Develop Good Habits in the Early Days of School The first days of school are often traumatic for kindergarten students and their parents especially if it’s the first time they’ve been to school. I’ve had the opportunity to view the phenomena from a personal standpoint, as a parent, and on a regular basis as an administrator. In the first few days of school there are lots of tears, (not limited to just students), sometimes a few temper tantrums and a lot of anxiety. As the days go on, the students and parents adjust and things go much smoother. Today as I watched our youngest students follow the established routines, walking to places of safety and entering the building without running or carrying on; I couldn’t help but think of all the good habits that were being reinforced on a daily basis to help them become successful in their learning process. We hear about “bad habits” being detrimental for children but we often forget that we can help develop good habits with our children as well. When we repeat a task often enough, it becomes a habit. An example of a good habit is brushing our teeth before we go to bed, we have done it so often, the act of brushing simply becomes a good habit. In some households, mornings become a nightmare because everything seems to be amiss. Here are some tips to follow: On a school night ask, is the homework in the backpack? Are the permission slips signed? Put your child’s backpack on the kitchen table or by the door for when your child leaves. Lay out clothing the night before to avoid morning disagreements. Finally, create a “to do list of jobs or activities that need to be done each morning and have your child sign off when each item is complete. Develop good habits in the morning by completing each task step-by-step. While establishing a routine even though it may seem simply common sense, you are developing habits of organization that may last a lifetime. For many children, homework is that challenge that causes many arguments and even heated discussions. Sometimes, routines established for dealing with homework can take the “bite” out of the argument. Several possible solution steps might develop into a habit, a good habit. There are several steps to remember when working towards successful completion of homework. • •
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Establish a homework time each day. Once the time is discussed and selected, it becomes homework time every day at the same time. Homework time should happen every day. If there is no written homework, the time should be spent reading or doing some other kind of improvement activity. (We are adding to the routine and accepting no excuses.) Keep the television, iPad or computer off during that time, unless their reading is on their electronic device. Ask your child questions when they say they don’t know how to do something. It is amazing how much a child actually retains if they are pressed to find a solution. (More that one of my children suddenly realized they could complete the work with only a few prompts from mom or dad.) Don’t ever do their homework for them. You can help them by asking questions but if you do the work, they will count on you to do it for them in the future. Homework tells the teacher how much a child knows (assessment) and if you did their work, there is an assumption the child knows how to do the work.
It’s not easy being a parent, in fact, it is very challenging. Take some time to help your children develop some good and positive routines that might turn into habits in the near future. If you help them develop good habits, you’ve gone a long way into helping them to become successful in the future.