Making the switch from summer fun to school days isn’t always easy. It can be overwhelming for children, teenagers, and parents to trade long summer evenings, pool parties, and barbecues for routines, early bedtimes, and homework. Fortunately, at Private Prep, we have the benefit of having helped hundreds of students successfully make the back-to-school transition year after year, and our executive functioning coaches are eager to share what they’ve learned. Here’s what we’ll have in mind as we help students gear up for the new school year.
Rely on Systems
Reliable systems make the difference between acceptable and exceptional performance. In uncertain times, they provide a level of predictability that our brains desperately need in order to keep our stress levels down. So, take the time now to set up clear physical organization and time management systems. We all approach these tasks differently, so it’s important to know what success looks like to you. For us, if your child can find anything they need in 60 seconds or less, that’s a win (even if their desk looks like a disaster)! As to time management, be sure to distinguish between someone else’s system (say, Google Classroom) and your child’s system. It’s important that students be able to accurately answer the question “What’s coming up this week?” without scrambling.
Keep routines
For your sanity and for the success of your children, identify household routines that you can all rely on regardless of what’s going on in the world. Something as simple as a theme song for each day of the week or sharing everyone’s high and low from the day at dinner will help lessen anxiety so that students can put their energy into other pursuits. Routines around getting ready for the week or shifting from school to break to homework take the thought out of those processes thereby simplifying them and making it more likely that your children will get things done without pushing back.
Create a home study space
Many high school students we work with do 2-4 hours of homework a night, which means that a productive space is important. In addition to all of the organizational considerations when setting up this space, take the time to help your child really make the space theirs. Let them decorate the area around it with images they like or inspirational quotes. If possible, consider investing in one or two tools that will feel special to your child and encourage good habits. Here are some of our favorites for the fall.
Expect them to adjust
Flexibility and resilience are two skills central to effective problem solving and which we need to help students cultivate. Teach your children to set goals using a process which recognizes that we often need to adjust our plans, and that doing so is a mark of success, not failure. Encourage your children to consider obstacles to achieving their goals and to set time to review their progress and adjust. Here’s a further breakdown of how that might look.
As you help your children gear up for the back-to-school switch this year, remember to try and control what you can, plan ahead, and stay flexible. For more suggestions or personalized help preparing for this fall, contact us.
