BUILDING CHARACTER AND RESILIENCE

We hope you were able to build some great memories together in these past two weeks.   Now, as we re-enter the pattern of school and spend our days apart, we are faced with the challenge of keeping that sense of connection and involvement. 

Some children experience anxiety or reluctance to return to school, and others may struggle getting back into routine. But with a little extra support, we can help make Term 4 great!  Here are 5 ideas for a great last term.

It’s the final leg of the race, kids are nervous, parents are exhausted, and morning traffic has suddenly tripled. Yes, we’re back into the school term!

So here are five ways you can make the transition back to school for your kids a great one!

1. Have a simple morning routine

One of the best changes we made to the way we start our day is to create a simple morning routine for your kids. Printed out some simple icons representing five things they need to do each morning and put them in the outline of a hand – call it their ‘High Five’. Every morning they can wake up, look at the hand on the fridge and have a simple way of seeing what they need to do next. Maybe it could be making their bed, getting dressed, brushing their teeth, reading, and thinking of three thankful things.  And when they’re done they can run to us for a big high five to celebrate!

2. Look for the positive

Try to encourage children to look for positives things that are going on in their life. Does that mean that they have to love PE? Of course not! But maybe they can still enjoy being out in the sunshine.

3. Do a dinner debrief

Dinner, as chaotic as it is, is a great time to hear from everyone about their day. Go around the table and all share one thing from our day – be it good, funny, difficult, or sad. This is also a chance to hear about the things that we experience and see that their parents experience the same sorts of things they do.

4. Get good sleep (kids AND parents!)

So much has been written on the value of sleep so won't bore you with the details. Endeavour to make it an aspirational goal in your family though!

5. Enjoy your weekends together

If you only see your kids in the morning rush and the evening crash,  weekends are your opportunity to have some fun relational time together as a family, build memories, and reconnect at the end of a big week. Yes, there is lots to do, housework, gardening, shopping… but try to make at least one afternoon or morning a time together. Go down to the park or the library – wherever suits you – and enjoy some quality time together.

BONUS TIP!

6. Get some one-on-one time with your kids

You know how different your children are – both in their personalities and also their needs. Discovering the power of having some one-on-one time with each of your kids, even if it’s just a jaunt to the supermarket for milk. It’s a time to get to know them away from the competing noise of the family, hear what’s going on in their life and let them know that they are special to you as an individual. This is especially powerful if your child struggles with an anxious personality.

So, those are six tips for you. I hope this final term is a great one for you and your kids!

 -  An extract from CatholicCare Victoria newsletter, Connected