Summertime is always the perfect opportunity for you as a parent to prepare for the upcoming school year. Generally people are more relaxed and have time to think through choices and options for the fall. While this includes school, program and activity registrations and buying new clothes and uniforms, this is also an excellent chance to create your family vision for a successful and enjoyable school year.
Careful and thoughtful planning will result in your and your family’s success during the upcoming school year. Please take the time to answer these questions and thoughts when planning for your year ahead.
1. How will this coming year be different for your family and you from previous ones?
2. You will determine and set specific goals for the year to come for each of your children, for yourself and for your family as a whole (These goals can be social, professional, financial, personal growth etc…)
3. Any specific challenges which may derail you or your family from a smooth course of daily life; for example logistics, academic or social challenges for the kids as well as behavioural and character induced ones.
4. How your family rules, expectations and consequence chart will look for the next year, and how you will assist your children in following it thus avoiding any behavioural issues.
5. What your family schedule and your personal one will look like? What is the stress level it induces from 1 to 10 (10 being extremely stressful) and how you can reduce it?
6. What your support plan looks like: How you will ask for and enlist assistance from relatives, friends and/or professional caregivers in order to facilitate achieving your family goals.
Have a great new school and parenting year!
