The holiday season is over and our children have resumed or are about to resume school. They might have returned to school for a new session or school might be a new experience for them. Whatever the case, here are ten tips to help you get your children on track at school.
1. Provide them with nutritious breakfast, snacks, and lunch.
Giving our children a healthy breakfast goes a long way toward improving their mood, energy, concentration, and academic success.
Ensure that the meals you feed your children benefit their health rather than harm it. Ensure their meals have adequate carbohydrate, protein, vitamins and fiber, and avoid giving them overly sugary foods or drinks, salty foods, fatty foods, low fiber foods, caffeine, and other meals that can harm them.
Snacking is not just for the privileged or children born with silver spoons; it is essential for all children.
Our children have small tummies, so they can only store a limited amount of energy. They also move and play a lot, so they burn energy quickly. As a result, snacking is essential to keep them active and energised in-between meals.
2. Ensure they always get to school on time.
The first hour of school is just as important as the last. Ensure that your children are punctual so that they have time to relax and psychologically prepare themselves for learning, and so that they do not lose out on essential learning activities and suffer the stress of trying to catch up on classworks.
Furthermore, we should instill discipline in our children by teaching punctuality at an early age so that it becomes a habit as they get older.
3. Ensure they’re neat, and good looking always.
Keeping our children neat and attractive enhances their self-esteem. They feel and act confident when they know they look good and presentable, we know it’s essential to nurture their confidence and enhance their self esteem from a young age so they don’t feel intimidated and develop a low self esteem when they’re older.
4. Teach them personal hygiene and emphasize it on a daily basis.
We must not take chances with our children’s health. Teach your children to be hygienic, by washing their hands before and after eating, covering their mouth when they cough, covering their nose when they sneeze, not putting their hands into their mouths, not picking food off the floor, and so on.
Also, remind them and emphasize it every morning before sending them off to school.
5. Assist them with their schoolwork and homework.
Assisting our children with their schoolwork and homework improves their creativity and retention.
Seat with them and ask them if they are having any difficulty, maybe they are confused or lack understanding, take the time to explain to them until they understand, then watch them do it. This also serves as a time to bond with your children.
It is essential to remember that it is not our responsibility to do their work for them, but rather to support and motivate them.
6. Spend some time interacting with them.
When we interact with our children, they feel valued and loved.
Engage in conversations with your children on a daily or weekly basis, whether it is on their way home, after dinner, or at any other time that is convenient for you and your children.
Allow them to talk about their school experiences. Ask if they are experiencing any problems or challenges, if they are being bullied at school, what they enjoy and dislike about their school, and so on and so forth.
Make an effort to urge your children to open up to you, and keep an eye out for what they aren’t saying.
7. Give them enough time to rest.
Adequate rest is essential for our children’s brain development.
If our children do not receive enough rest, they will struggle to learn and will be more susceptible to illness and disease, all of which will be harmful to their well-being.
Therefore, make sure your children get enough rest.
The recommended amount of hours are; 12 hours for toddlers, 10 – 12 hours for children of age 3 to 10, 10 – 11 hours for children of age 7 to 12, and 8 – 9 hours for teenagers.
8. Don’t be frightened if your children fall ill.
Children in school are susceptible to a variety of ailments, including the common cold, conjunctivitis, skin infections, diarrhea, hand foot and mouth disease, influenza, fever, and sore throat.
It is important that you keep their immunity high; give them lots of fruits that contains the necessary vitamins, especially vitamin C. You can also support them with multivitamin syrup, especially during the cold season.
If your children become ill, don’t panic, take them to see their doctor, give them plenty of fluids, ensure they rest a lot, and keep them at home until they recover, especially if the illness is infectious.
9. Teach them to be of good behavior.
Teach your children to constantly be on good behavior, because good behavior will always get them ahead.
Teach your children to be polite, to apologize when they are wrong, to welcome their friends and elders, to express gratitude, and so on.
Show rather than tell. Set a good example.
Our children do more of what we do rather than what we tell them to do.
10. Pick them up from school on time.
Pick up your children from school on time, especially if it is their first month in school. If you are unable to pick them up, make sure you provide a safe way for them to return home (most likely the school bus).
Also, make sure your children are security conscious and always on the lookout.
Being part of their school life is an essential part of parenting, so don’t leave your children for their teachers and caregivers at school, ensure you are part of all their activities by constantly asking their teachers about them and partaking in various school activities, especially the Parents Teachers Association, PTA.
Have a lovely School Season!
