吵架也是一種《溝通》

吵架也是一種《溝通》，最常跟我們有爭執的人，都是跟我們最親密的人！

願意跟你吵架的人，才是真正想瞭解你的人！

發生爭執說《算了》或者《不說了》 代表著你，不想把你的想法跟他說、不想讓對方瞭解你、 也代表你們的感情會停留在原地。

《無聲》是一種無形的，最遠的距離！

若能，從吵架中…表達出自己的想法， 總比把話悶在心裡都不說出來的好！

但，千萬要避免在衝動時，說出傷害對方的言語…

有些話一旦說出口…就很難收回了！

References:

http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/James-TOPs/article?mid=1012&prev=-1&next=1011

Guidelines for happiness

Guidelines for happiness

1. Live simply.
2. Expect less.
3. Give more.
4. Free your mind from worry.
5. Free your heart from hate.

Thanks for what I have rather than enumerate difficulties

Happiness is something I choose in advance.  It depends on how I decide to see it.

Every day is a gift.  It is a decision I take every morning when I wake up. As long as I can open my eyes, I will focus on the new day and all the happy memories that I have built up during my life. I will give thanks to heaven for what I have rather than enumerate all the difficulties that I have.

Encourage kids to read aloud

Your first grader is learning to "crack the code" of the written word. First graders learn phonics, the sounds of all letters and letter combinations. They apply phonics knowledge to figuring out or "decoding" words that they do not know by sight. Learning how to crack the code of reading also helps your first grader spell words he wants to use in his writing.

Discussion helps first graders understand

When talking about her experiences, your first grader includes many details--not just the most important points.   First graders tend to include many details in their stories, and they are not yet able to summarize a story.

The average first grader knows thousands of words. Your child has learned new words in many different ways--through talking with you, through hearing books read aloud, and through new experiences at home and in school. Having a strong vocabulary is important for learning to read. After all, the more words your child knows, the more words he will be able to recognize in print.

First graders love to talk about the books they read and listen to. Discussion helps first graders understand the meaning of books they read and listen to. ..Your first grader can relate a story to her own experiences, be a critical reader by telling what she liked or disliked about the story, and make inferences by imagining what might happen next if the book had a sequel.

First graders' speaking is more rich and complex than their writing. The typical first grader uses a small fraction of the words he knows when he writes. It is common for a first grader to speak at length about dinosaurs or tell about a family outing in great detail. He may only be able to write down a sentence or even a list of words about the topic, however. Your child's writing may not rival his speaking for years to come.

Encouraging Your First Grader

• Tell stories about real and imaginary events to increase comprehension. Take turns with your child talking about the day--what happened, what was surprising, what was funny. Also try making up stories together and even writing them down. Whether you're in the car, on the bus, or getting ready for bed, ask your child to choose some favorite characters for the story. Start off by telling the story yourself, have your child take a turn, and then alternate. When you tell stories together, you help your child learn what elements make up a good story, which will help his reading comprehension and writing.
• Encourage your child to ask questions about words. Keeping up with a first grader's questions may be trying for parents, but asking about words is an important habit to develop. Simply saying, "I'm glad you asked that," or "That's a good question!" when your child asks about a word will keep him questioning when he comes across new words. If you hear an unfamiliar word, think aloud about its meaning or consult a dictionary. Your curiosity demonstrates that even grown-ups wonder about words.
• Talk about challenging vocabulary words, concepts, and figures of speech. This will help broaden your child's vocabulary, deepen her understanding of all the concepts words represent, and help her to understand better what she is reading. 
• Play games with language to increase vocabulary, develop problem-solving skills, and practice letter sounds. ...such as a children's version of Scrabble, Boggle, or Clue, Jr.

References

http://www.pbs.org/parents/readinglanguage/first/talking_milestone_first.html

First graders learn most through listening and talking

Your first grader learns more new information from listening than from reading books. First graders are expert listeners, but just beginning readers. When your child listens to an explanation of a concept or to an informational book read aloud, she can understand and remember more complicated information than she can when she reads on her own. This is because she does not have to focus on figuring out the words.
Many first graders enjoy listening to long stories. First graders' knowledge of the world, ability to follow complex plots, and natural enthusiasm for stories make longer books ideal for this age and stage. Rather than reading one or more short picture books in a sitting, your first grader will enjoy listening to chapter books, such as Stuart Little. Many also enjoy listening to longer, more complex picture books, such as Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, in a single sitting.
First graders learn most new word meanings through listening and talking rather than through reading books themselves. Older children and adults learn new words from reading books, but this is not true for first graders. They can only read simple books that contain easy words whose meanings they already know, so first graders need to develop new vocabulary in other ways. Your first grader learns words through listening to books read aloud, through discussing new words with adults, and through the introduction of new vocabulary into everyday experiences.

Your first grader is learning how to be a good listener in the classroom. Knowing the unwritten rules of conversation, such as taking turns in conversation and building upon the comments of another person, is a skill that is related to reading. Children who use these rules make better use of group discussions and further their understanding of what they read through listening and discussing with others.

Encouraging Your First Grader

• Read aloud books that are more difficult than your child can read. As a beginning reader, your child is only reading very simple text, so read-aloud time is the time to challenge him with new vocabulary and ideas. First graders enjoy both picture books with complex themes and ideas, such as Baseball Saved Us, and simpler chapter books, such as My Father's Dragon. Some books are too difficult or contain material that is difficult for first graders to understand, however, so choose carefully.  
• Discuss the book before, during, and after you read to develop reading comprehension. Before reading, talk with your child about the title and the front cover. See if she can guess what the book is going to be about. While you are reading, ask your child to make predictions about what will happen next. Encourage her to ask questions about words or story events. You might even think aloud, saying, "I wonder why Ramona didn't want to go to school." When you verbalize your thoughts, you encourage your child to think about meaning as well. When you are done reading, ask your child what her favorite part was or why a character felt the way he did.  
• Read many different kinds of books to your child. Reading a wide variety of books aloud to your child will help expose her to many different vocabulary words and ideas. In addition, your child will learn different writing styles and ways of presenting information. As your child gains skill in writing, this will also help her be able to use different styles. When you read a variety of genres, including realistic fiction, information, poetry, fantasy, and biography, talk specifically about the special features of each one. For instance, point out captions under pictures in informational text and explain their purpose. You might also try reading several books by the same author and comparing and contrasting the styles across books. Or read a book and then watch a video and discuss similarities and differences.

References:

Listening Milestones. http://www.pbs.org/parents/readinglanguage/first/listening_milestone_first.html