It’s that time of year again when the enchanting summer holidays are drawing to a close, and the back-to-school season is upon us. Transitioning back to a new academic school term, or even embarking on a new school journey, can be a mix of overwhelming and exhilarating emotions. In the present moment, more than ever, it’s crucial to be sensitive to their feelings, lend an ear to help them articulate their fears, and emphasize the positive aspects of returning to the structured school routine and the learning experience. It’s perfectly natural for your children to feel a touch of anxiety about heading back to school. We’ve all traversed this path, so let’s stand by their side to provide guidance and unwavering support.
Preparing for the Start of the New School Semester
Whether your summer was brimming with activities or marked by the occasional complaint about boredom, kids often face a challenging transition when it’s time to head back to school. That’s why we’ve compiled these five simple tips that, hopefully, will facilitate the return to the school routine for your little ones.
Emphasize the Positives
It’s important to remind your children of the positive aspects of returning to school, such as reuniting with old friends, making new acquaintances, acquiring stylish school supplies, and participating in sports and exploring new educational activities.
Research has revealed that children today are grappling with higher levels of anxiety and depression, which can lead to diminished self-esteem and motivation. In our fast-paced lives, there’s often a tendency to place more value on a child’s IQ than their emotional intelligence (EQ). Teaching emotional intelligence and instructing them on how to effectively manage their emotions is a crucial life skill to cultivate.
Set an example as a mentor, and demonstrate to your children the benefits of mindfulness, positive thinking, and healthy coping mechanisms. When kids witness their parents effectively managing their emotions, they naturally aspire to emulate these behaviors. This not only positively impacts their daily school experiences but also enhances their overall learning abilities and personal growth. Utilizing positive affirmations can be a valuable tool for teaching children to transform negative thoughts into positive ones. This, in turn, can boost their self-esteem, increase motivation, and lead to a higher level of life satisfaction.
An excellent back-to-school activity is to assist your children in selecting, printing, and organizing their own set of affirmation cards. Kids Happy offers an outstanding collection of free printable affirmation cards designed specifically for kids.
Ensuring a Good Night’s Sleep
Summer, with its absence of a structured routine, can disrupt children’s schedules. Therefore, it’s essential to establish a reasonable bedtime so that they’ll wake up well-rested and ready for school in the morning. The question often arises: “How much sleep do children actually require?”
Now, more than ever, as we transition into the new school semester following what has felt like an extended summer break, it’s an ideal moment to institute those critical sleep guidelines. Once children return to their customary school routines, their sleep patterns gradually normalize, ensuring they are well-prepared for their school days ahead.
Breakfast: The Most Crucial Meal of The Day
Research indicates that students who consume a nutritious breakfast filled with the essential superfoods that fuel their young bodies tend to exhibit increased alertness and perform better in school. Their breakfast provides them with the energy they need to kickstart their day. Drawing from personal experience, I can attest that when I skipped a wholesome breakfast in the morning, I’d often feel lethargic and struggled to maintain focus during class.
Embrace Organization
Organization is your greatest ally in alleviating anxiety and maximizing efficiency in any situation. Teaching your kids the art of organization is paramount. This entails laying out what they’ll need the night before – uniforms, homework, books, water bottles, hats, and the like – to streamline their mornings and reduce stress for both you and your children. To aid in this process, we’ve devised two engaging online checklists, one tailored for primary kids and another for older secondary students, encouraging them to take charge of their readiness for school.
I’m sure many parents can relate to that frenzied feeling of urgently searching for a misplaced pencil case or a missing sports shirt, with teary-eyed children tugging at your leg, anxious about being late for the first day of school. I’ve always found that a brief check-in with the kids the night before school is imperative to ensure that all essential items are packed and prepared for the big day. The children would then invariably select their favorite back-to-school book, a tradition that serves to remind them that this yearly occurrence is an exciting part of their educational journey. As the kids mature, empowering them to take responsibility for organizing their uniforms, ensuring their sports bags are packed, and verifying their school supplies is not only a valuable life skill but also instills a sense of responsibility for their belongings.
How many times as a parent have you hurried to school with an item your child has forgotten? Whether it’s a lunchbox, a school trip permission slip, or a water bottle for a sports day, we’ve all experienced such moments. However, as your children grow, it’s important to remember that learning to be responsible and occasionally experiencing failure is a crucial life skill that ensures they grasp the lesson and avoid repeating the mistake. You may temporarily feel like the “bad parent” who doesn’t rush to your child’s rescue with the forgotten sunhat, but fostering independence rather than dependency entails allowing them to falter on occasion. Trust me, they’ll swiftly learn to manage themselves effectively!
Create a Calendar
A wall calendar or a meticulously planned school schedule holds the distinguished honor of being every parent’s quintessential fridge artwork. It serves as a central hub where the entire family can readily access crucial dates, teacher conference schedules, after-school activities, and those precious holidays and long weekends.
Maintaining a visual reminder is perpetually invaluable for staying on top of the bustling school year. Over the years, I find myself pondering how I would have managed to navigate the intricate labyrinth of activity schedules and birthday parties for all my children without my trusty weekly planner. As the kids grow older, it’s a wise practice to encourage them to print and laminate both their individual class schedules and a copy of the school calendar to keep in their rooms. This not only fosters commendable habits of preparedness but also imparts the invaluable skill of proactive organization versus reactive chaos.
Let’s be candid; deciphering the labyrinthine online school schedules can be a daunting endeavor, and most of us admit that we’re less than adept at it. To circumvent this potential maelstrom, the simple act of maintaining a tangible schedule remains the key to orderly success.
