We’re 3 weeks in. How are your kids holding up?
Most people are worried about the first few days of the school year. How are their kids going to adapt to:
– a new teacher
-new classmates
-more school work compared to the previous year
-adjusting to waking up early morning
-being tired from a full day at school
-are lunches being eaten
-anxiety around the unknown
And yes, there definitely is some anxiety, good and bad, around the start of a new school year, but 3 weeks in is where I really start assessing how kids are handling their new situation. In the first 3 weeks you often see behavioural changes such as crankiness, fatigue, mood swings and irritability, but by now things should be settling down. There is a lot of changes for little ones (and the bigger kids too) to have to adapt to on a daily basis.
Here are some tips to make sure you are setting your child up for success this school year.
- Start their day with a nutritious breakfast – I personally like to TRY and get a smoothie in (and if that doesn’t work then I guess it becomes my breakfast, yay!) Click HERE for a FREE, deliciously healthy chocolate smoothie bowl for your kiddos to try!
- Talk to your child about their day – are they worried, overwhelmed, stressed about school work or friends. Help them understand that what they’re feeling is normal so they don’t feel alone.
- Help them get to bed at a reasonable time – be sure to have some sort of routine for your child. Snack, bath, story, sleep…and repeat. Keep it consistent so they know what to expect and when, and add in any other tricks that you may already have like an essential oil massage or pillow spray. I love to use Lavender! Take a look at the chart to help you assess if your child is getting enough sleep every night.
- Start introducing mindfulness sessions into your child’s daily life, research has shown that mindfulness or meditation can lower anxiety rates in children significantly. Check out this article for 12 easy techniques to teach children mindfulness HERE.
There are some great ways that we, as parents, can support our children in continuing to transition well into their daily school routine. By attempting to use these tools it becomes easier to see if your child may be suffering with a condition, such as anxiety, that they may need to visit their family doctor for. You don’t want to leave this too late as it can greatly affect their school and social performance and development.
For more information on how I can help you support your child with stress, anxiety, ADHD, focus and concentration, immune health and healthy eating, please contact the Natural Care Clinic at info@naturalcareclinic.ca
