It’s that time of year again! How did the summer pass so quickly? I hope you were able to find time to vacation or find a relaxing retreat during the busy summer solstice. We did find time to visit Lake Tahoe over the Fourth of July and see the fabulous firework display over the lake. What a fantastic show. We stand on a balcony of our favorite restaurant, and they play several great patriotic songs over their sound system.
With school starting, and many students returning to their physical classrooms while being near their teachers and classmates, we need to remember a few things to stay healthy and not let COVID strike again. Instruct your children to be aware of talking in someone’s face – keep their distance, carry sanitizer in their backpack, and use it often. After our trip to Lake Tahoe, I returned with COVID. Extremely disappointed as I managed to avoid the virus from the beginning.
In this blog post, I’d like to outline ten tips I found that might assist you, your children, and your grandchildren in starting the year off with a bang.
- Designate a space inducive to learn that allows your student uninterrupted study time. If possible, a small desk in their bedroom would be optimal.
- Have a calendar app you can share with family or have a large wall calendar where you place important dates so they are visible to all the family. Remember - clutter and disorganization is the enemy of academics. When receiving a calendar of events from the school, immediately place those dates on your family calendar.
- Then the school supply shopping begins. Be as organized as possible before you set out to purchase school supplies. Often shopping online can minimize your time and save you money.
- Re-establish a predictable daily school schedule. Dinner time, bath time, and bedtime schedules should be renewed a week or two before school begins. This will make for an easier transition.
- Create a schedule for each day, including extracurricular activities such as piano lessons, swimming lessons, sports activities, and religious classes.
- Be a positive role model for your children and grandchildren. Kids take their cues from us - what they see and hear. Critical are the activities you do with your family. If you are a walker or runner, invite your child to go with you. This will be a great exercise and a bonding experience between you.
- Help your children develop a sense of responsibility. Start setting the table and taking the dirty dishes to the sink after dinner. Take out the garbage or sweep the front porch. This will instill a work ethic to benefit them for the rest of their lives.
- Make clear rules and stick to them regarding watching TV, playing on the Xbox, and using their cell phone.
- If possible, get involved at their school. Meet the teachers and office staff to learn their goals for the year and assist them with activities. Young children especially like it when their loved ones are active in school.
- Make a habit of talking with your child, one-on-one, if possible, when they arrive home each day. This is the right time to ask how their day went, what they did, do they have any concerns, or met any new friends. Validate their feelings. Hopefully, they will feel at ease with you and be able to talk about their anxiety or other issues that came up during the day. It is an excellent time to help them work through their problems and give them tools to cope.
Although my children are in their thirties and have no grandchildren yet, I have neighborhood children, friends’ grandchildren, and children at church in my daily circumference. I was a youth minister when my children were in elementary school. I cherished that position with the hugs and love traded daily. I pray for all children to be safe, learn manners, respect adults, handle problems appropriately, and stay healthy.
If you want more back-to-school information, click on one of the headings below.
- https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/features/COVID-19-helping-children-transition-back-to-school.html#:~:text=Make%20sure%20their%20child%20has,do%20if%20there%20are%20concerns.
- https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/school/Pages/Back-to-School-Tips.aspx
- https://childmind.org/article/helping-children-with-special-needs-go-back-to-school/ (information also available in Espanol)
School is also an exciting time for children to see the friends they missed during the months of summer. Take care!
All my best,
Julie