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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Getting Your Children Re-Energized for School


Guest Post: Ella Davidson of the couponing website Coupons, provided this guest post. Coupons is a coupons and deals website that strives to save consumers money while helping to better the world.


We all know how much children love school breaks and how hard it can be to get them back on track when school is about to start again. You don’t need to feel discouraged, though, because there are some simple tips and tricks that will help you get your kids in shape for school without too much hassle.


There are two main things you need to focus on to ensure your youngsters are ready for school:


• The Body


• The Mind


Energizing the Body


Relax – The main role of a break is to energize the body so the first thing you need to do is to ensure that your kid’s break is relaxing and not too crowded with activities. Even though those activities are fun, too many of them will become tiring. Plan the list of activities such as trips or camps in advance and make sure you leave your kid enough time to play and get bored – they need it.


Sleep – Sleeping is another factor that has a great impact on the amount of energy a kid has. While it’s perfectly normal to let children oversleep from time to time, don’t make it a habit. A child that is used to sleeping in every morning will have a very hard time to adapt to a school schedule. The best approach to this is to let your kids oversleep at the beginning of the break and gradually bring them to a sleeping schedule that’s similar to the one they have during school time.


Finding the perfect balance between fun and relaxation may not be easy but it’s worth making the effort to do it instead of having fun to exhaustion and then facing a hard time getting your kid back on track once the school begins.


Energizing the Mind


Just as the body, the mind needs a little break from time to time too. Stress is the main cause for a tired mind and doing stress-free activities, even if they are mind-challenging can still relax the mind.


Fun Activities – There are a lot of activities that are both fun and educational at the same time that you can do with your children. Play games, build a tree house, go-karting – there are endless opportunities to combine the pleasant with the useful. Not only will these activities will be fun and educational but they’ll also allow you to spend time together as a family.


Responsibility – There are moments when children want to be treated as adults, so why not give them a little responsibility? Start with simple things such as buying them a small pet and leaving it to them to take care of it. If you want to take things a bit further, give them a little more freedom and help them make their own schedule – being sure to include their school and after-school activities. They will appreciate that you trust them and will strive to impress you with their handle of the adult task.


Quick Facts


• Don’t be stressed – a child’s mood is very easy to influence and being around stressed adults will unconsciously make them stressed as well;


• Share your childhood stories – kids always tend to want to imitate their parents, hearing their parent’s adventures from their school period will make them eager to get back to school;


• Have fun – After all, that’s what a break is all about. Be sure to take photos to capture the memories!


References


Microsoft.com: Get Your Kids Ready! A Teacher’s Five Tips http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/get-your-kids-ready-a-teacher-s-five-tips-HA010281616.aspx


About.com: Child Care – Top 10 Morning Madness Tips for Getting Kids Up and Ready


http://childcare.about.com/od/behaviors/tp/gettingkidsup.htm


Further Reading


Organized Home: Do It Now! Tips To Get Ready For Back-To-School http://organizedhome.com/seasonal-spin/back-to-school-tips-get-organized


iVillage: Make Getting Ready for School a Snap


http://www.ivillage.com/make-getting-ready-school-snap/6-a-128003

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