Just like us adults who dread going back to work when the weekend is through, our kids have the same anxieties when summer vacation wraps up and it’s time to get back in the classroom. By planning fun routines or activities tied to the school week, you can give you kids incentives to be excited about this time of year! Check out these ideas:
Start the Day with Positive Affirmations Together
We are all guilty at one point or another of shouting at our kids to get out of bed, and get ready for school…but what we are really doing is shouting at them to get motivated for their day. Instead of begging them to get motivated, let’s show them how to get motivated.
No age is too young or too old to benefit from daily morning affirmations with mom or dad. Sure, some days your older child might not be in the mood, or the younger one too groggy, but keep pushing. The goal is that this little routine will be the bridge that transitions them from ‘homebody mode’, to ‘conquering the world mode’.
Homework Adventure Day
Make homework time fun by designating a day in the week where you and your child do homework outside of the house. Let’s say every Wednesday you go to a new spot, whether it be a Frozen Yogurt joint, the park, or the public library- make it a surprise!
This will elicit positive feelings for your child when it comes to doing homework and they will begin to associate homework time with more optimism and less dread. Setting aside special time to help them will show your child that you support their studies, and it gives you time to bond with your child in a way that many parents don’t.
Tip: If you are too busy during the workweek, make time on the weekends- insist on it!
Random Acts of Kindness for Teachers, Staff and Students
Giving feels so good. Each week, have your child think of someone at school who they really feel compelled to recognize. Maybe it’s their teacher, the janitor, the boy in class who not many people play with- and set out to make that person feel special. Take on a little craft project, or a dollar store gift purchase with your child. Encourage them to put their own personal touch on this gift in preparation to give it as a random act of kindness.
Studies find over and over again that children have an extreme wealth of inherent compassion, and desire to help others. This Random Act of Kindness routine will hone in on those positive feelings and allow them to get excited to go to school on a mission. Let your child take control and trust their heart, but make sure you’re guiding them into doing these acts for the right, selfless reasons. Watch the smile on their face as they recount the stories of giving each week with pride, and plan what the next school week will look like.
Hopefully, with these few simple additions to the school week, you will be able to shift your child’s attitude of looking forward to the weekend, to looking forward to the school week. These fun activities have so many additional benefits outside of a positive-school attitude; these activities will bond you closer to your child, help your child develop healthy school year habits, instill beautiful characteristics into their personality and identity, and many more hidden benefits that we can’t even predict. With support from mom and dad, your kids will learn that life does exist outside of summer vacation!