Thursday, April 7, 2016

Ending the School Year on a High Note

Can you believe that summer is almost here! How is the end of the school year going for your family? This is the time of year when it is very natural for your sons and daughters to get so excited about summer that they might struggle to apply themselves in school. Here are a couple of simple and easy ways you can help your children finish out the school year strong.

  1. Plan it Out-
Especially in the middle and high school years, our sons and daughters can feel a bit overwhelmed by what needs to be done- between end-of-year projects, essays and finals. If the load feels heavy, suggest to your child that they take a weekly calendar and block in times for studying AND for decompressing. Completing projects and studying for finals is a lot less daunting if you have a plan in place.

  1. Don’t Hover-
Once your son or daughter has got a plan and set some reasonable goals, step back and let him or her handle it as much as possible. As children grow and mature they should take on more responsibilities, helping them to become self-sufficient. Hovering and asking for frequent updates and even offering help when they don’t want it, can not only easily irritate and distract, but can also indirectly send them the message that “you need me in order to succeed.” Instead, you want to strive to send your son or daughter the message that “you can do this!”

For more tips on what you can do to help your kiddos finish the school year on a high note, click the link and listen to my “Wise Parents, Wise Kids” interview session with Parent Advocate Angela Woodrow: http://bit.ly/1LUV2js