Megan Barella
  • Home
  • Happy Home Challenge
  • Praise
  • Coaching
  • About

back to school foundations

9/10/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
By now we're all Back to School.
I've started to get a few emails from parents
asking for support about school transitions.

Here's some Back to School Foundation ideas
for smooth sailing all year long.
(If you homeschool, 
or have little ones still at home,
these foundations are for you too.)

Let's start with a little quiz!
(Hey, if the kids have to do it...)

What is the #1 most important requirement
for your child 
to be able to excel
academically and socially at school this year?

Guesses?

Children need to feel good about themselves at school.

(Or at home, if you homeschool).

Children should, for the most part,
be relaxed at school.
They should feel like they can be themselves,
and that their teachers likes them.

Now let's be honest.
Life is stressful,
and school can be too at times.

But if your child truly protests about going to school,
seems upset or nervous when they're there,
is being bullied,
or if you observe that the teacher is not emotionally-attuned to them
--- your child will have a hard time learning.

And any academic learning that does happen may be at a cost 
to their emotionally well-being and learning.

Children deserve to feel good at school.

What to do if your child is stressed about school?

* Talk to the teacher, right away.
* Seek out the guidance counselor.
* If neither of these people are helpful,
look for the person at school who your child feels 
most connected to--- and talk to them.
* Seeking out a counselor,
who is up-to-date on the latest brain science.
* Contact me to learn more about my Back to School Support Packages.

Let's eat!
Growing bodies and brains need high-quality food.

This is another non-negotiable.
I worry when children eat boxed cereal for breakfast,
eat all their snack food at school,
and only take two bites out of their sandwich 
or other main entree for lunch.


Then they come from school,
or are in aftercare,
and have goldfish and those fruit juicy snacks
for an after school snack.

Now it's 5 or 6 pm,
and these kids haven't had a real meal all day.

Growing bodies and brains need high-quality food.

What can you do?
* Serve breakfast for dinner.
Left-over dinner from the night before is easiest.
Chicken, fish, hot dogs with broccoli and rice or quiona
are common breakfasts in our house.
Other families serve breakfast burritos.

I know it can be busy in the morning,
and your child may not have the palate 
for left-over dinner first thing in the am.

* If that is the case, think high protein
however you can get it.
Growing brains need protein.

Other ideas?
* Ask the teacher or lunchroom person
to do a check-in with your child
about their lunch.
These adults can offer Encouragement
(no forcing!)
to try, eat, or finish their main lunch entree.
* Saving snack food for after your child
eats the the main entree 
is another idea.
* Serve a high-protein, meal-like after school snack.
Do what works best for your family.
If the family sit down dinner
when everyone gets home
from school/work
​is important in your family,
wonderful.
But do feed your child substantial nourishment
right after school, if you know
they're not eating much of their lunch at school.


Quality Time with you
I know life can get crazy hectic. 
But quality time with you is 
sssssooo important.

Families are way over-scheduled these days.
But quality time with you is even more important
than extra-curricular activities.

Quality Time with you is essential 
to your child's academic and social success,
as well as their emotional health.


So schedule in 10 minutes of child-led
quality time activities everyday
(or 30 minutes weekly for older children)
to fill up your children's emotional cups.
This is a top priority,
and can be hard to make happen.
Click here for a Positive Discipline
article about Quality Time with kids,
and this one about Spending Quality Time
with teens.
Picture

There's my Top 3 Back to School Foundations for a happy and healthy school year.
What are your top Back to School Foundations?
Leave a comment below.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Getting To Gold
    Positive Parenting
    Reflections
    Summer Magic

    Mama Megan

    Hi friends,  I write from the heart to tell my life story, and the story of those in my neighborhood called life. Research shows that our children's emotional & mental health is contingent upon us parents being able to tell our life story, or "coherent narrative."  This is my coherent narrative, my life story in the making, with some of what I love in life too. My goal is to share my life in a way that is real, uplifting & positive- sometimes serious, sometimes fun. In my practice, I inspire parents to empowerment through reclaiming our life stories and learning respectful discipline. My work is my offering to our children- our future. Wishing you all a happy family!

    Picture
    Photo by J Jean Portraits

    Archives

    October 2020
    September 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Happy Home Challenge
  • Praise
  • Coaching
  • About