As the fun of summer vacation winds down, the inevitable happens: it's time for school to start back! A collective moan from kids, with mixed emotions from parents. The back to school blues is a real thing! Leaving behind sleeping late, staying up late and no routine to structure, a school routine and a new time in life is exciting and scary all at the same time. Every new school year is a challenge to both kids and parents alike. Their school environment may look really different this year. How can we, as parents, help prepare our children to face a new school year and battle these back to school blues before they become an issue?
First and foremost, have a conversation with your kids as they return to school. Sometimes, as parents, we find just opening up the door for dialogue gets them to share and talk about things they might not have told you otherwise.
With work, school, after school activities, sports, schedules can get hectic and time is a rare commodity with school starting. Carve out some of your time to stay involved with your kid's teachers and schools. Subscribe to all the school emails and newsletters, make sure your children's teachers have your email and phone numbers and that you are a hands-on, involved parent. This will enable you to get important information on what's going on at school, important dates to remember, list of school supplies and important first day info for new students. Being able to connect with you will make the teachers feel comfortable to contact you whenever they need to let you know anything. Keeping lines of communication open with your kids, their teachers and their schools takes time and some work, but it's worth it when it helps provide a good learning environment for your kids and for you to be involved.
Working towards a goal is always good motivation and it helps keep focus. In thinking about how to deal with going back to school for your family, set some goals for them to work toward. Make sure they are realistic, achievable goals and ones that your kids will stay excited about and be motivated to achieve.
The back to school blues are a real thing. We have all been through it before and made it to the other side! Just because this school year may look different than other years doesn't mean it can't be fun! The best outcome will be found in our attitudes and how we shape our outlook. We want our kids to remember that we took a difficult time and made the best of what we had. Sometimes the best memories come, not from perfect conditions, but from difficulty that was met with positive encouragement and an attitude of perseverance.
© 2020 Compac Industries. All rights reserved.
This article is intended to provide an understanding of and knowledge about “health topics” as expressed through the perspective and research of the author. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or counsel, including the diagnosis or treatment of any condition. Always seek the advice of your qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, illness or treatment of any listed or non listed situation above. By using this site, you signify your assent to our Terms and Conditions.
Sources:
https://www.apa.org/topics/school-anxiety
https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/how-beat-back-school-blues
Comments will be approved before showing up.