The final days of summer are slowly coming to an end and the countdown has begun for back-to-school. You’ve bought the coolest new outfits, backpacks and gadgets for their kids, but is that enough? Starting a new school year can be a daunting experience for many students, and failing to get off on the right foot can set the tone for the rest of the academic year.
Here a few helpful tips to get your children moving in the right direction for the upcoming school year.
* Impose the Two-Week Rule – Children need to ease back into their school routine rather than having a sudden change their first day of school. Using the last two weeks of summer to re-introduce a school year bedtime routine will make waking up on that first day a lot easier.
* Reintroduce Regular Meal Times – During summer months, kids tend to grab a snack several times during the day. Get back into a three-meal-a-day schedule in order to regulate their system into the back-to-school mode. Nutrition is an important factor in academic performance, and eating a healthy, balanced breakfast and lunch keeps kids alert throughout the day.
* Family Calendar – Time management is important, especially for kids and teens. Planning is an important way to save everyone’s sanity. Have major deadlines, due dates, events and extracurricular activities in one place to help kids visualize their week, manage their time and stay on track.
* Don’t Ditch Good Habits – If you’ve developed a good summer learning routine with your child. The transition to the start of the school year will be a lot easier.
Here are four important things that students can follow to improve the academic quality of the school year, starting on Day One.
* Organize – Organization, organization, organization is key. Keeping notes, projects and reading materials in logical order helps students find what they need right away, cutting down on time spent tracking things down, and allowing more time for actual studying.
* Take good notes – Learn to take good notes. Taking good notes helps keep kids’ grades up, especially in middle or high school. To boost note-taking skills, students should practice picking out the “main ideas” in conversations, news reports, or magazine articles.
* Concentrate – Staying focused is easier for some kids than others. Students need to do their best to avoid distractions in class. This means keeping cell phones tucked away and being vocal if a chatty classmate is too distracting.
* Speak up Students often can get tripped up by homework or test instructions. Students should know it’s OK to speak up if they don’t understand testing or homework directions. Students should also listen
carefully and spend plenty of time reading directions.
Have a Great School Year!!!!
