“You CAN have it all: You just CAN’T have it all at once.” Oprah Winfrey.
We are all aware that students wear many hats: sibling, classmate, friend, relative, and child, among others. These roles can be conflicting, causing a student to assess some priorities while abandoning other important activities such as exercises and relationships. When the general wellbeing and health of your child is neglected, their academic performances also decline. Your child can only excel academically and have a fulfilling life if you create a good school-life balance.
Here are some tips to help your child have sufficient time for homework and hobbies without getting overwhelmed.
Teach them about Proper Time Management
Time management is a vital skill both in school and in professional life. The ability to effectively manage time can help your child enjoy their hobbies and achieve their educational goals. Time management also allows students to concentrate on what is important and to prioritize activities properly. Proper time management may include properly planning a schedule, making a to-do list, prioritizing work, breaking down tasks into smaller components, setting goals and meeting deadlines, accept failure and lastly, identify time wasters and avoid them. Establish expectations about meeting their study goals and finishing homework. Besides schoolwork, ensure that they pursue their hobbies and are physically, emotionally, and mentally fit.
Embrace their Interests
While time management is crucial, you should not brush off your child’s interests. Interesting activities help children to thrive socially and be creative. Engaging in interesting activities also helps in stress reduction. Research shows that too many after-school activities can make your child anxious, especially when the schedules are overwhelming. If your child is taking too many school activities and after-school clubs, help them identify one or two and let go of the others. While they may develop interests in many things, they can determine what they enjoy the most before shifting to another attraction. When your child seems tired or overwhelmed, you can give them a break to focus on their hobbies. Such breaks refresh and make students more energized, hence improving their understanding and performance in the classroom.
Schedule Regular, Short, Fun and Engaging Tutoring Sessions
If your child requires after-school tutoring, it means that they will need more instructional time besides the normal learning hours in a regular classroom. Tutoring can add more workload to your child if not well planned. Ensure that the sessions are frequent, short, and maximize on one-on-one instructions. Besides personalizing, your child’s tutoring sessions are best when done in an engaging and fun environment; They should involve enjoyable activities such as art and music. The tutor should also encourage your child to ask questions, share opinions and own ideas as a way of improving engagement and interaction. Application of games and quizzes can also make tutoring sessions enjoyable and refreshing hence separating your child’s school and home experiences.
Help them to maintain a Healthy Lifestyle.
Ever heard of the saying, “all work without play makes Jack a dull boy”? Most of the time, parents are so focused on seeing their children excel in their education that they forget that their children should also maintain a healthy lifestyle. Their emotional and physical health plays a great role in their academic and personal life. Your child requires time to engage in outdoor games and activities. Besides physical exercises, you can improve your child’s wellbeing by planning time for them to enjoy with family and friends. It would be best if you also encouraged them to sleep on time and eat healthy meals to maintain a life balance and healthy lifestyle.
Help Them Set Realistic Aspirations
Sometimes children are so determined to excel in their education that they set unrealistic goals. Too high goals and expectations can be harmful, overwhelming and deny them a chance to live a balanced and happy life. Unrealistic goals can also lead to obsessive-compulsive behavior, low self-esteem, depression, and guilt, among others. It would help if you let your child realize that they can be high achievers without being perfectionists. Please help them to set high but achievable goals that do not prevent them from living all-rounded lives. Importantly, encourage your child to enjoy the learning process rather than just the results.
What’s More?
School-life balance is important for best academic functioning. Your child should not prioritize academics over personal factors. At Kids on the Yard, we apply a 21st-century approach that goes beyond the classroom. Contact us if you would like our support in managing your children’s time in school and beyond.
