It’s easy for kids to have enthusiasm at the beginning of the school year – teachers and parents are often the most fired up at that point too. But somewhere between winter break and the end of the year, it’s not uncommon for students to slump. Energy wanes with the repeated routines, and sometimes even spring break isn’t enough to keep spirits high. Teachers do what they can, but parents can help out too. Keeping your kids fired up about learning will help them retain more of what they learn and encourage them to see education as a fun process. So here are some tips to keep you engaged and keep your kids energized.
1) Stay involved. If you haven’t been asking about what they’re learning, then do so. If you have, then change up how you do it. Tell them to teach you a lesson instead of just asking what they learned. Have siblings teach each other. Extend the learning beyond the classroom with library books, museum trips, or TV documentaries that relate to the units.
2) Change it up. If you’ve had the exact same homework routine all year and it seems to be stifling kids, then have them do more creative assignments in a different environment. Work in a local library, in a different room of the house, or at a different time of day. Break out a few new school supplies, or spend a little bit of time looking up hands-on ways to learn concepts.
3) Stay positive yourself. Kids will pick up on things adults complain about, so try not to look at school obligations as a drudgery to endure, but rather as opportunities for connecting with other families.
And remember, teachers are feeling the stretch too. Anything you can do to keep your kids happy about school will help them out too!
Bekah, a work-at-home-mom of two, blogs about saving money and time, meal ideas, freetime activities, eco-friendly living, and more at Motherhood Moment.