Quick Tips for the School Year

 

With the new school year starting soon many are wondering how school is going to go this year. Some schools are limiting how often students go to school and others are offering solely online for those who do not feel comfortable sending their children to school.

Here are some quick tips to help with children regardless if your child(ren) are doing solely online or doing part time online.

·         -- Set up an area that is solely for your child to do their school work. Keep the distractions as minimal as you can. 

·         -- Figure out a schedule that works best with the requirements from the school and your family’s schedule.

·        -- Limit their screen time with games, etc. until they have completed their school work to the best of their ability.

·         -- Get in contact with your school to see if there are alternatives if you notice your child is struggling as they work to complete their assignments online.

·         -- Find ways for your child to still be able to socially connect with friends, such as being able to FaceTime them or be able to send messages. Many clients that I worked with missed the social connection most when they were having to schooling online only.

·         -- Create a list of activities that they can do on their own or you do it as a family where they are able to get out do something that allows them to get their physical energy out.

Carmen Stites, LPC

Changes

     The year 2020 will go down in infamy as the year of change. If we would have walked into a store in 2019 and everyone was wearing masks we would have wondered where we were. Many parts of normal life are now cancelled. This includes: Athletic events, school, church, cultural events, and everyday normal activities. This may leave us feeling out of control and panicked. How do we handle this? Should we be scared? What do I have control over?

     Well, here are a few things that we cannot control and what we do have control over in a time when change is so drastic and constant. I cannot control: If others follow the rules of social distancing, the actions of others, predicting what will happen, other people’s motives, the amount of toilet paper in the store, how long this will last, and how others will react. I can control: My positive attitude, turning off the news, finding fun things to do at home, how I follow guidelines to stay safe, limiting my social media, my social distancing, and my kindness and grace. 

     Mindfulness can also be a very powerful tool for us to use. It helps to ground us in the moment and not get too overwhelmed with the future. Again, we cannot control the future but we can control our reaction and how we choose to move forward in the future. 

April Moedl, LCSW