How Can We Set Our Children Up for A Successful School Year?
It is that time of the year again...You guessed it! Back to School! How can we as parents set our kids up for success this school year?
We all know that going back to school can be exciting for some kids and overwhelming for others. But it can also be exciting and overwhelming for us parents.
I am here to give you a few tips on how to ease both your “Back-to-school” anxiety and your little one’s. These 3 ways can get both you and your child’s minds focusing back on school work and less on summer vacation.
Routine
I can’t stress this first topic enough ...ROUTINE! A home life routine might have some of us automatically thinking of the family from the movie Sound of the Music. Am I right?! Routine means we have to be strict on our timeline and we can’t stray from it, or else.
Well, I am here to tell you that routine is actually beneficial. As parents, it is important that we create a sense of stability for our children. Having set at-home and night-time routines helps ease the mind of a child and get them ready for the next day. This also helps you maintain order and positive attitudes.
Here’s an example of what I mean by “Set routine”:
- Set up some time to get your kids ready for the next school day;
- i.e pick out school clothes the night before, get all of their school supplies together, and put items in a designated location.
- Make sure your kids eat a balanced meal before bed
- Set aside family time and make sure bedtime is timely with a smooth transition.
We want to send our kids to bed on a positive note hoping that this rolls over to how they wake up and get ready for their next day. Creating these routines will give them independence and create structure. Which in turn makes them more confident!
Balanced Meals
Yes! You read it right! I know I touched on this briefly above, but I felt it is necessary to reiterate. Studies show that a balanced diet is key to learning success. Balanced diets help increase your child’s academic and physical performance overall!
As adults, we know how our bodies react when there’s a lack of nutrition. It affects our mind, body, and overall production levels. This is the same for our little ones.
Making sure our children have a proper diet both at night and in the morning before school promotes better behaviors and learning environments, helps improve brain functions, allows them to focus on their school work better, and gives them the necessary energy to do so as well. Here’s a couple of cookbooks with healthy recipes you could follow if you need help.
Healthy Nutrition
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Balance In A Bowl
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Having The Talk!
Having the talk about expectations going into school can be beneficial in so many ways. Most kids are just told “Hey school starts...are you ready...Let’s go!” It is very important for us to talk about what we expect of them, what their teachers may expect, and what they should expect.
We’ve all been “Back to school” at some point. Some of us are still going back to school. So this should be a breeze (or at least I hope it is). Giving your child important information about their school, teachers, and the overall culture and environment can help them feel more confident about entering a new grade, school, or even their very first school day.
Sharing your experiences with your child helps create eagerness for them to create their own experiences. Helping your child set short and long term goals for the school year could get them enthusiastic about completing those goals and eager to learn. We want to make sure that goals are:
- Age appropriate
- Realistic—because after all, we are trying to set them up for success
Giving your child a general idea of what to expect allows them to look forward to whatever it is they are doing. These routines, habits, and structure help kids thrive. Learn more about healthy habits!
Exercises and Activities
Here are a few exercises and activities that we could do with our children to get them ready for the school year. These practices can be done throughout the year.
- Breathing exercises: teaching our children some breathing exercises and techniques could help them navigate stressful situations in and outside of school. It could also help them regain focus and lower stress and anxiety levels.
- Journaling: Journaling is beneficial in so many ways. This is a great exercise for developing and improving emotional intelligence, practicing creative skills, and just unpacking our thoughts. You could even make your kids a custom journal just for them!
- Positive Affirmations: Repeat these affirmations with your child or leave a note for your child in their book bag or lunch box! Affirmations are a good practice to help promote your child’s overall outlook on life and problem solving; helping them with thinking positive even in times of stress and uncertainty.
Here are a few examples of positive affirmations
- I am confident socially and enjoy meeting new people
- All of my problems have solutions
- I have courage and confidence
- Today I choose to think positive
Setting Them Up For Success
We all want our children to do their best in school. Although we can’t control everything, there is a lot we can do to encourage and set our children up for success. Adopting all or some of these tips can create a smooth and healthy transition for our children with going back to school.
Have you tried any of these tips? If so, which ones have you found the most helpful? What tips do you have for going Back to School?
