Summers can feel never-ending, if not for the children, then at least for their long-suffering parents. Transitioning back to the school routine always goes off with a hitch. Your little ones are probably finding ways to continue their extracurriculars outside school.
If they went searching for warmer climes on summer vacation, they're probably still having withdrawals and aren't up to enjoying their school and online tutoring lessons at Miles Smart Tutoring.
Here is how you can help your kid get hyped up for the new school year.
Straighten Their Sleeping Cycles
The Sleep Foundation recommends 10–13 hours of sleep for preschoolers, 9–11 hours for children between the ages of 6 and 13, and 8–10 hours for older teens. According to the institute, a child who's not well-rested cannot perform well in school.
While summers are a time for maximum fun and minimal studying, schools are quite the opposite. As the first day of school draws closer, set a nighttime curfew for your child. Tuck them in or establish a “lights out by 9” rule at home. Ensure a good night's sleep to guarantee good performance at school by reversing their clock by 30 minutes every day until you have reached the exact time you want them in bed and fast asleep.
Set Up a Morning Routine
For more schoolgoers, a morning routine during school days means more or less the following:
- Being woken up instead of doing so of their own volition.
- Waiting for their turn to use the bathroom—still half-asleep.
- Getting ready for school.
- Shoving breakfast into their mouths while streaming something on their devices.
- Scrambling to grab their school bag, coat, shoes, and whatnot as soon as the school bus arrives.
Whether or not you drop your kids off at school, the morning routine until breakfast time is almost the same for all children. It might seem extensive right now, but you can uncomplicate it for your child by making a checklist and practicing the steps with them in the days leading up to their first day.
In case they don't feel like spending their last week of summer doing school stuff, use positive reinforcement as motivation. Set a reward for completing the tasks, and they'll do them in a heartbeat.
Keep in Touch with Academics
You can ensure a seamless transition to the school routine by ensuring they never lose touch with their studies during the holidays. Come next summer break, reserve 15 minutes each day for an academic review of all the objectives they achieved in the previous year. This will set a solid foundation for the next academic year. When your child does well in school, they'll want to keep studying and meeting expectations.
If you feel that your child isn't into the academic reviews, let them start with their favorite subject and learning practice. For instance, if your kid loves acquiring mathematical skills with flashcards, provide them with this medium of learning. Then slowly extend it to other subjects. The more they learn, the more they'll feel ready to tackle the year ahead.
Encourage their Reading/Comprehension Skills
Reading never hurts anybody. On the contrary, pleasure reading improves:
- Reading comprehension of other materials.
- General knowledge
- The mental lexicon.
- One's understanding of human behavior.
A child who reads boasts a high intelligence and emotional quotient. If traditional learning styles don't work for your child, encourage them to read more to acquire the above skills. Take it from someone who used to be in the same shoes: coloring their world with stories will widen their perspective and improve their understanding of the more difficult concepts.
Take them to School Supplies Shopping
Does your child get excited when they see new school supplies? If you answered “no,” take your child with you and let them select their school supplies. They might look forward to starting the new school year when they have a school bag, notebook, and stationery box that matches their personality.
This might sound like a small thing, but it'll go a long way towards helping your child readjust to the school routine and perform well in school.
Hold a Mock School Day
Holding a mock school day is especially important for homeschooled children transitioning to the conventional school routine. Your child might not be excited about going to school due to nerves. You can address their fears by arranging a mock school day at home.
Follow all the steps of getting ready for school mentioned above, and take them out on the pretext of taking them to school. You can stop once you get to the “school” and explain what happens next in words. Give them a chance to ask questions, as you may not have allayed all their fears during the drill.
Resume In-Person or Online Tutoring with Miles Smart Tutoring
Enroll your child in in-person or online one-on-one tutoring sessions in conjunction with the above strategies. You can have them join these classes after the halfway mark, so they still have plenty of time to enjoy their vacations.
Sign them up for online tutoring services regardless of your location at Miles Smart Tutoring. They have a network of English, Foreign Language, Science, History, and math tutor for adults that might be available for in-person or online sessions and test prep in your part of the world.
Get in touch for more information regarding the subjects and modes of learning.
About the Author
Alice Jamison is a Texas-based physics tutor who has worked for several tutoring services like Miles Smart Tutoring. Like her cohorts, she'll never quite understand quantum mechanics and has resigned herself to a life of learning new developments as they override everything she learned in college. Jamison spends her time outside teaching, exploring floriculture and the culinary arts.
