The new school year has begun and families have shifted from long summer days to the shorter, busier schedules that arrive with autumn. Teachers spent the last weeks of summer preparing classrooms, curriculums, and their hearts and minds to provide the best possible learning experiences for the children they will guide through the coming year. The first day of school was filled with anticipation, along with a few anxious tears… and that was before the children arrived! Now that everyone is settling in, let’s ask teachers how we can best support our kids to make the most of their time at school.
1. Cover the Basics. Make sure your child is gets plenty of sleep and exercise, food and water, clean clothes, and regular checkups. It’s no small task to arrange family routines to keep up with these needs, but teachers will tell you that when children are tired, hungry, or unwell, their ability to learn suffers.
2. Consider the Costs. Even for the most social children, being with a group of people all day takes a lot of energy and effort. Like adults, children need time each day to unwind and de-stress. While extra-curricular activities like sports, music, or scouts may be beneficial, they can also lead to families being over-hurried, over-budget, and over-stressed. Make sure there’s time in your family’s schedule for unstructured play and relaxation.
3. Connect the Dots. Many families are anxious about their child’s academic progress, reliving their own struggles with testing, grades and homework as they attend their first parent-teacher conference. It’s important to remember that you are your child’s first and most important teacher. Starting from the day they came into your life, you’ve been modeling skills like curiosity, self-control, and perseverance that will make or break their school success. Teachers are experts in subject matter, instructional techniques, and group dynamics. They need you to provide the motivation, confidence, and initiative that will help your child thrive in the classroom. Ask yourself; how often does your child see you enjoying reading, math, or learning something new?
4. Control the Screen. Screens are everywhere, from the grocery store aisles to the dashboard in your car. They are so common that we ignore how much background noise the digital world creates, and the effect all that instant information can have in shaping our real-time relationships with our children. It may be eye-opening to simply keep track of everyone’s screen time for a day, both in time and quality. Just as you try to balance meals, it’s a good idea to balance your family’s media consumption. Teachers, pediatricians, and librarians all have great tips to offer - just google “screen time for kids” and you’ll find 800 million results. Better yet, ask them face to face!
In the end, the most important thing families contribute to their child’s school success is attitude. When you communicate excitement, curiosity and respect for education, you’ll earn an A+ from any teacher!
Holly Hartman is an early childhood educator, author, and member of the Early Childhood Coalition, Inc.