Counselor's Corner
Welcome back to school!
Returning to School and Healthy Habits to Begin the Year
As we start the school year, building effective systems and intentional routines within our family unit can provide the foundational skills for our childrens' educational and professional careers. Home is the perfect place to begin the healthy habits that will carry your child through the school year.
- Waking up early enough. So many of us wake up with just enough time to get dressed, get our things, maybe eat breakfast, and run out of the front door. But what if we found ourselves being more intentional in our mornings? There would be time to connect with our family. Perhaps even more importantly, there might be time to connect with ourselves. What goals are you hoping to set for the day? How is your body even feeling this day? Tired? Excited? Stressed? Are you choking down breakfast or mindfully being nourished? What would a morning look like with enough time to look inward and truly prepare to connect with our work, peers, and community?
- Make a home for everything. Being organized may not come naturally to everyone, but with enough practice, it's possible for anyone to implement their own brand of organization! With a dedicated place to put sneakers, backpack, things that need to be signed or reviewed by an adult, lunch bag, and school electronics, mornings become less hectic. When there is less of a scramble to assemble school supplies in the morning, students can begin their school day in a calm way allowing their brain to be ready to learn.
- Create a space for study and work. Find a designated place for studying and create a structured time and order of the afternoon or morning to complete assignments or studying. For some families, homework/studying begins immediately after school and finishing a snack. For others, homework is after dinner. Consistent routine helps students find success and stability.
- Accept mistakes as a part of learning. Both Velcro and the microwave oven were invented by mistake. So often our children believe they must be perfect to find success or to make their parents/guardians proud, when in truth, mistakes can be precious life lessons that catapult us into new understandings. Have conversations centered around curiosity- where you can review and wonder about the mistake that transpired. Let's celebrate these moments as learning opportunities and part of the educational journey.
- Encourage self-care. What lights you up? What lights your student up? How can we disengage from the running engine of the day to come back to center? Perhaps its taking an evening walk as a family to reconnect, or ten minutes of a game before bed. Is there a hobby or sport to enjoy? When adults give themselves permission to unwind, we are examples to our children that a healthy work/life balance can exist- and that there are brain/body benefits to rest and embodiment.
Connection through Conversation
Developing quality conversation with your young child can lay the foundation for a positive foray in to the teen and young adult years. Take some time to consider the ways you communicate with your children now. Is your child quiet or reserved? Do they love to play games and be silly? Do they like to share about their day in the car? During dinner? Before (or during!) your bedtime routine?
Intentionally building moments of connection into each day can make a big difference in your relationship with your child. Put down your cell phone and shut the tv. The importance of this time is multifold: your child feels important and loved, you have an opportunity to observe and learn about your child's strengths in order to better support them, and your child has an opportunity to model parent behavior. Even if your child is not especially forthcoming, creating moments of availability will allow your child to feel like they can come to you if any issue arises.
Conversation starters about school
- Do you like the grade you are in more or less than last year?
- What is one way you helped someone today?
- Did you see anyone from class on your bus/outside when being picked up from school?
- What was the most interesting thing you learned today at school?
- What would you like to learn about this year?
- What is a goal you would like to achieve this year?
- What is your most/least favorite thing to learn about?
- What do you like to play at recess?
- Do you have any questions about what you learned today?
As you child evolves, so will your communication style, however practicing communication skills will support the foundation of your healthy relationship into the future.