As the back-to-school season rolls around, it’s important to help your children gear up for success. A positive mindset is crucial for dealing with the challenges of school and life. By following three simple steps, you can help your children stay focused and motivated to go back to school. First, remind your child that transitions can be stressful, but you will be there to help guide them. Second, set goals for academic and extracurricular activities that can be accomplished throughout the year, such as math tutoring. Finally, set the tone for your child’s return to school. Following these simple steps can help your children maintain a positive mindset and set them up for success in school and life.
Excited or Anxious?
The back-to-school season can be both exciting and anxiety-inducing for children. On the one hand, they get to see their friends again and learn new things. It brings structure and fresh extracurricular activities. Some children love getting the latest supplies and may have their backpacks packed weeks before school starts.
On the other hand, some children hate having to deal with homework, tests, and other challenges. With new subjects come unfamiliar teachers, frustrations and new challenges. This can create anxiety for many children and cause sleepless nights before the start of school.
Whether your child is excited or anxious for back to school, some steps can be taken to help boost their mindset and help with their confidence.
Dealing With Transitions
Routine changes can be stressful and cause anxiety for some children. Some may suffer a great deal while figuring out their new school year rhythm. As a parent, it can be hard to know how to help a child who is unsure of change, but talking to them and addressing the subject can go a long way. Let them know that the stress of transition is only temporary and isn’t an indicator that something is wrong. It is simply their mind trying to figure out how things fit together in their new environment, schedule, and peers.
When letting your child know that their feelings of anxiety about the new school year are normal, you can also tell them how you feel when faced with uncomfortable feelings of creating a new routine. Relating to your child and letting them know their stress is normal can help them relax.
Children who are stressed about transitions may also have trouble making decisions. By boosting their confidence and letting them know their stress is normal, it can help them make wiser decisions.
Set Goals
Something about a new school year and the promise of a fresh start can make parents put our rational, realistic brains in a box. We will then start planning three times too many things for our children to do. It is almost as if summer gives us amnesia to the number of subjects, activities and “fun” things we can commit our children to do. It is all done out of love for our children as we get easily distracted by all of the possibilities and want them all for our children. However, this can lead to overcommitment, and we often find ourselves and our children burning out in the early fall.
But it isn’t just the parents who often over-commit. Children may not know their limits and could overcommit and overextend themselves even without a parent’s help. Whether it be the pressure to excel academically, peer pressure, or even pressure they may feel to make their parents proud, children can often take on too much. This can lead to burnout, stress and a poor mindset.
The start of a new school year is the perfect time for your child to set their primary purpose. Take the time to sit down with your child and discuss what choices they have this year in academics and extracurricular activities. Ask them what it would be if they were to grow in one area this year. This can help to narrow down what to focus on and set a goal for the year ahead without becoming too overworked. Start with the activities that will help them grow and build confidence in their chosen area, and then add on from there, thinking realistically about how much time they have each week.
Who Do They Want To Be
One of the best ways to boost your child’s mindset before the start of school is by reminding them that they can be whomever they want to be. Give them some freedom to choose their clothes, supplies, textbooks, and even schedules if they are older. This can be a major confidence boost and help them to set the tone for the upcoming year ahead.
As parents, we can sometimes go into an almost robotic zone when getting our children ready for back to school. You have done it millions of times and are just on auto-repeat. But if your child has decided they want to become a mathematician this year, or a science expert, they should focus on these aspirations. This is why letting your child take the lead when selecting new clothes and supplies for the upcoming year is essential. They may want to ditch the unicorn binder you got them last year for a space-themed binder and pens this year. This is an excellent way to foster aspirations and boost their confidence so they can excel in school and life.
Creating A Math Mindset
The new school year can be a wonderful time of learning, growing, and developing new habits that can last a lifetime. As a parent, setting a positive mindset for your child can help ensure a smoother transition. Establishing a mindset is all about creating a positive experience. When it comes to creating a math mindset, we have a whole blog on the topic! Check it out here!
At Dropkick Math, our math help services work with the parent and child to build a positive mindset which can boost confidence and help children overcome any learning gaps in mathematics. Our programs offer a unique math tutoring approach by focusing on relationships and engaging the parent/guardian. Students learn math operations through fun and engaging games focusing on the four pillars (number sense, operational sense, proportional reasoning, and algebraic reasoning).
Start creating a positive math mindset in your child by visiting our website and learning more about our programs today!
