Hey, Parents!
Remember how ecstatic your kids were to get three whole months off from school? “No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks…” Remember? Well, the time for the other foot to drop is approaching quickly. Today’s blog post talks about ways that you can try and soften the fall of that foot so it makes less of a thud when it comes time to go back to school.
Helping your kid transition back into the scheduled days of school routine—getting to bed early, waking up on time, and doing homework—starts with understanding why going back to school is such a big deal to them. I think it’s in the back of every parents’ head, “Quit whining and get back to school!”
Subconsciously, I’m sure we think, “Most of us have to deal with work year-round! You just got three months off! Stop complaining about it!” But we only think that because we have it wrong. Our kids aren’t actually as lazy as they seem. It’s not school that they’re really complaining about—it’s the return to a day with schedules and structure. It’s hard for anyone to transition back.
Here’s a few tips on how to ease the pain:
First, you can help encourage your kid to continue with the hobbies they got into over the summer. Make use of camping supplies and camp trunks.
Two to three weeks in advance of the first day back to school, you can start setting earlier bedtimes and earlier wake times for your kid. You can try to start serving meals around the times that your kid will be eating when school gets here.
Lastly, but possibly most important, you should instill a casually confident air about your kid when it comes to going back to school. Be excited about it for them, but not too excited. Too much excitement can make them suspicious. You’re response to the coming school year will have a major impact on your kid’s.
That’s all for today, folks.
John