SETTING UP FOR SUCCESS : GREAT STRATEGIES TO HELP YOUR CHILD THRIVE THIS SCHOOL YEAR
Beyond consistency and patience (which is key), here are a few additional suggestions based on neuroscience and experience, to help support your child this year in school!
ENSURE GOOD REST AND FUEL TO PROVIDE OPTIMAL SUPPORT!
A tired or stressed brain is a negative brain. A good bedtime/ wake-up routine ensures plenty of sleep.
CREATE A HEALTHY MORNING ROUTINE
To minimize stress and prepare for optimal attention and focus, prep everything the night before - lunches, backpacks, and outfits. Allow your child time to wake up. Avoid access to phones or tablets to minimize distractions. Eat a healthy breakfast, and get your child moving! Even just 1-3 minutes of engaging large muscles and spiking the heart rate can help wake the brain up to activate memory and attention.
HEALTHY SNACKS CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE!
Check their schedule for snack and lunch times. Focus on providing protein and healthy fats, and minimize sugars and food dyes that can spike and crash energy and disrupt attention.
TO HEAR ALL ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S DAY, WAIT UNTIL AFTER THEY'VE HAD A SNACK!
Don’t ask right away, unless they want to share!
ATTENTION: REDUCE STRESS: UTILIZE YOUR CHILD'S ATTENTIONAL WINDOW TO HELP SUPPORT HOMEWORK
It’s crucial to set homework expectations based on your child’s current attention span, and not based on the amount of homework assigned that day, or based on their age or grade level. Don’t assume that because they are 10 years old, they have a 20-minute attentional window of focus. Each child varies in their development, which directly impacts their ability to sustain focus. Encouraging your child to work as independently as they can, within their window of attention, then providing extra support once the time has surpassed that window, will help set you both up for tremendous success!
To determine your child's attentional window, subtly observe and time them while they are working. Pick a day they are well-rested and fed. Don't start the timer the first time you say, "Time to sit down for homework," but when they actually begin to work. Then, note how long they can stay on task without redirection or support. There is no wrong answer here. This is simply providing you with realistic information about your child's current abilities! Whether it is one minute or 20, you can use this as a guide to know when, and how much additional support they will need from you, as they work.
If your child can focus for 10 minutes at a time, but homework requires half an hour, plan for it! This will require you to either join your child in supporting their attention and work beyond the first 10 minutes, or break the homework up into multiple 10-minute chunks.
REDUCE STRESS: HELP YOUR CHILD IDENTIFY AND REDUCE STRESS BEFORE HOMEWORK OR STUDYING
For many kids knowing they have an upcoming test to study for, or a long list of homework assignments, can trigger feelings of stress, which can make it even harder to do the needed work. Simply put, stress hijacks the brain. Stress can make it harder to utilize the higher-level functions needed for homework such as, sustained attention, and memory, and depletes the brain's energy resources.
While we can't always influence all sources of stress, when it comes to stress related to schoolwork, letting our kids know we are there to help, can go a long way.
Start by acknowledging how your child is feeling, and share with them what action, words, or body language you noticed, that led you to believe they were stressed. (This can help to bring awareness to feelings and actions.) Don’t downplay or minimize their feelings. Instead, validate those feelings by letting them know you feel that way sometimes too. Offer your help and support, so they know they’re not alone. You can ask how you can help, or tell them your plan to help get the work done. For example: “I can tell by your facial expression and tone of voice right now, that you are feeling stressed. I feel that way sometimes too. How can I help right now? Let’s start by making a list of what needs to get done, so we don’t forget anything. Then we’ll review your study guide together!”
Over time you can pull back on how much you are helping, allowing your kids to be more independent in their work, but when stress is high, knowing they're not alone can help!
BUILD CONFIDENCE: CELEBRATE THE EFFORT NOT THE OUTCOME
Whether your child is a straight A student, or works hard at their individual level, celebrating the effort, not the outcome can be helpful. With a focus on effort, and mastering something new, you can help support what is considered a growth mindset.
Carol Dweck, a Stanford psychology professor, spent 40 years studying growth mindset and motivation.1 Her work helped teach us that telling kids they were intelligent could result in kids who were less comfortable taking