Labor Day announced the end of summer and the start of another school year for our children. Help your kids kick off a wonderful year by keeping a few things in mind.
- Goals:
- Spend some time with your child to discuss goals for the school year. Ask them what they would like to achieve and accomplish this year. If appropriate be sure to add in your goals for them too. Goals could be getting to bed on time, exercising, gaining proficiency in a language, handwriting for example.
- Create a homework routine:
- Homework is frequently a challenge for kids. You can set your child up for success by helping them establish a routine at home. Find a regular place for them to do their homework. Equip them with tools that they will need and ensure that the space is quiet and free of distraction. Also, determine a schedule for when they will do their homework. Keeping a consistent time for completing homework will provide a sense of structure for you and your children.
- Sleep:
- Sleep is essential for everyone and especially for children. Ensure that your child is getting ample sleep each night. Create a nighttime routine before bed and determine an appropriate bedtime for each of your children keeping in mind the unique needs of your child.
- Communicate:
- Set aside time each day to talk with your child. Focus on communicating with them using active listening and authentic communication. When you really listen to your children you will deepen your understanding of who they are as well as pick up on issues that may be troubling them.
- Down Time:
- Determine what ‘Down Time’ means for your child and help them schedule it into their day. Each child relaxes in a different way. If you have multiple children be sure to address each one’s needs separately.
- Balance:
- Balance in all aspects of a child’s life is essential to raising socially and emotionally healthy children. Balance in activities, work, socializing, eating, exercising need not be achieved daily. Rather look to help your child find balance over the course of a week.
- Family Meals:
- This may be challenging as children get older and are involved in numerous activities after school. Try to sit down to eat together as a family as often as is doable for your family situation. Family meals allow for time to converse in a social setting and for everyone to join in on the conversation. This is also a wonderful time to plan for events and talk about current events or topics unrelated to school.
- Laugh:
- A little bit of laughter each day is wonderful medicine. Life can become too serious for our children. Make it a point to laugh together as often as possible
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- Don’t Over schedule:
- Frequently parents sign their children up for many different activities in an attempt to expose them to as much as possible. While exposure to new and different activities is helpful, too many activities can cause ‘burn out’. Take your cue from your child. Start introducing activities one at a time and always check in with them to ensure that they are not overwhelmed.
- Give Your Child A Say:
- Allowing your child an opportunity to voice their opinions boosts their sense of worth. And it allows you a chance to see the world from their perspective. So give your child a chance to express their concerns and ideas and when possible incorporate some of them into your plans.
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