Changing schools, new classrooms and teachers, adjusting to schedules, making new friends and getting reacquainted with old ones in addition to piling on different adventures in extra curricular activities would lead one to believe that August and September are really the beginning of a new year.
“This is a great time for parents to begin preparing their children for a successful year,” said Emily Baker, veteran educator and Principal at Eastside Elementary. “No matter how old your child is, you as the parent lay the foundation for a successful school year. Take your child with you to registration with the intent of meeting his teacher and school administrators. By doing this you are sending a message to your child that their education is important. Talk with them about how they think the year will go and what they expect to learn.”
Mrs. Baker believes that organization and schedules are two key ingredients to helping children get the school year off to a great start.
“Instead of waiting for the first day of school, put your children on a schedule now so they can get used to going to bed and waking up at a specific time,” said Mrs. Baker. “Children need 10 hours of sleep every night whether they think they do or not. I am a real fan of practicing how things will go before you actually encounter the first day of school.”
Talk with your children about evening and morning routines so they will know when certain things are supposed to happen such as laying out clothes for the next day, bath time, how and when lunches get packed, where the book bag goes after school and where and when homework gets completed.
“I encourage parents to try and establish a homework routine and good homework habits,” said Mrs. Baker. “Talk with your child about when he wants to do homework. It is not a bad thing to go outside and play for an hour or so before starting homework. When children have been sitting in school all day they need to do something different when they get home. It is very important for parents to check book bags daily with their children for homework assignments. We try to communicate often with parents by sending daily homework and behavior sheets home. Unless they are consistently prompted, children rarely remember to tell their parents about things in their book bag.”
Mrs. Baker encourages parents to resist the urge to do their child’s homework for them. Offer assistance, but make sure the final product reflects your child’s efforts not yours. Here are some additional tips to help get the new school year off to a great start:
Be a good role model – Demonstrate the importance of following school rules. Make sure your child gets to school on time and is picked up on time. Help your child understand the importance of completing and turning in homework assignments on time.
Be reasonable – If something is wrong, send a note requesting a meeting with your child’s teacher. It is hard for teachers to have quick unscheduled conferences when they are trying to keep up with their class. Keep your sick child home from school.
Read together – Children benefit enormously when parents read to them and when they read to their parents. Make reading together a daily habit. Take turns reading out loud. Have discussions about what you have read.
Keep the teacher informed – Send a note or talk to your child’s teacher about issues that may affect your child’s school performance. If your child is dealing with grief, divorce, sibling rivalry, nervousness about an upcoming event or excitement about a visit from out-of-town grandparents, it is good to share this information.
Resist the temptation to over commit – Too many extra-curricular activities can lead to stressed out children and parents.
Starting a new school year can be quite an adventure or seriously nerve racking. Getting organized and limiting the chaos can make all the difference.
Copyright ©2010 First Things First
