With children heading back to school, here are 6 tips to help parents.
Now that schools are reopening and children are progressively heading back, it is another period of transition for your kids as well as for you. Here are some tips on how you can help your kids re-adjust.
1. Connect with Your Kids Through Conversations
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Conversations are a great way to foster relationships with your child. It allows you to get to know your child as well as learn about how they feel and think. And while it is important to converse with them regularly, you might not want to force them either. Ask them open-ended questions and allow the conversations to flow. Instead of asking questions like, "how was school?", which most likely might lead to short answers, ask them questions like, "what did you enjoy the most in school today?" or "is there anything you feel anxious about?". You can use this opportunity to share with them about your school-going experiences as well.
2. Don't Jump to Conclusions
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Be mindful while you are having conversations with your child to not jump to conclusions and listen to them patiently. Each child has a different growing rate and they may sometimes struggle to move forward. It is important to not jump to conclusions during this moments, patiently guide your child. If you truly think there might be some problems, you can speak to your child about it or discuss it with their teacher.
3. Reiterate Routines
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Update your young ones on the ongoing Covid-19 safety management measures and remind them of what they can do to keep themselves and those around them safe.
4. Cultivate The Habit of Planning Ahead
Use this opportunity to cultivate a habit of planning ahead in your children. Create a checklist with a list of items that they will need, such as daily temperature taking, homework, books, stationeries, snacks, and uniform, among others, and go through it together with your children ahead of time.
5. Develop Good Homework Habits Through Routines
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Set aside a time each day for your child to do their homework. Having a routine, alongside an uncluttered study space, will help them to work much more efficiently.
6. Don't Forget to Pamper Yourself
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While you are busy taking care of your kids, your work and your chores, some times you don't have enough time for yourself, which is why it is important to take time off every once in a while for yourself. Set aside a little time and pamper yourself with things you enjoy, it could be enjoying a scrumptious meal ordered in from a restaurant while watching your favourite shows, it could be snuggling up in bed with your favourite book, it could be scrolling through online stores while muching on chips, or anything that allows you to relax.
Parents are also humans and it is alright to feel disappointed when things don't go the way you planned but don't beat yourself up over it. Just as you set aside time to pamper yourself, also set aside time to reflect on your feelings and replenish your energy. If you find it hard to get out of the emotional loop, talk to someone you trust.
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