Friday, August 9, 2019

Parenting Pointers: Getting Back Into the School Year Routine

Summer is flying by and pretty soon school will be back in session. Is your child ready to get back into the daily scholastic routine?

The folks at Brainly — the world's largest peer-to-peer learning community of students, parents, and teachers— asked 600 American parents whether they feel their children are ready to jump back into the daily grind of school. Nationwide 56% of parents say they think they're children are prepared to go back to school. Missouri parents led the pack with 85% saying that they thought their kids were ready to head back to school. Virginia followed with 80% saying the same and the top three was rounded out by Arizona at 69%.

Brainly has put together a list of 5 tips for parents to help their children prepare to head back to school.


1. DEVELOP A SLEEP ROUTINE NOWGetting up early for school can be jarring for middle and high school students who have been used to sleeping in all summer. 62% of parents said they are worried their kids will have a hard time adjusting their snooze schedules during their first week back to school.

Brainly’s tip? Start a routine a few weeks before term begins so that your kids can get used to their new schedule.

2. ESTABLISH SCHOOL ROUTINESIn a similar vein, students should get used to the hours of work (and homework) they will be expected to do during the school year. 92% of parents said homework is the biggest school-related stressor for their families.

Brainly recommends developing a routine to help them manage their time and setting up a dedicated homework space so they aren't caught flat footed in September.

3. AVOID THE SUMMER SLUMPSchool-aged kids can revert by nearly a month's worth of instruction over the summer. In fact, 82% of American parents believe their kiddos experienced at least a mild to moderate amount of summer learning loss.

The best way to circumvent this issue is to keep their skillsets fresh and mind's sharp over the summer. Consider doing this through platforms like Brainly where a community of students can help other students and users earn points for answering questions.

4. GET YOUR SCHOOL SUPPLIESThis may seem obvious but students gonna need pens, pencils, and a handy dandy new Trapper Keeper (kids still use those right?) if they’re going to succeed this semester.

Pro tip: get those things early while they are on sale.

5. GET YOUR KIDS (AND YOURSELF) ORGANIZEDNothing adds heaps of unneeded stress to and an already stressful time than not being organized. Only 22% of U.S. parents said they currently feel organized for the start of the new school year, and a mere 10% of parents said they remain organized throughout the entire school year.

Brainly advises creating a plan for before and after school for your kids and yourself and sticking to it. Routines are important for everyone.

I had a chance to interview Eric Oldfield, Brainly's Chief Business Officer, to learn more.

Why is it important to prepare early for the start of school?At Brainly, we believe homework is practice designed to help students cultivate and hone their academic skills. The same is true regarding preparing early for the start of the school year. Practicing routines will help your family work out any kinks in advance and make the transition out of summer and into the fall semester a smooth one. Preparing early will go a long way in decreasing stress leading up to the first day of school and setting your kids up for success during the upcoming school year.

If parents have let things slide in the summer, what are some engaging educational activities they can do now to get kids' brains working again?
Summer learning loss is a common, preventable phenomena. For kids who haven’t been flexing their brain muscles much over the summer months, spending some time asking and answering questions on Brainly during the days leading up to the start of the school year is an excellent way to re-sharpen core subject skills, especially in math and reading comprehension.

Additionally, having an agreed upon reading list and schedule with your children is a great way to curb learning loss. Even if you fall off of that schedule, bringing it back late in the summer is a great way to curb screen time and get kids into a routine of doing academic work every day.

What are the advantages of a school year routine?Routines are the backbone of daily life in the classroom because they facilitate teaching and learning, and make it easier for students to focus and achieve more. In the same vein, having a solid school year routine in place for before and after school is essential. Not only does this make your life easier, it also saves tons of valuable time for your family. 

After a busy day, your child is bound to come home bursting with stories, excitement, and news from the day’s activities and it’s easy for essential things like homework or bedtime to get pushed aside if a routine isn’t already established. And let’s face it, completing homework, getting an adequate amount of sleep, and eating healthy balanced meals are 100% essential for students to achieve maximum results.

As with any routine, the purpose of an after-school and before-school routine is to create a familiar pattern of events, in order for your child to feel comforted and secure, by knowing what to expect each evening and morning. From the time they wake up in the morning to the time they head out the door to catch their carpool ride or bus on time, to the time they get home and sit down to do homework, eat dinner and wind down for bedtime, predetermined plans of action that you always stick to help ensure your day runs smoothly and is stress free.

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