After 6 weeks of holiday, it’s time to go back to school. Parents are glad that to get some peace and quiet and the kids are glad to be back at school or get started in a new school.
In this blog entry, we talk about 5 ways you can help your child prepare for school and have a successful academic year.
- Channel your child’s energy: Holidays allow children to relax. Your children have probably been practising sports, playing outdoors or just lounging around! Maybe you gave them a Summer project or enrolled them in an activity week, either way it has been an enjoyable break and batteries are recharged. With only a few days left, now is probably not the best time to make your child practice 2 hours on the piano or enter into a science competition. The last few days of the holiday is probably the best time to unwind and focus on calm activities: reading, drawing, cinema, cooking… which is a good transition.
- Manage any stress: After having a long break, there is always a little bit of stress, particularly the night before going back to school. Children can feel anxious, and consequently suffer from trouble sleeping, get into unnecessary arguments and generally act disorganised. This could be due to stress, even more for a child who is moving to a new school, or moving from primary to secondary school. To relieve your child’s fears and worries, it is advisable to talk about it. You can talk about concerns but also about the excitement about going back to school. This should reassure your child about anything that’s on his or her mind.
- Explain the essentials: Even if children don’t express any fear, it is important that you talk to them about the essential information regarding school. Children spend a lot of time at school and this period of their lives can have a huge influence on their future. You may want to talk to them about your family values and their personal values, you may want to remind them to be kind, to ask the teacher for help, to follow instructions etc
- Prepare for school: You’ve probably already done the final school shopping for pens, books, pencils, new uniform and new shoes. It’s always a good idea to make sure that your child has a complete pencil case and maths set. It’s also a good idea to buy dozens of pens and pencils to keep at home as a replacement. If you have a study space at home, why not use the last few days of the summer to make sure that the space is ready for them as it’s always good to have a neat space for doing homework. Other useful resources are: a small shelf with books and school supplies, a calendar with dates of holidays, a dictionary and thesaurus, a space w here they can leave their school bag. These are all little things that you can do to make your child willing to work!
- Reward your child: It’s the end of the Summer and everyone has had a great time. Many kids remember their summer holidays when they grow up, as a time of being carefree. It can be hard to switch from long summer days to early evenings, school stress and homework deadlines. If you promised your child with a special reward or treat for the summer, make sure you follow through and give them this reward. Let your child know that you’ve also had a great summer and remind them of any changes that are coming up for the year ahead. Get the children to sleep early so they are prepared for a long day ahead and don’t forget to continue to reward your child throughout the school year.