Some great basic tips from 'The National Lifestyle' for beating those back-to-school blues!
From making sure that your children get enough sleep to encouraging them to communicate and giving them the chance to experience boredom, we get some expert advice on smoothing their transition into the new academic year.
It’s finally time for the kids to slip into freshly ironed uniforms and for you to fill those new lunch boxes with healthy snacks. Children across the UAE are heading back to school today, and for everyone involved – students, teachers and parents alike – there is both relief and regret over the return to routine.
The back-to-school season teems with the possibility of new challenges, friends and experiences. This, though exciting, still comes with its fair share of anxiety, especially for those uncomfortable with change. Here are tips from teachers and psychologists to help make the transition as smooth as possible for students of every age.
Sleep is paramount
Teachers and psychologist are unanimous in their number one piece of advice: ease children back into a routine that allows for a good night’s sleep.
“Kids have such a different schedule during the summer, and the biggest challenge at the start of the school year is getting them back into the routine of things,” says Sara Curbelo, an American mother of two, and a Grade 5 English teacher. “Halfway through the day, you see everyone begin to fade because they’re just so exhausted,” she says.
For little ones, not enough sleep can lead to plenty of tears as a result of being over-tired and not being able to cope with that, explains Erin Wall, a Canadian who teaches Grade 6 at the Victoria International School of Sharjah. “I have even had students fall asleep sitting up during story time,” she says.
Older students are as much in need of a good night’s sleep as youngsters, and seven to eight hours a night, says Wall, is “the minimum that middle school and high school students should be getting. Students who don’t get enough sleep are lethargic and struggle to remain focused.”
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