By this time in early fall, children’s excitement of starting school/preschool may have evaporated. Now, it is work; often for elementary children it means homework at night. The school routines are established and teachers are conveying, however nicely, it is time to ‘get working’.
As parents, you may feel the stress of supporting homework assignments, after school activities and sports. There is little time for a family dinner, even if everyone is at home all at the same time.
Here are a few hints that may be of help for the whole family:
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1. Find ten minutes for all of the family to read together—perhaps a good book you can read aloud.
2. Use ten minutes before bedtime to tell each other the best thing that happened that day.
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3. Plan a family activity for the next weekend.
4. Keep the routine established of getting homework, backpacks, and communications with the teacher, lunch money all in one place for the morning. Pick out the clothes for the next morning.
5. Keep a calendar for everyone to see with activities, schedules, and times posted on it. Together, mark off the day and look at the next day’s events.
6. If you find a problem with your child watching too much television or playing video games, set the guidelines/rules up on the weekend to be followed the next week on school nights.
7. Take a few minutes to show the respect and love that you feel for each other. Bedtime should be calm and relaxing for everyone.