The back-to-school season is a wonderful time for parents to reset how they will be involved in their child’s education and development. As you are getting back into the groove and navigating new classrooms, teachers, schedules and relationships, know that building a community will help you best support your child as they learn and grow this school year.
Here are a few parenting tips to make the most of the school year:
1. Get involved in your child’s school.
This is the perfect time to get involved in your child’s school. If you haven’t already, volunteer for committees or events, or if you can, attend PTA meetings to stay current on what’s happening at the school. If you can’t do it all, befriend another parent who can keep you updated.
2. Get to know your child’s teacher.
We often introduce yourself at back-to-school night, but you can also take the opportunity to ask questions about the upcoming year or share information about your child and your family in an email. It starts the conversation and provides a channel for open communication.
3. Help your child get organized.
Make sure your child has a designated place to do homework and keep track of important papers and dates. You can also help your child create a daily or weekly schedule to ensure that homework and other activities get completed on time.
4. Talk to your child about bullying.
Discuss what bullying is, how to identify it and how to stand up to it. It’s also important to let your child know that you are there for them if they ever need to talk about a bullying situation and if they are being bullied.
5. Help manage your child’s extracurricular activities.
Encourage your child to get involved in extracurricular activities that enhance their interests and challenges them to do something new. Participating in activities outside of the classroom can help your child make new friends, learn new skills and explore different interests.
6. Diversify your screen time.
You can’t avoid screen time, so help your child use the time to do more than watch videos, movies and play video games. There are several reading and learning apps that have engaging content that will help support what they are learning in school.
7. Take advantage of family resources.
As parents, we all need help and guidance throughout the school year to help you support our child’s learning and development. National PTA offers a variety of resources for tips for parents, information on advocating for education policies, and ways to get involved in your child’s school.
8. Celebrate big and small successes.
Whether it’s when your child figures nail’s their morning routine, gets good grades or overcomes anxiety in the classroom, take the time to celebrate their success. And periodically review how something seemed like a big problem or impossible and how cool it is that they were able to achieve their goal. Then review when the next challenge presents itself.
We wish you a safe, healthy and successful school year for you and your child!
