As children return to school, feelings of anxiety can escalate. “Parents and other caregivers can teach their children simple strategies to help with anxiety, such as organizing materials and time, developing short scripts of what to do and say when anxiety increases, and learning coping strategies to relax under stressful conditions,” says Jennifer Cooper, Ph.D., NCSP, assistant professor in NLU’s School Psychology program.

Here are some great tips shared to us by National Louis University faculty experts that will help kids ease back into school:

Email the teacher
Email your child’s teacher at the beginning of the school year. Just say “hi,” let them know the best way to reach you, and that you look forward to your child learning in this grade level. Teachers appreciate the outreach, because there are other parents who slam the door shut on communication. “Letting the teacher know, ‘I’m approachable,’ is reassuring to the teacher,” said Seema Imam, Ed.D., associate professor of Elementary and Middle Level Teacher Education at National Louis University.

Plan the night before
It’s easy for school mornings to get crazy. Don’t let your child be the one who’s late to school because he couldn’t find his shoes. Instead, minimize chaos by having a place for each child to put his or her things, including the backpack. Get kids to sleep early enough so they have time in the morning to eat breakfast without rushing. “Younger children need 9 to 11 hours of sleep due to the increasing demands on their time from school, sports and extracurricular activities, said Ayn Keneman, Ed.D., associate professor of education at National Louis University. “ It takes energy to remember what you learned.”

Deal with, “I don’t want to go to school!”
Getting to the heart of the child’s reluctance to go to school is key. What are they worried about? Bullies, sitting alone at lunch, the academic work, or just not wanting summer to end?

“Asking questions can reveal important intel into the feelings and emotions around going back to school,” said Leslie Katch, Ph.D., assistant professor of education at National Louis University.  “If you can pinpoint an issue, talking through the problem and acknowledging your child’s concerns can help provide the confidence needed to enter the first day of school.”

For small children, role-play what will happen
For younger children who will enter preschool for the first time, routine is paramount, Katch said. Try practicing and talking through what will happen on the first day of school. “You will have your backpack, we will put it in your cubby, and then mommy will kiss you goodbye.” Or, providing your child with a mantra, like, “Mommy always comes back after we eat lunch,” can provide some comfort. Knowing what to expect before the first day of school can help reduce the child’s anxiety about first time separations.

Take turns reading with your child
At home, parents are the teachers. Pick out a book and read a paragraph; then let your child read a paragraph, and take turns. “The child gets to hear what the words sound like when they’re pronounced correctly,” Imam said. Your child also gets the practice of encountering unfamiliar words and learning them, plus the bonus of doing something with you. It’s important to note that reading all formats counts, including comic books, graphic novels, magazines, digital formats and listening to audiobooks.

Reduce anxiety
Anxiety is a normal, adaptive reaction to stressful situations, but if persistent it can negatively affect many aspects of a child’s learning and social and emotional well-being. As children return to school from summer vacation, feelings of anxiety can escalate. “Parents and other caregivers can teach their children simple strategies to help with anxiety, such as organizing materials and time, developing short scripts of what to do and say when anxiety increases, and learning coping strategies to relax under stressful conditions,” says Jennifer Cooper, Ph.D., NCSP, assistant professor in NLU’s School Psychology program. She recommends that parents create an open dialogue about feelings and help their children manage stress by maintaining realistic, attainable goals and expectations for their child. Caregivers also should be aware of warning signs of anxiety, such as excessive worrying, somatic complaints, irritability, difficulty concentrating, change in sleeping patterns, etc., and seek help from a qualified mental health professional if the problem persists or interferes with daily activities.

Remove the “math is difficult” stigma
Parents and students alike can feel intimidated by math homework, especially as its difficulty increases. Instead of believing the myth that mathematics is intimidating and difficult, try talking with your child about how math is here to help make life easier. Relate math to daily activities, such as cooking, sports and shopping.

Volunteer at your child’s school
For a parent to volunteer is a great way to build a bridge between school and home. If you have time to volunteer during the school day, great; if not, email the teacher and explain you’d like to help, but you work from 9 to 5. “There are things teachers can ask parents to do that working parents can do,” Imam said, such as preparing materials for bulletin boards. In addition, work the school events that take place on weekends or evenings. Join the PTA OR PTO.

Master the technology
Many schools now have a password-protected website or parent portal that parents can use to view quiz results, grades and other information. Too often, parents never even look at it. If it’s tricky or you don’t know the password, be proactive about reaching out to the teacher or school webmaster to learn how to use it.

Reconnect with friends
With summer activities and travel, children can lose touch with the friends that they made during the school year. Seeing a friend can make children more comfortable, so schedule a playdate with a few friends before school starts. “Going back to school is stressful for children of all ages, so reconnecting with friends is a great way to help reduce a child’s anxiety for the upcoming school year, “ said Keneman.

Talk with your children 20 minutes each day
You don’t need to lecture them on the Revolutionary War. Just build in some time to connect, whether the child feels like talking about his favorite game or the argument she had with a friend. The conversation helps parents build a relationship with their children and support them. Below are a few conversation starters.

Tell me about the best and/or worst part of your day.
Did any of your classmates do anything funny?
Tell me about what you read in class.
What’s the biggest difference between this year and last year?
What rules are different at school than our rules at home? Do you think they’re fair?

“Effective communication is the most important 21st Century skill,” Keneman observed.  “Spending 20 minutes daily with children will increase listening and speaking skills as well as strengthen close relationships to help parents stay connected to their children during all stages of life.”

About National Louis University
Founded in 1886, National Louis is a nonprofit, non-denominational University offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in fields of education, management, human services, counseling, public policy, and others concerned with human and community development. From its inception, National Louis has provided educational access to adult, immigrant and minority populations – a mission it sustains today. National Louis is well-known for an exceptional history in teacher preparation, and continues to be a leader in educating future teachers and community leaders to succeed in urban environments. For more information, visit www.nl.edu.

Just because parenting isn’t categorized as a “sport” doesn’t mean it doesn’t sometimes feel like it is. Whether you’re participating in what feels like a marathon of a day, reffing the wrestling matches that can break out over a LEGO or Goldfish, or you’re in the heat of a serious training session with your 2 year old over the potty.. Parenting is like a myriad of sports and training sessions all rolled into one. Much like the Olympic Games. Only we don’t get to stand on a podium and collect our medal at the end of the day. Although sometimes a good glass of wine is as good as gold..

With the Olympic games just a few weeks away we started thinking about all the similarities between Parenting and the Olympics:

• Everyone always wants to be first.
• Win or lose someone is always crying.
• You’re as tired as if you had run a marathon.
• Your days start at the crack of dawn.
• Kids are 24/7 (but not just for 2 weeks.)
• Wardrobe choices can be questionable.
• Energy and Flexibility improve your game.

What do you think? How does your daily life resemble the Olympic Games?

It’s 4:15 pm.  There’s a certain anxious energy hanging in the air like smoke.  You know at any minute all hell is going to break loose because there’s something odd about that magic hour or so between 4:30 and 5:30.  I like to call it “The Witching Hour”, and it’s the time of day when kids go from decently behaved to absolutely flipping nuts.

Those little darlings are virtually unrecognizable as they throw tantrums in the kitchen floor, they shout what they’re not going to do and then continue by shouting how they don’t care how you feel about it.  They make a mess and when you politely ask them to clean it up; they look at you as if you have three heads and then take off in another direction to cause more pandemonium.

And of course, this is the time of day when you’re trying to get your house in order, the chores finished and food on the table – after all, you simply must make it appear that you do more than sit around eating Bon-Bons everyday.

If I’ve ever been desperate for help, it was during this time of day – and it was almost every day.  I wanted answers, so I went to an “expert”.  I thought of all the wonderful teachers my child had, and how they almost effortlessly seemed to hold it all together, and then some.

After consulting a local preschool teacher, she offered a few of her secrets:

First up, I wanted to know how to calm things down in a hurry when all goes haywire: “When everyone is running around crazy, I turn the lights off for a second, that usually gets them to stop and look at me,” said our Teacher friend.  I can tell you that I’ve already added this one to my arsenal of “Mom tricks” and it works – unless it’s daytime, in a sunny room and then, well they just look at you like you’re some crazy person flicking the lights on and off.

Next, I wanted to find out a little about how to get their attention – because I can promise that at one point or another, I’ve tried almost everything.  She said that distracting them with something different works great. “I think my number one tip for getting and keeping their attention is talking quietly. They really listen when I’m talking softly like I have a secret to tell them.  My number two tip is using an incentive such as a sticker or a stamp or even a small piece of candy such as a smartie. The fun thing about preschoolers is they don’t need much. I’m always amazed at how happy they are to receive one skittle or one sticker.”

Got any tricks you’d like to share? We would love to hear them!  Until then, good luck during the Witching Hour!