Back to School Starts….NOW!!
All the kids go back to skool...
All the children go back to school and the parents cheer “hooray”!
It is important for parents and children to be organised and prepared for school. Here are a few important tips to help:
- Get back into the routine as quickly as possible.
- Talk to your children and teenagers about the routine they will need to follow during the week and establish clear guidelines and boundaries. This will avoid fights and arguments. For example, what time they will wake up and go to bed, what time they will need to be ready to leave for school, what time they will have any sporting or other commitments afterschool and what time they are expected to do their homework.
- Have clear boundaries about the amount of TV, phone/texts and internet time. Differentiate between computer time to complete homework and computer time for socialising. Young people don’t need to have MSN, MySpace or Facebook open while they are completing their homework! Instead, that sort of activity should be used as a reward after homework and any additional study is completed.
- Try to eat together and talk about the day. Yes – without the TV on!
- Talk to young people about their day at school. Yes – even those reluctant-to-talk teenagers! Be creative with your questioning techniques. Ask them to tell you about their maths teacher or how well they think their teachers will be able to teach them this year. Ask them to tell you three good things about school and three things they would like to improve.
- Make sure there are heaps of healthy foods for each main meal and as snacks. Young people don’t need to drink soft drinks (that should be a special treat). Chips and lollies should be for parties ONLY, or again as a special treat. Kids need fruit, veggies and wholegrain food. Try to be creative and healthy with lunch. Water is often the best solution for drinks. Low fat flavoured milk is also ok.
- Try to be positive about school and talk about why school is important. It is essential that children develop a healthy opinion of school and how it will help them achieve their goals.
- Set goals with your children. Help them to set realistic goals and time-frames to achieve them. Place written goals up on the fridge or in your child’s room. Have fun with goals and display them visually and use lots of colour and stickers.
- Celebrate your Child’s success! Have a special dinner or a special toast, go out for dinner or give your child a small reward for making a smooth transition back into school.
- Enjoy the fact that your children are back at school learning new things. Easter Holidays are 8 weeks away!
