6 Easy Tips to Kickstart the School Year with Positive Attitude
Are you dreading the school year because you will have to nag your children to wake up, get ready for school, and do their homework? Honestly, I am not looking forward to the constant nagging. It was very nice to relax this summer, enjoy the outdoors, spend lots of family time together because of social distancing. This was definitely a very different summer, and we will have a very different school year with social distancing, wearing masks, and distance learning for some. No sports, no playdates, or maybe some outdoor activities with masks. Not just us, but our children are highly impacted by not being able to see their friends, not able to play sports, or just go to the park as they used to. This restraint comes with changed mood and attitude.
As parents, we need to step up and help our children cope with the unusual circumstances, so they can feel loved and connected. Happy children will be happy and successful students.
Here are my 6 Easy Tips to Create Connection with Your Child
1. Listen - with your eyes, with your ears, and with your heart. Give your child your undivided attention. This will help fill their “I need attention” bucket and they will be able to focus on their own activities without pretending to be “helpless”. Have you noticed they ask you to do things for them that they are absolutely capable of doing on their own?
2. Special One-on-One Time - just the two of you for 15 min a day. During this time do what your child wants to do, not what you want to do, like cooking together or gardening. This will also fill their “I need attention” bucket.
3. Laugh & Have Fun - reduces stress, helps ease anxiety, changes the cranky mood. Have a pillow fight, chase around the house, or make a funny face and be silly.
4. Hugs - raise our oxytocin ("happy hormone" -causes positive emotions, relaxation, trust) and serotonin (natural mood stabilizer) levels. Hugs make us feel loved. When I hug my husband or one of my boys, my other boy shows up right away exclaiming "Group hug!" and puts his arms around us.
5. Decisions - Let them make decisions throughout the day to fill their “power bucket”. Do you want to play basketball or ride a bike? Do you want to walk the dog or unload the dishwasher first? What would you like for breakfast? As their power bucket fills, the power struggles will reduce.
6. Positive comments - make sure to notice the "good" too, not only the "bad" and the "ugly". Compliment your children throughout the day "I like how you helped your brother", "I noticed that your room is nice and clean", "Good job at cleaning the table".
Slowly and mindfully incorporate these techniques on a daily basis. You will notice how fast you are able to build a connection with your child. I started to play “10 hugs a day”, and on the second day, my son was coming to me to give hugs.
A connected child will want to cooperate. A connected child will listen to you because they care what you think. A connected child will feel happy, confident, and will become successful not only in their studies but in their life.
Feeling inspired? I would love to hear how you create a connection with your children, and how do you have fun as a family. You can send your reply by using this Contact Me link.
Are you scrambling to figure out how to get back to a school routine while your children are distance learning and you are working from home?
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the thought that you have to be a parent, a teacher, an aftercare teacher, a lunch-lady while you are trying to work?
Are you wondering how are you going to juggle multiple schedules, keep everybody motivated, and be a kitchen fairy at the same time?
I can help you organize your time that works for you, I will show you how to set priorities, how to keep your children motivated without nagging so your family will have time for fun too. Contact me for a free 15-minute chat to see how I can work with you to go from being overwhelmed and exhausted to survive and thrive this school year and you will feel like a super mom or super dad.
To Your Health,
Real Energy, Real Success, Real Life
