The school year has started, which means the nonstop craziness has begun. Every parent understands how important it is to keep your kids healthy and happy during the school year. Being on a set schedule can be helpful and gives your children the chance to learn about time management and discipline. But along with all of the science fairs and projects, we understand that there will be stressful moments and tears may be shed.
With the right amount of research and planning, you can make this time of year a little less stressful and a little more joyful. You and your family will thank you for being thoughtful and taking action to make your life more enjoyable.
Here are 5 practicable and effective ways to help your children manage their schedules while staying calm:
Talking
Allowing your child to talk about their feelings, ideas and day is a wonderful way to let them express themselves. This prepares them to develop psychologically and emotionally in a healthy manner while learning how to express themselves. Giving them your undivided attention and truly take time to listen to your kids will help them understand that their emotions are valid and that they are important. Guide them and give them advice on where they can improve, such as no yelling, name calling or violence. Don’t try to solve their problems for them and give them time and space to think of solutions on their own. This can help relieve stress and other negative emotions and builds trust with you as a parent.
Bedtime Routine
If you’re a parent, you understand the struggle it is to try to get your kid out of bed after they went to bed too late. The next day is filled with crying, yelling and unwanted annoyance because they did not get enough sleep. A good way to combat this is to get your kids to bed earlier and implementing a good bedtime routine. This means having a routine that lets them know that bedtime is coming and their body can start to wind down for the night.
This can be done by making bedtime relaxing and comfortable. Bubble baths, fleece fabric blankets and a good bedtime story can let your children know that it is time to go to sleep.
Imagination
It may seem a little silly but it is an effective way to process emotions and situations. Let your child paint, day dream and create different situations that will let them explore solutions and emotions. This is a great way to keep them from expressing negative emotions in an unhealthy manner, such as screaming and kicking.
Music
No, this doesn’t mean you should let your kids blast music late into the night. This means you should be aware of what kind of music your kids are listening to before bed and throughout the day. You can have a specific playlist picked out for them when they need to calm down or go to bed. Choose music that is calming and relaxing, not exciting and fast paced. You can even make this an activity with your child where they get to hand pick the playlist so it is packed with songs that they recognize and love.
Get Outside
Being stuck inside is not fun at all and school may seem to last forever for your children. This can make your kids (and in turn you) a little crazy from being cooped up all day. Getting outside is a great way to keep your kids calm and stable. There is fresh air and plenty of room to run around and get all of the wiggles out. Playing is a great form of exercise and can leave your kids tired and ready to rest and go to bed. This can make bedtime a little easier and gives you more time to breath and wind down from your day.
