Healthy Routines Take the Sting Out of Back-to-School
With schools reopening for in-person learning, it’s understandable that many parents and students may feel anxious about going back to school.
Healthy routines can help your students stay productive and positive, particularly during this time of heightened anxiety. Daily patterns of actions not only help kids develop life skills but also help them feel safe.
Here are five helpful tips on setting healthy practices for the upcoming school year
1. Avoid the morning rush—and frazzled nerves—by setting the stage the night before.
Avoid a frantic rush involving making decisions or looking for items in the morning; prepare outfits or school uniforms before going to sleep. Make it a habit to organize everything your child needs for the next school day in a specific place the evening before, including backpacks and school projects. For many families, this may be an area near the door. As children age, they can take on more and more responsibility for this before-school prep routine themselves.
2. Start the day with a healthy breakfast—and maybe some positive affirmations.
Hunger is a type of chronic stress on the body that impairs learning as well as physical and mental development. Spending time together sharing a nutritious breakfast and some positive affirmations or expectations also sets the tone for the rest of the day. Try to have breakfast at the same time each day. Involve your child in breakfast prep if they’re old enough. This shared experience creates an opportunity to bond and, more importantly, builds their confidence to prepare their own meals someday.
3. Get quality sleep.
Sleep is crucial to physical and mental health and for successfully maintaining routines. So be consistent about bedtime and wake time. Help kids wind down by ruling that electronics can’t be used close to bedtime and helping them to switch to calming activities such as reading or taking a warm bath.
It may be harder to enforce bedtimes with teens; therefore, it’s essential to communicate with young adults regularly about how sleep deficiency can impact their performance and productivity. It may help to invite your teen to join you for a warm cup of tea or a meditation session before bedtime. Or you can encourage them to explore and find their own wind-down routines and activities.
4. Practice and express gratitude.
Kids need a safe space where they can talk about their problems. As a parent, conversations, where your child opens up about their troubles, allow you to promote gratitude without devaluing their worries.
Make it a habit to spend quality time with your child each day to talk about what you are grateful for that day. The best time to connect would be over dinner or before bedtime; make sure the TV is off and electronics, especially smartphones, are set aside. If they’re not comfortable talking, journaling might be more their style.
5. Allow flexibility when necessary.
While routines can be healthy and reassuring, they can also induce anxiety, particularly for a child that feels pressured to maintain a schedule. Sometimes, routines need to be tweaked to meet your goals and sustain mental health.
When routines become too stressful, allow time for soothing activities. For some, a nap or a walk is all they need. For others, a longer break or a counseling session with a professional may be essential.
By Communicare
Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Growth Mindset is a simple, yet powerful idea that can unlock the potential of all students.
The following monthly lessons will help you create a classroom community that fosters a growth mindset. We’ve spread the activities out over the year, but feel free to use them at whatever pace works best for your classroom!
Table of Contents
August: We Respect Ourselves, Our Classroom, and Each Other
Monthly Overview......................................................................6
Respect Poster.............................................................................7
Respect Song...............................................................................8
“Respect Land” Activity..............................................................9
“We Are All Different” Activity.................................................13
September: We Take Care of Each Other’s Feelings
Monthly Overview.....................................................................14
Care Poster.................................................................................15
Care Song..................................................................................16
“How Do I Feel” Activity..........................................................17
“Name That Feeling” Activity...................................................86
“S/he Feels, S/He Needs” Activity............................................90
“We Take Care of Feelings” Activity.........................................91
October: I Do My Personal Best
Monthly Overview.....................................................................95
Personal Best Poster..................................................................96
Personal Best Song....................................................................97
“I Am” Activity..........................................................................98
“We Work At Our Own Pace” Activity......................................99
“No Put Downs” Activity.........................................................101
“I Can Always Get Better” Activity.........................................102
November: We Can Grow Our Brains
Monthly Overview...................................................................103
Brain Poster..............................................................................104
Brain Song...............................................................................105
“The Brain Makes Connections” Activity...............................106
“I Can Make My Brain Work Hard” Activity.........................107
“My Brain Needs To Work”....................................................108
“My Brain Doesn’t Know How...Yet” Activity.......................110
December: We Love Mistakes
Monthly Overview...................................................................112
Mistakes Poster........................................................................113
Mistakes Song..........................................................................114
“Red Light, Green Light” Activity...........................................115
“Memory” Activity...................................................................116
“My Favorite Mistake” Activity...............................................118
“To The Next Level” Activity..................................................120
January: We Can Persevere
Monthly Overview...................................................................121
Perseverance Poster.................................................................122
Perseverance Song...................................................................123
“Don’t Tell Me” Activity.........................................................124
“My Persistence Pal” Activity.................................................125
“My Goals” Activity...............................................................127
“Toss The Ball” Activity..........................................................129
February: We Can Use Positive Self Talk
Monthly Overview.............................................................130
Positive Talk Poster............................................................131
Positive Talk Song..............................................................132
“I Am Kind To Myself” Activity........................................133
“I Talk Nicely To Myself” Activity....................................137
“What Are They Thinking” Activity...................................139
“I Am My Own Cheerleader” Activity...............................140
March: We Can Do Hard Things
Monthly Overview..............................................................141
Hard Things Poster..............................................................142
Hard Things Song................................................................143
“Tangram Puzzles” Activity.................................................144
“Nonsense Words Bam!” Activity........................................146
“Front Car-Back Car” Activity..............................................157
“Beat The Boss Activity........................................................159
April: We Can Solve Problems
Monthly Overview................................................................160
Problems Poster.....................................................................161
Problems Song......................................................................162
“Use Your Words” Activity...................................................163
“Brainstorm” Activity...........................................................164
“Think About It” Activity.....................................................165
“Take A Deep Breath” Activity.............................................166
May: We Are Always Growing
Monthly Overview.................................................................168
Growing Poster......................................................................169
Growing Song........................................................................170
Portfolio Pages.......................................................................171