After a summer of staying up late and sleeping until noon, freedom of late evening neighborhood adventures with friends, and endless family trips, its now time to start refocusing the minds of your children from 'what's in the snack drawer' to 'what's in today's lesson plan.'
Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D. has been an educator for over forty years, has authored sixteen books, and recommends six easy-to-implement strategies you can begin today to ensure the summer-to-school transition is a smooth one.
Let's talk about school
In order to seed the scholastic mindset, make sure school is a topic conversation throughout the day. Topics can be as broad as asking who they want for their teacher or as classmates. Other discussion ideas can focus on achievement goals, sports and extracurricular activities. Even dinner prep is an opportunity to discuss favorite and least favorite school foods. Make sure the conversation is two-way and share your experiences, which not only orients your child for school but also builds relational connection between you and your child.
Connect through creativity
Some children may find it hard to verbalize their feelings about school. Pulling out the art supply kit is a great way for kids to put their thoughts of school onto colorful paper. A bonus, is that you get fresh art for the fridge which will further remind kids of the excitement of having their creative works and achievements celebrated at home. For older children who have the writer gene, writing a short story about the first day of school and reading it aloud warms up both their writing and public speaking skills.
Movie night
Once school resumes, even finding family dinner time between sports activities will be a logistical nightmare. Take advantage of the slower evenings now, and select films with school themes and encourage discussion throughout the movies. Some films that Dr. Armstrong recommends include "Harry Potter", "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Clueless". As an 80's baby, I'm personally partial to "Pretty in Pink" (PG-13).
Make back to school fun
You can skip open house, and you can miss PTO meetings, but you can't escape the back to school shopping list of pencils, dry erase markers, and enough Ziploc bags to split out a 50-pound bag of rice. As easy as it can be to grumble about the long lists, make it a positive experience by including children in the supply search. Challenge them with finding several key items by making it a game of adults versus kids. Dr. Anderson suggests giving older children the responsibility and freedom of a budget to go supply shopping and lunch with friends.
Block time for stress relief
Share tension-relieving tools with children which can be implemented during stressful periods. A brief online search produces a limitless supply of children-oriented breathing, visualization, and yoga activities. Yoga is a particularly worthwhile activity as both adults and children can participate in this self-centering activity. Building relaxation techniques in children provides them with empowering self-awareness and peacefulness during not-so-peaceful moments.
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Hype up homework
Work with your children to determine the best time of day to complete homework. Whether it's before or after dinner, between afterschool activities, or late evening, implementing a set time as a mandatory part of the daily routine and jointly selecting a designated homework location is a great way to support focus and reliability in successfully completing the homework list.
Incorporating school as part of the daily routine sooner rather than later, is a great way to progressively wind down the summer mindset and refocus on the structure of the school year.
What are your go-to strategies for on-boarding your children for school? Tweet me with your tips and tricks at @crislthompson. I'd love to share.
About the author: Cris Thompson has been a New River Valley resident for nearly 20 years. When first moving to the area, she noted "I knew on day-one this was where I would plant my roots and raise my family." When she's not with her husband and daughter camping locally or traveling abroad, she enjoys reading historical novels, hiking, and backyard bonfires. If you see her in the grocery store on payday, steer clear. She's likely grinding her teeth and wishing she was getting a root canal instead! Have any great family-friendly activities or events in the NRV? Tweet or follow her at @crislthompson.
