Hopefully your children’s transition from summer to school is a smooth one, but if not, here are a few tips on how to cope with typical back to school conflicts.

Dealing with Heavy Homework after a Light Summer

Homework can be piled on thick at the beginning of the new school year, or at least it seems like it after a long lazy summer. In order to help your kids, and yourself, not feel quite so overwhelmed, keep in mind these few simple tips:

• Homework is NOT done the same way for every child.
• Be open to the type of homework environment that works the best for your child. Even in the same family, one child may need a break after school to give their brain a rest, while their sibling may do better sitting down immediately to tackle homework.
• Believe it or not, some kids need music, especially teens (appropriate, of course) while doing homework. If your teens finish their homework while listening to music, and get it in on time with an acceptable grade, then allow them to continue listening while doing their homework!

 Managing Teacher Conflict

Just like all of us adults, there is such a thing as personality conflicts between kids and their teachers. It’s great when children love their teacher, but when they don’t see eye-to-eye, learning can suffer. Encourage conflict resolution by teaching your kids the skills to deal with their situation. Here are a few hints:

• Teach your child to look for the times when they are NOT in conflict with their teacher. Then teach them to try to duplicate those positive communication techniques in future difficult moments.
• Support your child’s challenges by always listening to their “side” of the story.

 Understanding that Friends Come and Go

Sometimes a good friend in one grade turns out to be a distant friend when the next school year starts. If your child feels disappointed because they are not connecting with old friends, help them by creating opportunities for them to meet other kids. If they are preschool age, make more play dates, and if they are older, get them involved extra-curricula activities.

 Overcoming Peer Group Pressure

Always watch your child’s choices in friends closely. Make your home “the-place-to-be” so you can get to know your child’s friends and their parents as they drop their children off at your place. Peer groups can actually take pressure off kids. A healthy peer group is the place where your child can feel accepted and blow-off steam. 

 If you find that school conflicts are more than you can handle, feel free to contact me for a quick telephone coaching session. Dr. Ann