The Autumn term is a long one. Parents often report to us that it feels like they’re crawling towards the finishing line of the end of term whilst some invisible giant throws a never-ending stream of obstacles at them. Nativity costumes, school performances, teachers’ gifts, charity shoeboxes all need attention alongside homework, assessments, Covid tests, high levels of childhood excitement and increasingly high levels of fatigue. Sound familiar? It’s a tough time for parents but in today’s demanding, social media driven and Covid world, it’s also a really tough time for the children.
As a parent, you want your child to have it all: enjoying the fun and excitement of the festive period, but still achieving their full potential at school. So in this post, we take a quick look at some of the tried and tested techniques we’ve seen over the years to help your child survive and even thrive during the course of the next few weeks and beyond.
Make mental health a priority
You don’t need us to tell you about the pressure on children’s mental health at the moment. The impact of school closures, isolation, and fears about Coronavirus have added to the list of things that today’s children have to wrestle with.
Body image, bullying, social media popularity, anxiety and depression are also all big issues. All of which sit on top of pressure to do well and perform in school and exams. Add in cold weather and dark days and it all seems worse, as children spend less time outdoors.
If there’s one big take away piece of advice we could offer at this time of year, it would be to make anything that supports your child’s mental health and eases some of the invisible pressures they’re under, a priority. Let this colour and influence all the decisions of the next few weeks.
Don’t be afraid to say no (or sometimes to say yes), don’t worry too much when your child messes up, does badly or even gives up at something. Put it all in the context of the pressure cooker that is the run up to Christmas and allow both yourself and your child a little slack. You’re both juggling a lot of balls and it's natural to drop one (or even two) sometimes.
Keep up with schoolwork
At this time of year, keeping up with schoolwork can feel a little impossible on top of everything else. But bear in mind that a little homework done well, is usually better than a lot of homework done badly, or no homework done at all.
The important thing to remember is that if your child is stressed or struggling with schoolwork it can affect their behaviour, confidence and mental health as well as their grades, so even though we are going to suggest you let some things slide at this time of year, schoolwork isn’t one of them. It’s a question of balance. Next term normally brings all sorts of challenges in terms of assessments and tests, so you don’t want to put them under too much academic pressure now, but you don’t want to ease off completely.
Healthy habits
Establishing some healthy habits and routines usually makes things easier. You know the sort of thing: homework every Monday after school, bedtime at 8.30 pm, no phones upstairs. When habits are new, they can be a bit painful while they bed in and children kick back, but stay firm and they soon become second nature. Don’t feel afraid to use a treat and reward system, such as yes, you can see your friends, but not until your homework is done. Much as they might protest, most children respond well to structure and regularity particularly at this time of year when everything gets a bit hectic.
Finding time and letting go of routines
Having just told you the importance of good habits and routines, now we’re going to tell you that sometimes, it’s ok, to let them go. That’s because sometimes it’s more important to find some quiet time. Things can feel so frantic at this time of year, so as hard as it may be to find even an extra minute, try and find some “do nothing time”. Time to go for a walk with your child to kick leaves and chew the cud. Time to curl up in front of a Christmas film with a hot chocolate. Time to forget about homework for a day and do something playful.
Allowing your child to “bunk off” their homework once in a while can be a great way to enjoy some impromptu relaxation…just remember to get back on the schedule next time so that bunking off doesn’t become a habit.
Grab the little moments
With older children, it can be hard to keep that connection. As one parent put it, you can feel like a “fun sponge” sucking out all the fun as you set firm boundaries and correct inappropriate behaviour. Your child is growing up and moving gradually towards independence, preferring time with their friends than with you. It’s all a really important part of their development, but you still need to grab little moments of connection for your sake and theirs.
One parent told us she drives her teenage daughter the long way home from school because it gives them three extra minutes of time when it’s just the two of them, explaining, “I’ve got younger children who take a lot of attention and those three extra minutes when it’s just me and her make all the difference. It’s amazing what gets said. Often, she just needs me to listen while she offloads, but that in itself is an important part of coping with the challenges the day has thrown at her. And as she offloads, I learn all sort of valuable insights into what’s going on in her world which she wouldn’t tell me if I straight out asked.”
Let us take some of the strain
We can’t help with all of the above, but we can help with schoolwork. Enrolling your child with MagiKats ticks a lot of boxes. Our weekly private tuition becomes part of your child’s routine and ensures that however busy their week gets, a certain amount of time is always dedicated to schoolwork.
Our programmes are tailored to the individual child so that we can identify and help in any areas that they are struggling with or have gaps. Working in small groups helps develop your child’s social skills and their confidence which in turn is good for their mental health. And by working consistently by way of our regular sessions, you are helping to lay the foundations of success for next term when lots of schools will start getting ready for tests and other assessments.
So although we can’t find any extra time in your day for you, or make that nativity costume, we can help with healthy habits, keeping up with homework and building your child’s confidence. Get in touch today to learn more.
