A SCHOOL YEAR WITHOUT PAIN AND TEARS: SOME TIPS FOR A GOOD START TO SEPTEMBER (PART 1)

THE SCHOOL MACHINE HAS STARTED!

It's afternoon, which means the first day of school is over. There were assemblies, greetings from tutors and teachers, pairing up, dictating the lesson plan for at least the next day, stories about holidays and arranging who would sit with whom and in which desk... The first day of school is usually pleasant, light, completely harmless. For a moment, it even seems that the whole year will be like this.

And then comes tomorrow, and tomorrow, and another tomorrow... The school tomorrow, which turns out to be not so simple and innocent, sometimes quite the opposite - difficult and terrifying. At some point, for some reason, science starts baring its fangs again, the school growls obnoxiously. Instead of a cheerful child, a student-very-not-in-the-mood returns home, another family evening turns into a joint homework, and the upcoming interview makes us look hopefully for some substitute activity that would free us from the unpleasant duty.

In a word: somewhere along the way, an unfavorable pattern of actions again appeared among us (both adults and children). Maybe we are not even fully aware of this pattern, but we feel that we have again inadvertently jumped into behaviors, choices and reactions that repeat the unpleasant and unwanted situations from the previous year or from previous years.

Listing all such situations would probably take more space than Blogspot can offer, so let's limit ourselves to just a few examples. Leaving homework to the last minute. Questioning that seems to have no end or sense, because in front of the blackboard the child "has forgotten everything anyway." Civil Wars from the series "can I go outside / to my friend / play on the computer? – and the lessons still not learned?”. The work that we do with the child so much that at times it is too much for the child (because it will be over sooner and in the end). Weekends poisoned by the thought of all those hanging over us (and children and adults) essays, tests and poems to be memorized. And the impression that with the successive weeks of school, we (both adults and children) are sinking more and more into the quicksand of glazed requirements, and the material to be assimilated in an unnatural way exceeds the material already assimilated.

you know it? To some extent, almost everyone knows it - both children and adults.

HOW TO TAKE THE SCHOOL YEAR AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR?

We want to offer you ways to make the first weeks of school a little easier, and the perspective of the next months - much stressful for me. We know that there are no perfect tips or methods that guarantee success always and everywhere; however, these few tips may come in handy – both for you and for your children.

Teach your child to organize time

Organization of time is something that theoretically is needed by everyone and helps everyone; in practice, something we often demand from others ("you could organize your work better") or from yourself ("if I were better organized..."), but we don't really know how to put it into practice. In fact, no one has presented us with the organization of time in the form of a set of rules, nor can it be hammered into the head like multiplication tables. Some of us get acquainted with the methods of better time management in adult life through various guides; others acquire this skill more intuitively and with experience; and some people still feel like they're being lectured in an unknown language when they hear the word "time management".

Let's make life easier for children and give them some methods of dealing with the time that is still running away. In the form of fun, let's suggest making a list of tasks or a plan for the next week together (a separate post will be devoted to the advantages and methods of creating lists). Let's think together with the child how each of us pushes unpleasant responsibilities away. Let's look at each other and find out at what moment of the day we have our "golden hours" (i.e. the time when we are full of energy, willingness and ideas to act) and "gray hours" (when the energy drops to a minimum level and we don't feel like doing anything). Let's determine if we happen to waste "golden hours" on something unnecessary (browsing the Internet for pleasure, sitting in front of the TV) and whether in "gray hours" we do not try to force ourselves to work (which either ends in a fiasco or associates work with a nightmare duty). Let's figure out ways to motivate ourselves to work in the "golden hours" and learn to relax in the "grey hours".

Rest helps learning

That's right - let's teach the child (and ourselves) how to rest, how to relax, how to use some of our time for entertainment. In this way, we will achieve a double benefit: first, the child will know how to relax (and this is extremely important if he is to regenerate for the next day or for the next task); secondly, we will show him that time for fun and pleasure is not moments stolen illegally and with a sense of guilt, but something that, just like work, should be included in the daily schedule and that needs to be organized and planned.

It is worth separating active and passive rest and ensuring that both varieties are present in the child's life. However, we should pay special attention to active rest - movement, meetings with peers, intellectual stimulation will strengthen the child's physical and mental health. Of course, almost everyone sometimes feels like lying lazily on the couch, watching a movie, playing on the computer - a child can and has the right to such moments.

Swallow a small frog first, reach for a large one in a moment

Do you know the expression "eat a frog", which means to face something unpleasant? School homework is such a frog. But the task is not equal - some are simpler, some more difficult, some more pleasant, taking less time and requiring less energy, others - not very pleasant, time-consuming and tiring.

In various guides, you can often find advice to do the hardest, worst and most stressful task at the beginning of work, thanks to which we will feel relieved, relaxed and motivated. There is some truth in this - which does not change the fact that it is usually difficult for us to mobilize ourselves to such a morning feat anyway. If it's hard for us adults, what are the children supposed to say? Starting your homework with the biggest, ugliest, nastiest croaking frog can tire you out and make you feel discouraged and reinforce the "homework equals evil" association.

So let's encourage the child, at least at the beginning, to start doing homework with what he likes, what gives him pleasure and comes easily. Drawing for art class first? All right. First, reading and underlining words with "ó"? APPROX. First, math or English exercises, because this is the same type of tasks that was in the lesson and which is still well remembered? Sure, please. Do we take paints, crayons or a pen?

Two or three more enjoyable activities - those little, pretty and lovable frogs - will better set you up for your homework. In addition, the child will have a sense of success (Polish and English have already been done, it went quickly and efficiently, you can move on) and control over your own situation (some homework is done). After such momentum, it will be easier to face the toad-worksheet, the toad-material for the test, the toad-a physics task.

Let your child do the homework they want to do first. The art of swallowing the biggest frog for a good morning will still be learned in adult life. For now, let him start by swallowing little frogs that he won't choke on.

Soon more hints, and for now EDU wishes you a great school year. May it be interesting, adventurous and joyful for your children, and free of stress and satisfying for you!

Attention! If you want to talk to us about the new school year, see what educational proposals we have for your children and find out how we operate - meet us this Saturday and Sunday!

Throughout the weekend (September 3 and 4) from 10.00 to 18.00 we are at the "Child Mama Dad" Fair in the Azoty Arena. We invite you to stand number 10 - this is where you will find EDU!

More information about the event on our Facebook page: EDU at Targi DZIECKO Mama Tata .