With the summer winding down, more than likely you are wondering just how to get back in the groove for the upcoming school year.
Children must be prepared not only academically, but emotionally and socially, for the new school year.
But getting ready for the new school year is not just about the kids. How can parents also best prepare themselves for the 2022 school year? Here are 4 tips for getting ready to go back to school.
1. Address Back to School Anxiety for Children and Parents Alike
As kids are starting in a new classroom, a new school or other life changes that are oftentimes seen as the result of divorce, there may be some unfamiliar anxiety.
As a parent, it’s important to create a dialogue with your children where emotions can be expressed in a nurturing environment.
Having a positive attitude and voicing positive affirmations such as, “You’re going to enjoy getting back to seeing your friends at school” or “Not being together all the time is going to feel different, and even though we’ll miss each other, we’re going to be okay,” will help both of you immensely.
Adhering to a “goodbye” routine is also essential to quelling anxiety for both parent and child.
For instance, every time your child or children are walking out the door to go to school, give them a hug and a kiss. You could also end this ritual with a light-hearted, “See ya later, alligator.”
This sends a message to children that although you’ll be apart from each other during the day, they are loved and will be protected and safe until you see each other at the end of the day.
2. Create Schedules and Routines During the Week
It’s important for both children and parents to have routines and scheduled times for certain activities both before and after school.
This is particularly helpful because it gives order to an otherwise stressful life that demands such obligations as getting the kids to school before they’re late while also making sure you get to work on time.
While homeschooling was the norm, it may have been easy to let formerly rigid routines like bedtimes slide.
Get back to a scheduled bedtime for your children. 8-10 hours of sleep a week means bedtimes should be no later than 10 p.m. depending on what time school starts the next day. Sleep is important for any child’s overall health.
If you and the kids use cell phones and tablets, set a curfew for these devices and try not to use them in the hour prior to bedtime. This will also make for more restful sleep.
It’s also helpful to schedule a set time for your children to do their daily homework to make sure they are keeping up with their studies.
You may even want to set aside time each week to quiz your children on certain subjects or help them prepare for a test. Showing your children that you want to be involved in their schooling helps their self esteem as well.
3. Get the Kids Involved in Extracurricular Activities
Children have tons of energy, and it inhibits their ability to focus during and after school.
Sports are great for blowing off steam and help kids channel their energy in a positive way. Even if your kids can’t play sports, activities like theater, choir, and band are great options.
School is great for attaining knowledge about subjects, but it’s important for kids to learn “life” lessons as they’re growing up.
Whether it’s choir or baseball, extracurricular activities usually involve working as a team. Team building should be an essential part of every child’s education. Here are some of the ways children will benefit from these activities:
- By learning to work as a team, they will learn to be less self-centered
- Allowing every member of a team to express their ideas teaches respect for everyone involved
- Social skills and communication skills are developed
Having the kiddos involved in extracurricular activities also gives parents extra time during the week to handle family and business affairs.
4. Sticking to Your Co-Parenting schedule
It’s said that if you fail to plan you plan to fail, and that’s particularly true when it comes to successful co-parenting in the coming school year.
Your child custody agreement outlines how you are going to split time with your children, but it’s still important to plan with your co-parent. This is especially important if you and your co-parent aren’t on the best of terms.
Life is unpredictable, and schedules change. Even if you have a month or months planned out in advance, there is still a need for flexibility.
Revisiting your planned schedule on a week by week basis at the beginning of each week will help. That way if an important business meeting or appointment of some sort suddenly comes up, you can alter your co-parenting schedule as needed.
Making sure your children are always aware of which parent will be picking them up from school, baseball practice, choir, band practice etc. Children need to know they can depend on both parents to be there for them — that’s the number one priority
Revisiting custody schedules is normal. Maybe instead of one parent having custody during the week and one having custody on the weekends, parents could alternate custody weekly.
Communication with your co-parent is key, whether you’re on the best of terms or not.
Contact Our Flower Mound Family Law Attorneys for Advice Today
JulianJohnson, P.C. offers personal attention to people in need of family law attorneys in Flower Mound, TX and the surrounding cities. Our firm works to help address even the most complex family cases including high net worth divorces and similar cases with complex assets.
If you need help with a family law matter, Jared Julian has been helping people for more than a decade and is also a licensed Mediator.
This makes him a professional in settling family disputes. As an experienced family mediator, he listens to both sides and makes an informed decision that is in the best interest of all parties.
Mr. Julian and his team of experienced family law attorneys are available for a consult. Contact us today.
When faced with a heated situation such as the dissolution of a marriage, call a team with compassion, knowledge and experience of the legal system.
