All too often teachers hear excuses from children for all the reasons that their homework isn’t done.  Ideally homework is assigned to practice new skills that have been learned during the school day.   Homework should be given for an age appropriate amount of time and shouldn’t be considered as “busy work.”

 Here are a few tips that parents might want to adopt in order to improve their child’s homework experience:

1. Have a designated time each school day when homework is done.  Some children need a break right after school and some do better getting it over with and having the rest of the evening free.
2. Give your child a quiet study area with supplies they might need.  Include a ruler, calculator, markers, pencils, scissors, glue, etc..
3.  Make sure your child has a planner at school to copy assignments in.  Encourage neatness in handwriting so that you are able to read and understand what is being assigned.
4. Use a calendar to record and track assignments that are long term. Practice budgeting time to get large assignments done on time.
5. Teach your child from an early age that they are accountable for homework not you.  Support your child’s teacher in expecting homework to be done.

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                                                          Morning Routines

After a long lazy summer most parents are wondering how they are ever going to get their school age children back into the routine of getting up and out of the house for school.  Here are a few tips for an easier transition.

Two weeks before school starts (or as soon as possible if time is short), insist that your child wake up earlier.  Set an alarm.  The first few days set it just a half hour earlier allowing for a gradual change.  If your teenager has been staying up until 2 AM all summer, start waking him at 9 AM instead of letting him sleep until noon. After a few days, set the alarm to whatever time they will need to get up for school.

 Designate an area of your home for backpacks and items that need to be ready for school.  Especially for children in the primary grades, it is important to check backpacks daily for stray papers, notices from school and homework assignments.  Some parents find it helpful to pack the car the night before.

 Make school lunches at night.  If you’re using food that keeps its freshness, carrot sticks, peanut butter, etc., make a couple of day’s lunch packages to simplify the work week.  Many children would be happier and healthier with last night’s pasta and salad instead of a pre-packaged lunch chocked full of salt and preservatives.  Schools don’t have room to refrigerate lunches so use insulated lunch boxes to keep food safe.  If sugar makes your child hyperactive, do your child, his classmates and his teacher a favor and save sweet treats for at home.

 Finally, try to keep your child’s morning consistent.  To relieve stress, take time in the morning to discuss plans and expectations for the day.  Driving to school or walking to the bus can be the best bonding time in the world.

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SEPARATION ANXIETY

 Every fall the scene repeats itself, a lone child screaming and inconsolable, every day for the first few weeks of school. Not only is that child deeply distressed, but he disrupts the teacher and increases the anxiety of all of his classmates as they too attempt to adjust to this new situation. For your child’s benefit and everyone else’s with whom he comes into contact with, please read and put into practice the following suggestions which make the transition from home to school much easier. By taking a few simple steps you can take control and relieve your child’s anxiety.

 1) Understand that you and other family members may unknowingly feed your child’s anxiety. When family members are anxious about a child’s school situation, it will transfer to your child. Children naturally pick up on bits and pieces of adult conversations, so remain calm (or appear to be so) and choose your words carefully when discussing school within earshot of your child.

 2) Try to have your child meet the teacher before school starts, or at a minimum, go to the school and take a tour or walk around. If you do get to meet his teacher, try to find something cool to point out about her. Perhaps she shares a common interest with your child. Discuss your child’s expectations of school and correct misconceptions by talking about what the school day will be like and reassure him that you’ll be there at dismissal.

 3) In elementary school most teachers don’t allow toys or stuffed animals in class. Preschoolers can usually take a stuffed animal or blanket for self-comfort. To compensate, pack a surprise in your child’s lunch box or backpack. A note or a picture reminds your child that you love them and that school s just for the day.

 4) If a friend or neighbor’s child has been a student of the teacher, ask that child’s parents if they will have their child speak to yours about the fun activities in that grade. Naturally, try to make sure that the other child had a positive experience in that classroom before speaking to your child.

 5) When the first day of school arrives, it’s the parent’s job to be a help, not a hindrance to the teacher. Bring your child into the room, introduce yourselves to the teacher and then leave quietly without a fuss. Children will quickly pick up on a parent’s fear and apprehension.

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