When it comes to helping your child succeed in school, a lot of the tips that we typically turn towards are those that look at the school end of the equation. How you can be more involved as a parent, how you can ensure they’re engaging and learning, and so on. But a successful education is grounded in a well-rounded lifestyle, which includes taking a look at habits far from the classroom. Here are a few to keep in mind.
Sleep is huge
If there’s one factor that’s most important in how your child faces the school day, it’s how they sleep. If your child is staying up too late, then it’s time to address it, by setting a bedtime routine and following it each and every night to make sure that they’re down.
If they’re getting up in the night, then you might need to address issues with their sleep environment and quality, such as by making sure there are no distractions getting into the room while they’re lying down, or reading bedtime stories to keep them still and ensure they drift off.
Nutrition is vital
Just as important as getting them to sleep is making sure that they eat healthily and eat regularly. If they don’t have breakfast, their metabolism isn’t going to get the kickstart it needs, meaning they can get lethargic right at the start of the day.
Similarly, look at a few tips on how to improve school lunches so that you can make sure they maintain their energy levels. This is especially important to ensure that they’ve still got gas in the tank to complete their homework when they get home.
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Minding their mental health
Kids can, at times, seem indestructible, like they will get on with their day no matter what comes their way. However, that’s simply not always true. They can struggle with sadness, stress, anger, and even things like anxiety and depression a lot more than parents know.
Doing your best to enhance your child’s happiness and addressing any emotional or mental difficulties they are dealing with is crucial. Nothing is more of a distraction from school and education than having trouble dealing with our own thoughts and feelings, and their health and happiness should always come first.
Ensure they know how to switch off
Related to that last point, you want to make sure that your child is able to complete all of their schoolwork, but that once it’s time to relax and enjoy some downtime, they know how to switch off.
Having a hobby that you both engage in or as a family, can help them get out of the school headspace. Otherwise, feeling like academic expectations are always on them can lead to a lot of stress, and even young kids can burn out as a result.
It’s not easy to juggle all the plates involved in raising healthy, happy, and thriving children, but if you know what’s missing, it can be a little easier to try and fill those gaps.
