FAMILY LEARNING GUIDE

Learning happens everywhere.

Supporting your child does not require turning your home into a second classroom. Reading together, talking, cooking, walking, playing, creating, and exploring Milwaukee can all strengthen third-grade skills—and protect the joy of being a family.

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Connection comes first.

You do not need to know every teaching strategy or have every answer. Listen to your child, stay curious, praise useful effort, and let me know when a task is consistently frustrating. Ten focused minutes with a calm adult can be more helpful than a long struggle at the table.

SMALL ROUTINES, REAL GROWTH

Six ways to learn without a worksheet

Choose one or two ideas that fit your evening. These are invitations—not another list families must complete.

1

Read

Read together for about 20 minutes. Take turns reading, pause to predict, and ask: “What makes you think that?” Audiobooks, comics, recipes, and informational books all count.

2

Talk

Ask one question that cannot be answered with yes or no: “What surprised you today?” “What problem did you solve?” or “What would you do differently?”

3

Write

Write for a real reason: a grocery list, thank-you note, comic, game directions, family interview, caption, or message to a relative.

4

Math

Use everyday numbers. Estimate the grocery total, count change, compare prices, measure while cooking, tell time, or practice multiplication with cards and dice.

5

Explore

Take a walk and notice patterns, weather, plants, animals, buildings, public art, maps, signs, and neighborhood history. Let your child ask the questions.

6

Create

Build with boxes, draw a new invention, make music, cook, garden, repair something safely, or design a solution to a small household problem.

Questions that grow thinking

  • “Show me how you figured that out.”
  • “Can you find another way?”
  • “What part makes sense so far?”
  • “What could we use to help us?”
  • “What did you learn from the mistake?”
  • “Would you like help, a hint, or time to try?”

THIRD-GRADE SKILLS

What practice can look like by subject

Home practice should feel short, understandable, and connected to skills your child has already begun learning.

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Reading

  • Read aloud to your child—even after they can read independently.
  • Ask for a quick retell using beginning, middle, and end.
  • Discuss a character’s choices and use details from the text.
  • For nonfiction, name one new fact and one new question.
  • Visit the library and let your child choose some books for interest, not only reading level.
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Writing & word study

  • Keep a tiny journal, comic, list, review, or family newsletter.
  • Say a word slowly and listen for each sound before correcting spelling.
  • Notice prefixes, suffixes, roots, and interesting vocabulary in everyday reading.
  • Reread writing aloud to hear missing words or unclear ideas.
  • Celebrate the idea first; edit one or two skills at a time.
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Math

  • Practice multiplication and division in short bursts using cards, dice, arrays, and equal groups.
  • Ask your child to explain why an answer is reasonable.
  • Measure ingredients, compare lengths, read clocks, and calculate elapsed time.
  • Use coins, store ads, scores, and household data for real problems.
  • Draw a model when numbers feel confusing.
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Science & social studies

  • Keep a weather chart or observe one outdoor spot across the seasons.
  • Test a paper-airplane, ramp, bridge, or container design and improve it.
  • Ask an older relative about a memory and compare past with present.
  • Use a map to plan a bus route, walk, museum visit, or neighborhood trip.
  • Talk about community problems and possible fair solutions.

IF YOUR CHILD HAS AN IEP OR 504 PLAN

You are an important member of the team.

An IEP is individualized. Another child’s services, accommodations, goals, or progress are not the standard for your child. Families bring essential knowledge about strengths, needs, communication, culture, health, and what helps at home.

Know the plan

  • Keep a current copy of the IEP or 504 plan.
  • Identify the present levels, annual goals, services, accommodations, and how progress will be reported.
  • Ask what unfamiliar terms mean. It is okay to request plain-language explanations.
  • Notice which supports increase independence—not only completion.

Before a meeting

  • Write down your child’s strengths and current interests.
  • Bring two or three main questions or concerns.
  • Gather examples of work, progress, challenges, or strategies that help.
  • Ask your child what feels easy, difficult, helpful, or important to them.

During and after

  • Ask how each goal will be measured and how often you will receive progress information.
  • Repeat important decisions in your own words to check understanding.
  • Request copies of documents and keep notes from the meeting.
  • Contact the team when needs change; families do not have to wait for the annual meeting to share concerns.

Support at home

  • Use the accommodations your child needs: shorter chunks, movement breaks, read-aloud support, visuals, extra processing time, or assistive tools as appropriate.
  • Practice the skill—not exhaustion. Stop and communicate when frustration stays high.
  • Offer choices and teach your child to name the support they need.
  • Do not remove a needed accommodation to make work “more fair.” Fair means each learner gets access.

MPS & WISCONSIN FAMILY HELP

You do not have to navigate special education alone.

MPS’s SELF Program connects families of students with IEPs or 504 plans with trained parent volunteers who can explain services and connect families to resources. WI FACETS provides free one-to-one special-education support and IEP resources for Wisconsin families.

MPS SELF Program ↗MPS Specialized Services ↗MPS Section 504/ADA Policy 2260.01 ↗MPS Special Education Policy 2460 ↗WI FACETS Family Support ↗Wisconsin IEP Resources ↗

BELONGING & INCLUSION

Children learn best when they know they belong.

An inclusive classroom recognizes that children differ in ability, disability, language, race, culture, religion, family structure, gender identity, interests, and the ways they communicate and learn. Difference is normal; dignity is not earned by acting the same as everyone else.

Language families can model

  • Use respectful identity and disability language preferred by the person or family.
  • Say “They learn differently” instead of “They are bad at school.”
  • Explain that accommodations provide access; they are not cheating or special favors.
  • Avoid using disability, gender, culture, body, or family structure as a joke or insult.
  • Correct hurtful language calmly and clearly.

Build empathy without pity

  • Presume that every child is capable of learning and contributing.
  • Ask before helping; independence and choice matter.
  • Talk about strengths without pretending challenges do not exist.
  • Teach children to include peers, protect boundaries, and get adult help when someone is unsafe.
  • Choose books and media showing many families and people with full, joyful lives.

Advocacy children can practice

  • “I need the directions one step at a time.”
  • “Can I have a quiet place or short break?”
  • “Please use my name and pronouns.”
  • “I do not understand yet. Can you show me another way?”
  • “They said stop. We need to respect that.”
Family partnership matters.

Please tell me about names, pronouns, languages, traditions, accessibility needs, sensory needs, communication preferences, family structures, and strengths that will help your child feel known and supported.

MPS Gender & Identity Inclusion ↗

MILWAUKEE IS A CLASSROOM

Explore, notice, question, and connect.

Admission programs and event schedules can change. Use the official link before leaving home, and ask about accessibility, sensory supports, reduced admission, or registration when your family needs it.

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Milwaukee Public Library

Get books, ebooks, audiobooks, children’s events, research tools, and Brainfuse homework help. MPL lists live online tutoring and branch-based homework help for K–12 students.

Try this: Let your child choose a book, find one fact about Milwaukee, and ask a librarian one question.
Explore MPL for Kids ↗
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Milwaukee Public Museum

Connect science, history, geography, cultures, fossils, animals, and ecosystems. Kohl’s Thank You Thursdays offer free general admission on the first Thursday of each month; reservations and availability rules may apply.

Try this: Pick one exhibit, sketch three details, and write one question for future research.
Check MPM events & free days ↗
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Milwaukee Art Museum

Children 12 and under receive free admission. Family programs and the Kohl’s Art Studio invite children to observe closely, make art, and explain creative choices.

Try this: Find an artwork that shows a feeling and explain which colors, shapes, or details create it.
Explore family art programs ↗
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Mitchell Park Domes

Compare desert, tropical, and seasonal plant environments. The Domes offer accessibility supports, including sensory kits; current admission and show-transition information is posted online.

Try this: Compare two plants and predict how each structure helps it survive.
Plan a Domes visit ↗
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Urban Ecology Center

Year-round family programs connect Milwaukee children to parks, rivers, wildlife, environmental science, and outdoor skills at Riverside Park, Washington Park, and Menomonee Valley.

Try this: Make a sound map, count living things, or photograph evidence of seasonal change.
Find family nature programs ↗
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Wehr Nature Center & County Parks

Trails, visitor exhibits, parks, beaches, and seasonal events make movement and environmental learning accessible. Milwaukee County currently lists parking-fee-free days at Wehr; always check the event calendar first.

Try this: Use a map, choose a trail, estimate distance, and notice how the habitat changes.
Check County Parks events ↗
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Milwaukee County Zoo

Use animal observations to study adaptations, habitats, food webs, measurement, and conservation. The Zoo schedules several Family Free Days each year; parking and attraction fees may still apply.

Try this: Choose one animal and collect evidence showing how its body fits its habitat.
See free & discounted Zoo days ↗
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A free neighborhood field trip

Walks do not need tickets. Explore murals and public art, compare architecture, read historical markers, visit a park, use public transit, or map important community places.

Try this: Let your child be the guide, photographer, map reader, question keeper, or accessibility checker.
Explore green spaces & public art ↗

MILWAUKEE RECREATION AQUATICS

Confidence, safety, movement, and joy in the water

Swimming is a life skill and a powerful form of physical learning. Milwaukee Recreation offers youth lessons, parent/child classes, adult lessons, and free registered open- and lap-swim opportunities at MPS pools. Current classes, locations, and eligibility for reduced fees are listed in the seasonal guide.

  • Youth lessons: Levels help children build water comfort, safety, strokes, and endurance over time.
  • Open swim: Free community sessions require registration; follow the posted supervision and swim-safety rules.
  • Inclusive access: Ask Aquatics staff which pool, class level, temperature, accessibility feature, or accommodation best fits your swimmer.
  • Family learning: Practice listening, goal-setting, body awareness, persistence, and safe decision-making.
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Find the right water activity

Swim lessons & aquatics ↗Free lap & open swim ↗

Aquatics: (414) 647-6067
Check the current program page before registering.