Prepare Your Kids for School

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Ask any school-goer and they will tell you that the transition from holiday to school is stressful. Woman This Month narrows down the things parents can do to help ease the ‘back to school’ move with these simple strategies.

1. Eat correctly
First things first, take care of the basics. Make sure your child gets a nutritious, balanced meal. Eating a healthy diet, especially a protein-carbohydrate balanced breakfast, is important for brain function, mood and the ability to focus and pay attention in class.

2. Sleep well
Just as adults need at least seven to eight hours of sleep a night, so do kids. Getting adequate sleep allows your child to stay focused throughout the morning. A short nap after school, before homework time, also works for some children.

3. Shop together
To rid your kids of the end-of-holiday blues, involve them in your ‘back to school’ shopping experience. The process of them choosing their books, bags and stationery sets will get them excited for everything they love about school.

4. Define a routine
After a long summer vacation, your children have probably become accustomed to an unsystematic lifestyle. To get their head in the game, experts suggest getting them back into their usual school routines a week or so in advance.

5. Stimulate their minds
With a challenging school year ahead, more parents tend to put their kids’ intellect to practice by giving them model exercises, games or chores well in advance. Why not start a kids’ book club, where a few days a week, you can have a scheduled reading time followed by a discussion.

6. Get involved
Being active in your child’s day-to-day activities helps them realise the importance of their education. Take time to review their home work, show up at school events and keep teacher-parent communication ongoing throughout the year.

7. The right ambience
It is important that your child studies in an environment in which they are comfortable. Studies show that some children work better while listening to music; you could leave songs on in the background as long as the volume is low.

8. Work together
What children dread even more than school is the homework that follows. To encourage your kids, work with them to set up a homework time frame that matches their rhythm and personal preferences — after snack and downtime or right after school?

9. Get comfy
Having a specific work space makes children concentrate on their work at hand.
Be it in the living room, bedroom or kitchen, the area must be well lit and include a desk with drawers.
Opt to read the paper while they are studying so they can feel you are involved.

10. Offer a reward
Motivate your children to achieve good grades by awarding them. Be it tangible, like a new pair of shoes, or intangible, like more TV privileges, rewarding your kids encourages them to reach their goals.