August 16th, 2011 by admin
New experiences and change in routine can bring on stress or cause children to suffer anxiety and going back to school encompasses both, a new experience and change in routine. Parents need to realize that going back to school each year involves new teachers, new classes, new schedules and more and these new experiences or the unknown surrounding this new experience is what causes children to be stressed and feel anxious.
If parents can realize that going back to school is a transition, that is half the battle. A smoother transition can also be easier to accomplish if the parent views the change from the Childs perspective and remembering that children have far less experiences dealing with the unknown thus making these life transitions more difficult for them than we believe it should be.
There will be first day mania, emotions will be running high for both parent and child and thus patience is KEY!
5 More tips to a healthier and easier transition back to school-
1. Regulate New Bedtime and Morning Routine NOW
Too many children start the school year exhausted because they adjust their summer “staying-up-late” schedule to “early rising” the day before school starts. Instead, institute a routine of 8 p.m. bedtime and 7 a.m. rising one to two weeks in advance.
2. Read books about going back to school with young children.
3. Develop a plan for the first day of school.
You may even want to set out clothes and backpacks to rehearse the school morning, so that kids can predict exactly how it will go. This will reduce anxiety for everyone, including parents.
4. Take him to meet his teacher.
Many schools hold get-acquainted sessions. Spending hours with this new adult will not be so scary if he has already hung out with her — with you around. If he is going to a new school, walk around the building so it is familiar on the first day.
5. Do NOT start after school activities for 2 weeks
Transitioning back to school is hard enough for children but working into the schedule after school sports and activities can be disastrous for both child and parent.
From coordinating carpool to these activities, packing additional gear and finding time to eat a healthy snack are all extra elements to cause severe anxiety for all.
Let your children ease back into school and simply come home after school for a 30-minute MINDFUL Period for at least 2 weeks before jumping into these activities.
If you really can not pull off missing Fall sports practices for two weeks, cut back the 2night per week practice the week school starts to only 1 night that week. At a young age, missing a week of practice will not deter them to become Olympians if they are meant to be.
Mindful Period- when a child goes into their bedroom and has quiet time that is creative and on their own. It gives them time to decompress.
REMEMBER – Teachers are also readjusting to their new schedules and are regularly very accommodating to a child’s needs as well as the parents.
Happily Written by The Mom Advocate, AnnMarie
August 9th, 2011 by admin
Your son or daughter’s lunch box may have more in it than that juice box and peanut butter sandwich you packed this morning. Lunch boxes as well as backpacks can harbor germs that cause colds, flu and even food poison. Additionally, remember to keep their lunch cool enough and not spoil their lunch before they get to eat it.
Five Tips To a Safe Lunch Box & Back Pack This School Year
Do not make lunch or pack tomorrows backpack while you do the laundry. It may sound like an easy way to multitask, but doing laundry while making a sandwich is actually an even easier way to get sick. You can easily transfer germs from dirty laundry to your kid’s lunch and not even know it.
Teach your child to wash hands before lunch at school. It really works. “The No. 1 time to wash your hands and make sure your kids do too is before you eat anything
Empty The Back Pack Each Night- Extra food from lunch, slightly opened bottle of Gatorade and dirty sweatshirts are just a few items that linger in backpacks each night and become a haven for damaging bacteria to grow.
Pack a healthy lunch. While there is not a direct correlation between nutrients and immunity; children who eat poorly and do not take in enough calories have weaker immune systems and are more likely to pick up a cold or flu
Spend Less, Buy More. I am a big fan of inexpensive, yet just as functional lunch boxes and backpacks than expensive, designer ones because it has been proven to buy your kids NEW backpacks and lunch boxes at the beginning of the year and at the 2 week Winter Break or twice per year.
Safety over Style is key in keeping your kids healthy while toting their lunch and school supplies. Do NOT forget to wash out Lunch Box DAILY & Back Pack once a week.
Thanks to the nation’s preeminent full-line sporting goods chain that happens to be in Colorado’s backyard, Sports Authority, www.sportsauthority.com You can buy the ideal back packs and more items for your child this school year and be safe and stylish at the same time! Sports Authority’s backpacks are all high quality and come in a large variety and styles to meet you and your child’s needs.
From their Jansport Superbreak at only $29.99 to their Adidas Cooper Backpack which retails for $55.00, you can find the perfect style, fit and color of a back pack for each of your children in one super store.
All of Sports Authority backpacks are easy to care for with washing instructions securely tagged on each bag reminding us all to wash each of our children’s backpacks at least one time per week to minimize the backpack from harboring germs and dangerous bacteria that can ultimately harm our children.
Look at these amazing backpacks offered by Sports Authority-
Happily written by The MomAdvocate; AnnMarie
August 2nd, 2011 by admin
Today’s parents are busier than ever and often our patience is non-existent. Often, without thinking, parents will blurt out words they should not. Such forms of expression towards their children include exaggerations, threats, and even bribes and meant to positively influence children’s behavior. Most of them sound relatively harmless, but behind some words are messages that hurt or can lay the groundwork for future problems.
The following are five things that, in an ideal world, you would never say to your kids. If you find yourself thinking “been there, said that,” join the club but also realize that we all have room for improvement.
1. “If you don’t hurry, I’ll leave you here.”
Threats only teach children not to take their parents seriously. Instead of admonishing, present your kids with consequences that they can relate to. Tell your dawdler, “If you don’t finish getting dressed, we won’t have time to stop at the playground on the way home.”
2. “You’re such a klutz” or “you’re so mean.” When you label a kid, by calling them shy, lazy or clumsy – you’re pigeonholing them and they start to think that whatever the adjective is, is who they are. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. You call a kid lazy enough times and they will be. Instead of labeling the child, just label the action or behavior and leave their personality out of it.
Continue reading ‘Five Things Not to Say to Your Child’
