughts too seriously. A lot of the time they and your memory are pretty inaccurate.

But this is a good thing too.

Because it opens you up to re-examining old beliefs you have based on experiences you may have interpreted in not the most helpful way. It opens you up to try again and see what happens this time instead of staying stuck in thought, inaction and fear.

5. Don’t cling to your illusion of safety.

“Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.
Helen Keller

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature…. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
Helen Keller

Why do people sit on their hands? Is it just because they become paralyzed with fear? I’d say no. Another big reason why people don’t face their fears is because they think they are safe where they are right now. But the truth is what Keller says; safety is mostly a superstition. It is created in your mind to make you feel safe. But there is no safety out there really. It is all uncertain and unknown.

You may get laid off.
Someone may break up with you and leave.
Illness will probably strike.
Death will certainly strike in your surroundings and at some point come to visit you too.
Who knows what will happen?

This superstition of safety is not just something negative. It’s also created by your mind so you can function in life. No point in going all paranoid about what could happen a minute from now day in and day out. But there is also not that much point in clinging to an illusion of safety. So you need to find balance where you don’t obsessed by the uncertainty but also recognize that it is there and live accordingly.

As you stop clinging to your safety life also becomes a whole lot more exciting and interesting. You are no longer as confined by an illusion and realize that you set your limits for what you can do and to a large extent create your own freedom in the world. You are no longer building walls to keep yourself safe as those walls wouldn’t protect you anyway.

6. Be curious.

“Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will.”
James Stephens

When you are stuck in fear you are closed up. You tend to create division in your world and mind. You create barriers between you and other things/people.

Curiosity on the other hand is filled with anticipation and enthusiasm. It opens you up. And when you are open and enthusiastic then you have more fun things to think about than focusing on your fear.

Curiousness also opens you up to gain understanding of something. And with understanding vague, fog-like fears disappears.

The emotions you experience are often as a result of what you focus your mind on. Change what you focus on about something and you can change your emotions about that thing.

How do you become more curious? One way is to remember how life has become more fun in the past thanks to your curiosity and to remember all the cool things it helped to discover and experience. And then to work at it. Curiosity is a habit. The more curious you are the more curious you become. And over time it becomes more of a natural part of you.

7. Remove separation. Remove fear.

“Who sees all beings in his own self, and his own self in all beings, loses all fear.”
Isa Upanishad, Hindu Scripture

The ego wants to divide your world. It wants to create barriers, separation and loves to play the comparison game. The game where people are different compare to you, the game where you are better than someone and worse than someone else. All of that creates fear. Doing the opposite removes fear.

That there is no real separation between beings, that we are one and the same, might sound a bit corny.

But one thought you may want to try for a day is that everyone you meet is your friend.

Another one is to see what parts of yourself you can see in someone you meet. And what parts of yourself you can see in him/her.

There is often an underlying frame of mind in interactions. Either it asks us how we are different to this person. Or how we are the same as this person. The first frame is based in how the ego likes to judge people and create separation to strengthen itself (either through feeling better or more like a victim). The second one creates warmth, an openness and curiosity within. There is no place to focus on fear or judgment anymore.

This is of course not easy, especially if you have held the first frame of mind for many years. But you can get insight into this by doing the rest of the things above. As you face your fears the barriers and separation you have built in your mind decreases. You come closer and feel more of a connection to other people.

With action, curiousness and understanding we come closer to each other. We gain a greater understanding of ourselves and others. And so it becomes easier to see them in you. And you in them.

How To Get Rid Of Tension

Tension and stress are amongst the worst enemies of a person. Though initially they affect the mind, it is not long before they start interfering with the physical health of the person as well. Right from hypertension to loss of appetite, there are many harmful consequences of taking too much tension. In case you are also suffering from excess mental strain and anxiety, it is the time to take some serious steps in this regard, lest you end up falling prey to mental and physical ailments. In the following lines, we have listed some natural ways to get rid of tension, to help you out.

Natural Ways To Relieve Tension

Take a Nap
When you are feeling too stressed out, try taking a small nap. It will not only make you feel much lighter, but also refresh you up. Even if you are not able to fall asleep, at least lie down with your eyes closed and try not to think about the things that make you tense.

Get a Massage
One of the best ways to get rid of tension, naturally, is to get a massage. Head, neck and shoulders are the body parts most affected by tension. In fact, the most visible physical signs of tension include headaches and stiff neck and shoulders. Get someone to massage the areas gently.

Meditate
If you know how to meditate, then practicing it will be the most apt remedy for getting rid of tension. Indulging in meditation helps calm your mind to a great degree, in the process helping you relieve tension. So, select a quiet corner in your house or office and start meditating.

Practice Deep Breathing
Though few people realize it, practicing deep breathing exercises goes a long way in removing tension from the mind. Originally a part of yoga, the exercises can be practiced in isolation as well. As you start breathing deeply, you will experience your tensions melting away.

Listen to Soothing Music
Have you ever experienced your spirits soaring when you listen to a rocking number? Music is believed to have a great effect on the mood of a person. If you are feeling tense, play some soothing music, put the lights on dim, close your eyes and recline in a comfortable position. Think about the good things in your life and let yourself drift with the music.

How to Face Problems in Life?

Sometimes, we welcome problems. But during other times we try really hard to avoid them. But aren't we constantly looking for ways to better face them? here's something to read:

Tired of a life of struggle, a young woman sought her mother's advice. She told her how things were so hard for her and how she was unable to cope with problems. Her mother took her to the kitchen and filled three pots with water. In the first, she put carrots, in the second, she put eggs and in the last, she placed coffee beans. She let them boil without saying a word. Twenty minutes later, she turned off the burners and asked her daughter, "What do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," the daughter replied. The mother drew her closer and told her to feel the carrots. She did and saw that they were soft. She was then asked to take an egg and break it. On shelling, the daughter found a hard-boiled egg. Finally, she was asked to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma.Perplexed, she asked, "What's your point, mother?" Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity -boiling water - but each had reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting, but soon turned soft and weak. The egg, when put to the test, had hardened. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. They had changed the texture of the water and filled it with their aroma. "Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When problems knock on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

There is much to learn from that fable. Which one are you? Are you the carrot that seems strong, but wilts in the face of pain and adversity? Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but hardens when in adversity? Or, are you like the coffee bean, which actually changes the water, the very circumstance that brings the pain, by its fragrance and flavour. When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level? There lies the secret to solving problems and handling adversity.

Problems are part and parcel of life. But as they say, where there's a will there's a way. For every problem, there's an alternative course of action. You just have to find it.

The most natural course of action is to evade the problem or just wish it away, but problems, like cancers, usually stay around and spread. So, it's better to confront the situation before it becomes an emergency.

The real problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem. When you accept problems, you also learn to have a contingency plan. For instance, when you know there is a danger of fire, you keep extinguishers handy. The important thing to remember about conflicts is that they happen all the time and they are actually opportunities disguised as problems. They provide us with better ways to fix what needs to be fixed and improve what needs to be improved.

And since most problems are man-made, solutions are within our reach. There are two reasons why we tend to see a problem as a problem: the fact that it has to be solved; and our apprehension about the outcome of the solution.

Here are some tips that will help when the going gets tough:

Move On - As Ford said, "Don't find fault, find a remedy. Focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer. Don't just panic as `worry is like a rocking chair - it gives you something to do but won't get you anywhere." Learn to think `how' rather than waste time with futile "ifs".

Understand the Problem - Problem solving is the ability to make careful choices. The steps to be followed are: understand the problem; gather the facts; set up the problem; estimate what the outcome should be; work it out; and check the answer. Ask questions, clarify facts and evaluate options to find a workable solution. That's the formula.

Think straight - In problem solving, it is important to have the right mindset. It helps to be open-minded and have the ability to think out-of-the-box. When you have broader vision and unique ideas, you have more tools at your disposal which helps fix the problem better.

Say it with a smile - A prerequisite in any situation in life is the ability to laugh in the face of problems. It really downsizes the enormity of the problem. A sense of humour maintains a sense of balance as it prevents people from collapsing with grief and worry. Humour is more than just being funny; it helps keep things in perspective.

Teamwork - Two minds are better than one. It does help to have more people involved in solving a problem, both for moral support and for the greater range of experience that they can bring to the problem-solving table with their outlook and personality. It adds depth to the troubleshooting team. As Voltaire said, `No problem can stand the assault of sustained thinking.'

Brainstorm - When it comes to problem solving, ten ideas are better than one. Each idea is worth considering, as the most unlikely one might just be the answer. Resist the temptation to find quick short-term solutions. It tries to put the solution at the beginning of the process, when what is needed is a solution at the end. People have an inborn trait to solve problems if they only just take the time to grasp the situation without panicking.

Write it all down - Keep a record of what is going on. It helps in future problem solving when you have it all in black and white. During a crisis, your memory banks can be scarcely relied upon.

One for all and all for one - This is a critical step that is usually missing. Interests are needs that you want satisfied by a given solution. The best solution is the one that serves everyone's interests. This is the time for active listening. Forget your differences for a while and listen.

Learn from past mistakes - One must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them. Learning from problems is growth in the right direction.

Problems are to the mind what exercise is to the muscles; they toughen and make you strong. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Maybe you don't feel all that brave and strong, but just the act of confronting a problem head-on is a step in the right direction.