Back To School: 4 Tips to Get You Ready | Dr. Shauna Miller
It’s that time of year when we consult school lists and rush around trying to get everything into place for the coming year. While in the process of organizing all the material necessary for a successful year, it may be helpful to build habits and routines that can ensure long-lasting success. The following steps may seem simple but have proven to help children not only do well in school but have better social and emotional lives.
Imagine retrieved from https://thoughtcatalog.com/cehudspeth/2013/03/what-your-bedtime-says-about-you/
ONE: Establish good sleep routines
Good sleep is key. We all know how difficult it can be to function with limited sleep and this is no less true for children. In fact good quality sleep has been linked to better mental and physical health. We need to help our children benefit from adequate sleep even if they are afraid of missing out! Of course during the holidays many children have enjoyed long days and freedom over when to get to bed. Now that the school year looms, it may be useful to phase in earlier bedtimes. Each week set a bedtime that gets closer to the one used during the year to help youngsters to adjust to a schedule. Limit the use of electronics before bedtime and prohibit them from use in the bedroom as they can significantly delay the onset of sleep. Instead, establish relaxing routines right before bed with quieter activities such as reading, listening to quiet music, drawing or bath time.
TWO: Plan for healthy eating
Nutrition has been shown to be just as important as good sleep for academic and socioemotional success. Now is the time to think through what the meals for the school year might look like, especially in the mornings. Are mornings busy? Think about having pre-prepared options such as pre-made porridges, boiled eggs, sandwich fillings that can be quickly made ready in the morning. Fresh fruits should be accessible as quick snacks. Children often model the eating habits of their parents so a good way to develop an appetite for fruits and vegetables in your children, is to eat them consistently. It is very important for children to go to school with a good breakfast as they need those nutrients to properly engage in learning.
THREE: Develop a consistent work schedule
Homework time can sometimes range from a minor hassle to a full-scale war. If children have a set expected time that they have to work every day, it can ease some of the friction of homework time. Even now, during the summer it may be best to have a daily time of active learning to ease the transition back to school. Have a set time that children must engage in a learning task whether they have an assignment or not. Consistency is the key to success with children. Ideally homework time should be after a short break from school and before any T.V. or tablet time. Ensure that the assigned work or activity is completed before children are allowed to play. If you find that your child seems daunted by homework, try breaking tasks into chunks with very quick breaks after each e.g. do 5 problems or 2 questions or work for 15 minutes.
FOUR: Connect
Listening to our children is one of the most valuable steps to maintaining a positive, healthy relationship. As children get older it can seem harder to get them to talk. Spend time with them doing things that they enjoy and patiently wait for them to share their thoughts. As they speak freely about their lives, it is important to remain as neutral and positive as possible. If you begin to lecture or ask too many questions, children become reluctant to share. This does not mean you should not address concerns! But make careful judgments about what you need to probe and how you can engage in a productive discussion. We need to be able to hear what is going on in our children’s lives as they re-enter school and face their own challenges, successes and failures, and difficult decisions. We need to be able to understand their frustrations and hopes and detect early warning signs of problems. Making the time to connect with our children will pay off for years to come.
Written by Dr. Shauna Miller, School Psychologist
Learn MoreBACK TO SCHOOL THE S.M.A.R.T. WAY
- image from http://www.yukonwellness.ca
Back to school is here! I am encouraging kids at all levels to set S.M.A.R.T. Goals for the up-coming academic term! You can get the results you want as long as you keep your mind’s focus on what you want to achieve.Make your academic goals as specific as possible, also make them measurable (determine for yourself how you will know when you’ve achieved EXACTLY what you want!).
Importantly, write down your goal in a way that makes it ‘as if…NOW’. Don’t phrase your goals as an arbitrary wishful thought that may or may not be achieved at some eventual point in the future. Instead, make it real and as if it’s right now. You can do that by filling it with strong visuals, sounds and feelings that make the experience as though it’s happening at this very moment for you!
You do need to make sure that whatever goals you set are realistic and can be achieved in the time frame you set and with the resources you have available to you. Finally, ensure that you anchor whatever goal you make in a timeline with a specific time attached for obtaining your goal. So let’s try out an example of setting a S.M.A.R.T. academic goal:
“It is December 2014 and I have just received my end of term report from the office, I feel amazing because I have obtained an average of 90% on my report. (You may go ahead and put in specific scores for specific subject areas). I can hear my parents’ congratulations about the great job that I have done and I feel satisfied with my performance. This feels amazing!”
When we make S.M.A.R.T goals and position them at a concrete point in our future we give our minds something specific to focus on and because of the strong sensory energies (visuals, sounds, feelings) that we associate with the goal, we unconsciously are mobilised to do things that are guaranteed to get us what we want.
Just remember….where you put your focus changes EVERYTHING! Have an amazing academic year from Caribbean Tots to Teens!
Matthew McKenzie is a Masters level Clinical Psychologist at Caribbean Tots to Teens. He can be reached at mathhew.mckenzie@caribtots2teens.com
Learn MoreSleep and your Teen
Sleep is as valuable in the teen years as in younger childhood. Too little sleep decreases cognitive function, and a teens ability to remember what they have learned.
Take the time to read the link below and talk to you teen about planning and committing to a good night sleep.
Making sleep a priority is a lifestyle choice that quickly pays off. Better sleep helps young people learn more efficiently and improves their mood and athletic performance.
Making sleep a priority is a decision that every member of the family will benefit from.
Teens may model themselves on their sleep-deprived parents and peers and think they are supposed to get less sleep as they mature.
Weekend “catch -up” and sleeping in may be an occasional treat, but for a teen who is sleep deprived during the week sleeping isn’t usually enough to catch up on lost sleep-time and waking up more than an hour after regular waking time an actually make Monday mornings worse for everyone.
Sleeping in on weekends may be one of life’s small luxuries, and for many adults it is. However, when it comes to teenagers, sleeping in on weekends may be the first sign of an emerging sleep problem.
How can parents help their teens improve their sleep patterns?
- Talk about sleep, wake up time and bedtime with your teen.
- Don’t sleep in beyond an hour on the weekends.
- Separate “Social” from “Homework” and encourage your teen to focus on the work at hand (fixed half hour periods with quick 10 minute breaks might be helpful)
- Set a good example, make sleep a priority for yourself!
- Work together and live the Dream 🙂
Back to School Is a Great Time for Teens to Sleep | Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine.
Learn MoreBack to School: Are you S-E-T? Mr Alexis Goffe speaks
Back to School: Are you S-E-T? Mr Alexis Goffe speaks on Smile Jamaica TVJ about parents being S-E-T – establish a STRUCTURE, plan a healthy weekly menu to ensure ease of shopping and nutritious EATING and last, but not least…make time to listen and TALK to your little student this term.
Learn MoreBack to School: Eat smart! Nutritionist Kerry Weatherly speaks
Back to School: Eat Smart! Mrs Kerry Weatherly speaks on Smile Jamaica TVJ. There is no “bad” food or “good” food. Listen in and learn some tips on the right WAY to feed your school-age children.
BREAKFAST: hot or cold cereal with milk and a fresh fruit make a quick, nutritious and affordable breakfast
LUNCH: send your child to school with a fresh fruit even if they are getting lunch at school.
Even on a budget, you can serve the SAME FOODS prepared in different ways, and keep food interesting! Choosy kids enjoy being given the opportunity to be a part of the decision making. Get them involved!
Enjoy the video 🙂 and please share your comments with us.
Learn More
back to S-C-H-O-O-L tips for parents
Here are some tips for parents to keep in mind as we dive head first into BACK TO SCHOOL!!
SLEEP! A good night’s sleep is essential for the brain to process the day’s activities and lessons. Children 4-8 years old need 10 hours of sleep a night. A one hour nap before 4 pm can be a good supplement and should not affect falling asleep later. Children 8 to 11 years need 8-9 hours while teenagers (11-15 years) need MORE sleep than their younger siblings: 9-10 hours a night. Discuss bedroom rules, hours of sleep and a wind-down routine with your kids. No cell-phones, computers or televisions are to be on (or even accessible) during sleep time. Keep them in another room if necessary. Institute a reasonable bedtime the week before school starts.
NO! No caffeine.
COMMUNICATION! Your child needs to talk to you about school. Where will you find five dedicated minutes to listen? How about no electronics while commuting to and from school; or at mealtime together; and even 5 minutes before ‘lights-out’ at bedtime? With no television, cell phone or computer, your child will know you are ready to hear from them.
HOMEWORK! Create a homework spot, well-lit and away from distraction. Let your child pick out their own style of desk accessories, a cork board (for great test results and upcoming projects) and a jumbo calendar. Personalizing the space makes it easier for children to sit and tackle the task at hand. No Excuses!
OPEN-MINDED OPTIMISM! It’s a clean slate, a new beginning, a fresh start. Expect the best. Work hard. Block the negative messages you may hear about the new teacher, the new student or the new syllabus. This is an Olympic year: Go for Gold!!
LUNCH! Now more than ever parents are aware of the cost of buying lunch on-the-road and the low nutritional value of many pre-packaged snacks. Shop purposefully. Encourage your children to help make their own lunches as a part of their “winding down” every evening. Home-made sandwiches, a fruit (or two) and an igloo of ice and water can be prepared from the night before, and will be cheaper and healthier than “ a patty plus tax”. WATCH this video featuring some more tips from our nutritionist Kerry Weatherly.
A little planning ahead and a lot of agreement on goals can result in a fruitful year for every member of the family not just the ‘schoolaz’.
- S Sleep
- C Communication
- H Homework
- O Open-mindedness
- O Optimism
- L Lunch
Strong Body. Healthy Mind. Solid Foundation.
This is an edited reproduction of our editorial as it appears in the
Back to School Supplement of the Jamaica Observer
Friday Aug 17, 2012
Learn More