Wednesday, 03 April 2024

By ASP School Projects

Preparation for parents to help your kids get into back-to-school mode

Back-To-School Preparation For Parents

Helping your children prepare for a new school term can be stressful as a parent. Sometimes it can feel like there’s so much to do, preparing a new calendar, getting the kids back into a routine and ensuring any outstanding projects have been completed. But showing up as a supportive parent, and helping them transition back into school and study-mode, is something your kids will always remember.

Here’s how you can prepare your children for a smooth return to an academic routine for the new term.

Adjust Your Children's Routine Gradually To Return To School

Depending on which school holidays your kids are having, could impact how soon you start with a a gradual routine. For shorter holidays, 2 - 3 days should be enough, while longer school holidays, like the December break, could mean kids need about a week to get into a routine. While you can play this by ear, as you know your kids best, many research studies have shown that consistent routines and structure in kids’ daily lives have a positive impact on their overall well-being and academic success. Having a good routine at home provides children with a sense of security and predictability, which in turn helps to reduce stress and anxiety.

Start by having a conversation with your children and explain that the entire family is preparing for the school term that’s lying before you all. Then set up a schedule together. For younger kids you could use visual cues like pictures of activities aligning with times of the day to help them understand the value of a daily routine. For teenagers, allow them to create their own schedule (with your help) to give them a sense of control and responsibility. Include adjustments to bedtime and wake-up times to align with school schedules.

Include activities that reacquaint children with academic activities, such as solving puzzles or playing educational games after dinner and reading time before bed. If you’re looking for additional ideas of educational things to do during the holidays, read our blog 10 Inexpensive, Interesting and Educational Things To Do During The School Holidays.

Open Up Communication Channels

Our kids sometimes don’t have the language yet to tell us exactly how they feel, they might feel excited, anxious, scared, or a combination of different feelings - all completely normal. Knowing how your children feel will deeply impact your approach to handling the conversations you’ll have with your kids about returning to school. Set up regular one-on-one time with each child to discuss their feelings and concerns about returning to school throughout the holiday period. This could be in the form of going on walks together, cooking or playing a game. It’s sometimes helpful to share in an activity while having talks with older kids and teenagers. Encourage them to express their feelings through writing, drawing, art, or music if they're not comfortable talking about them directly.

Teach Kids How To Practice Coping Strategies

Coping mechanisms or coping strategies are techniques to help regulate thoughts and emotions to manage stressful situations. In our case, preparing kids for a new a new term has its own challenges. There might be new extracurricular activities to balance, new subject material tests and exams will be written about and even social situations kids need to navigate.

For most of our children’s school experience, we as parents are simply onlookers. The best tools we can give our kids are techniques for how to cope when we’re not there with them. These coping techniques for dealing with stress at school are crucial for kids’ overall well-being and to perform well academically.

Strategy 1: Deep Breathing

When your children feel stressed or nervous, the first thing they can do to regulate their emotions is deep breathing. Deep breathing can help calm their bodies' stress response and help get their minds focused on something else. Teach them to take slow, deep breaths in through their nose, hold for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly through their mouth.

Strategy 2: Positive Self-Talk

Teach your child to replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations when they are preparing for a challenge ahead or when they are facing a difficult situation. Encourage them to challenge negative self-talk by reminding themselves of their strengths, abilities, and past successes. Positive self-talk can help shift their mindset and reduce feelings of stress and self-doubt.

Strategy 3: Problem-Solving Skills

Help your child develop problem-solving skills to tackle challenges they encounter at school. Teach them to break down problems into smaller steps, brainstorm possible solutions, and evaluate the pros and cons of each option.

Strategy 4: Time Management

Teach your child effective time management skills to reduce feelings of overwhelm and stress. Help them create a daily or weekly schedule to organise their tasks and prioritize their responsibilities. Encourage them to break larger tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks and to allocate time for breaks and relaxation.

Strategy 5: Physical Activity

Physical activity is incredibly important for helping kids manage stress. Not only is it a great outlet for releasing pent-up energy, but it also helps to release endorphins, the feel-good hormones. Physical activity can take many forms like playing sports, going for a walk, or practising yoga or gymnastics. Make sure it’s a sport or activity your kids enjoy and bonus points if you can do it with them.

Strategy 6: Seeking Support

Teach your child the importance of seeking support from trusted adults, such as parents, guardians, or teachers when they're feeling overwhelmed or stressed. Encourage open communication and reassure them that it's okay to ask for help when needed.

Set Realistic Expectations For Your Kids For The New School Term

While it’s very important to maintain a positive mindset, it’s also important to remind your children that it is okay to feel nervous or unsure about returning to school and that many of their classmates likely feel the same way. Focus on helping your children celebrate their small victories and efforts, rather than solely focusing on academic achievements or extramural success. Place emphasis on the importance of resilience, adaptability and just giving your best. Encourage your children to approach the new school term with an open mind, reminding them that challenges can also lead to growth and learning opportunities.

Tips To Help Parents Prepare Themselves For The New School Term

Preparing for a new school term can also be very challenging for parents, especially when trying to balance various responsibilities. Many parents have different challenges, like working full time (sometimes even working a second job too), managing a household, planning and preparing healthy meals, getting some exercise and if there’s time planning - your social life. So, how can a parent prepare for their children’s new school term?

Create a Family Calendar

It’s hard keeping track of it all - extracurricular activities, test days, projects, weekend sports games, social events. A family calendar that has everyone’s important dates on it is a game-changer for any busy parent.

Set up a family calendar that includes important dates:

• School holidays
• Parent-teacher conferences
• Extracurricular activities
• Project due dates
• Test or exam dates
• Birthdays
• Social events

This calendar can be a physical calendar on the fridge or a digital calendar on your devices, as long as everyone have access to the calendar. Go one step further and colour-code the calendar, either organise it by category or by the kids’ names. This will help everyone stay organised and plan ahead for busy periods. It’s important to involve the entire family in this planning activity and help keep everyone accountable for any updates that happen to their schedule.

Establish Routines

Establish daily routines for yourself and your family to help streamline tasks and manage time more efficiently. This could include setting consistent wake-up and bedtime routines, designated times for meals and homework, and weekly planning sessions to coordinate schedules.

Delegate Responsibilities

Delegate tasks and responsibilities among family members to lighten the load and promote teamwork. Encourage children to take on age-appropriate chores and responsibilities, such as packing their own lunch, sorting or folding their own laundry, or helping with household chores. Younger children can help with easier tasks such as making their beds in the morning, while teenagers can help with more advanced household tasks such as taking responsibility for pets or even being responsible for one meal a week. You know your children best what they are capable of and how they can take responsibility.

Set Realistic Expectations For Yourself

Be realistic about what you can accomplish and don't be afraid to say no to additional commitments that may overwhelm you. Prioritise tasks based on importance and urgency, and focus on what truly matters for your family's well-being.

Practice Self-Care

Make self-care a priority by scheduling regular time for activities that recharge and rejuvenate you. Sometimes mom or dad can get so busy taking care of everyone else, and forget to recharge themselves. Whether it's exercise, meditation, hobbies, or spending time with loved ones, carving out time for self-care will help you maintain balance and manage stress more effectively.

Seek Support

Don't hesitate to reach out for support from friends, family members, or other parents who may be facing similar challenges. Joining parent support groups or online communities can also provide valuable resources, advice, and encouragement.

Resources, such as ASP School Projects' study materials, give your children the help they need with test preparation, which in turn helps parents put time back in their pockets. Pick your child’s grade from our Product page and learn how we can help you. We also have Facebook and Instagram pages where we regularly share updates and tips with parents - follow us there too!

Stay Flexible

Understand that plans may need to change and unexpected challenges may arise, so it's important to stay flexible and adapt as needed. Practice patience and resilience, and don't be too hard on yourself if things don't always go as planned.

Communicate with Your Child's School

Establish open lines of communication with your children’s schools and teachers to stay informed about important updates, events, and academic progress. Attend parent-teacher conferences and stay involved in your child's education to ensure they have the support they need to succeed.

By implementing these strategies, parents can better prepare themselves and their children for the new school term and navigate the challenges of balancing various responsibilities effectively.

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