As adults, we tend to justify breaking routines in order to reward ourselves for early successes. For example, we set a goal to exercise, do it for three days, then stop to reward ourselves with ice-cream on the fourth day. Don't allow this fate to befall your children!
Millions of children are returning to school this month to learn skills that will make them productive and successful in the future. The skills learned at home to facilitate the learning process in school are extremely crucial.
A new school year warrants new routines at home in order to prepare children to adjust to new curriculum challenges and a new teacher. It is therefore important to establish a routine at home that will make your child's life easy at school and that will facilitate their experience with new and more difficult material. Several parents have already established a school day routine, and are in full swing implementing it. Kudos to these parents!
Initially, it will be difficult for your child to adjust to these new routines at home especially after a long and fun-filled summer. Naturally, you may see some resistance from them. Your response to this resistance may be to allow your child to break the routine, either as a reward for early successes, or a lack of follow through on your part. What ever the reason may be, don't break the routine! Stick with the original plan.
In order to teach your child discipline, you must first start by being persistent and consistent in implementing what you set out to accomplish. Your children are keen observers. They know when you've broken a routine and the first time you break it, you will have no reason not to break it again. They will let you know that you did it before and you must do it again. What argument will you have then?
So what school day routines have you established?
- Early bed time?
- TV off on school nights?
- Homework time?
- Study time?
- Play time?
- Dinner time?
- Time for chores?
Remember that a routine is not a single goal. It is a process that will enable you and your child to accomplish a bigger goal for your child in the long run.
I wish you and your children a wonderful back-to-school experience!
