Stress Less: Starting the School Year Off Right
With a new school year about to start, it may bring thoughts of last year flooding back. The battles fought over homework. Late nights spent studying. Crazy mood swings. While a little bit of stress can help motivate students, too much can lead to a meltdown, and that’s not what anyone wants. Taking steps to help your child better manage stress now can help get the school year off to a strong start.
Create a Schedule
Get your child into a routine from the beginning of the year. Are they going to do homework as soon as they get home or wait until after dinner? What time is bed? What days do they have practice or other obligations after school? Planning ahead, knowing what to expect, and getting into a routine can keep things less stressful and more manageable.
Limit Extracurriculars
Is your child one of those kids who is interested in doing everything? While you want to allow them to pursue their passions, being involved in too many activities can be overwhelming and make them feel like they don’t have enough time for homework, studying, and projects. Have them choose one or two activities that they really want to do and put the rest on hold. They can always switch for spring or do something over the summer. A few extracurriculars teach time management, but too many can lead to burnout.
Practice Stress Relief Techniques
Work with your child to learn deep breathing, meditation, or yoga. These can be great ways to channel their energy and calm their mind. Before a big test, they can feel more prepared with deep breaths or by reciting a positive affirmation in their head a few times. Maybe they can take a minute to write down whatever is on their mind so they have a clear head. Find what works best for them and keep practicing.
Get Plenty of Sleep and Proper Nutrition
Make sure your child is eating a well-balanced diet and not just some fast food or processed snacks on the go. While these are okay every now and then, try to make sure they are eating healthy most of the time. Stick to a regular bedtime and waketime as well so their body has a chance to rest and heal. A good night’s sleep can help ease their mind and energize them for the next day.
Ask for Help Early
If your child is signed up for calculus, physics, or AP English and you know that isn’t their strong suit, get them into tutoring early. They can reinforce the skills they understand and work through concepts that are more difficult before they have the chance to fall too far behind. Their tutor can help them learn effective study skills and test taking strategies that they can apply to other subjects as well. It’s better to have the extra support now than to realize halfway through the year that your child is feeling stressed and overwhelmed because they’re struggling in class.
Make this the best school year yet by preparing ahead of time and putting strategies in place to minimize stress and chaos. Contact Crafting Scholars today to learn more about our personalized tutoring services for content help, test prep, organization, study skills, and more!