Last Updated on Friday, 23 September 2011 17:41 Monday, 19 September 2011 13:39
Back to School: Helping Your Child Through Post-Holiday Fever
by Katrina Del Rosario
Diagnosis
It’s an easily recognizable scene: The sky is clear, the garlic rice smell especially crisp… your youngster is slumped over the table or his choice of expansive furniture. It looks as if his world just ended.
“But I don’t wanna go to school!”
“On the Floor” by N. Stjerna
This is the post-holiday fever. The cause: an abrupt halt to a noticeable absence of the need to go to school (e.g., the end of summer breaks, holidays, long weekends, and those confusing class cancellations due to rains). The symptoms: constant whining, groaning, complaining, and lethargy from your child. He may also appear vacant, procrastinating schoolwork, and hanging on to activities enjoyed during the no-school time which could be anything from playing videogames, endless web surfing, watching TV to playing hide-and-sick with your dog. Obviously if this keeps up, his grades will suffer.
Prevention and Cure
It has always been said that prevention is the best cure, and so far it is the most effective because it reduces the risks of trial and error by far more than when your child is in an actual sticky fix and a do-or-die situation.
You could have done well to avoid the pothole in the first place.
“Cars103” by Dubbeu
On Fear
“School has more bacteria than home! So I’ll just stay here.”
“Hide and Seek” by Chris Dodson
One of the reasons that children suffer post-holiday fever is fear—fear of change, fear of the unexpected, fear of bullies, and even fear of not making new friends. Fears vary from year to year and term to term, and are common for school children. But, what makes these fears even more pronounced is their contrast against the holidays. Truly, children would rather stay away from (i.e., by staying home) than make any step closer to (i.e., by going to school) those things that they fear.
Prevention: Talk to your child about it. It helps that he knows his mom and dad would listen and understand when he admits his fears. Conversations clarify things. When he talks to you about what he is afraid of, then you dear parent would know what the problem is and have a direct hand in helping him out. For example, if your child is afraid of going back to school because of bullies, you could talk to his teacher about this and work out a solution to the problem. Knowing your child’s fears and concerns in school beforehand will help you keep him from getting in trouble.
Prep Rally
“Mom this is embarrassing!”
“Pep Rally 60-SH” by Stephen Haas
You do not literally have to cheer them on with a full stadium and confetti. Put simply, a little dash of encouragement goes a long way. Get creative. Get them hyped up for school. And no, that does not mean boring them to death so that they would think going back to school is rescue; that would be like using a defibrillator on a bruise.
Take heed of what your child says he fears. Then, make a good start with his back-to-school prep rally by getting him involved with school even before going back in. Get him to know his schedules in advance, who his teachers will be, who his classmates will be, where he will be taking classes and the like. As with soldiers, being briefed about missions lessen the jitters significantly. When your child knows exactly what to expect, then there will be no unnecessary surprises, right?
Guiltless Consumerism
“Shopping!”
“Shopping” by ErlaGuðrún
Retail therapy doesn’t just work with adults: it works on children too. Go shopping for school supplies: replace that ratty old bag, get a sparkly ID lace, and buy notebooks with their favorite superheroes on them. It also helps when you let him pick out his own school supplies. It gets him motivated to study when the items that he uses are ones he picked out himself. Not only does it make him happy, it also gets him excited to get back to school. There is nothing like a fresh blank page and a nice pen in your favorite color to start a new adventure.
Remind, Remind, Remind
“Re-live the glory!”
“The Winner’s Cup” by Outreach America
Remind your child how great it is to be in school. Remind him of a high point when he had been in school, like that spelling bee he did so good at, that sport he qualified for, or that subject he aced last time. Remind him of the good times and that it can only get better from there.
Away With the Distractions!
“Look over there!”
“Distracted” by Wil C. Fry
This does not mean grounding anyone or chucking distracting things out the window! Talk to your child about distractions and how they can affect school in the long run. Meanwhile, you can also take away these distractions strategically without causing enmity with him. Get technology to work for you: point your child to awesome educational sites and channels (National Geographic is one among many). Children tend to get bored of old imagery, so introducing an old subject with stunning new imagery stimulates their minds, sparks a new interest in learning, and literally keeps them coming back for more.
References/Works Cited:
Dodson, Chris. “Hide and Seek.” Photograph. www.flickr.com. Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd., 24 December 2006. Web. 9 September 2011.
Dubbeu. “Cars103.” Photograph. www.flickr.com. Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd., 28 June 2009. Web. 9 September 2011.
ErlaGuðrún. “Shopping.” Photograph. www.flickr.com. Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd., 22 March 2006. Web. 9 September 2011.
Fry, Wil C. “Distracted.” Photograph. www.flickr.com. Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd., 21 October 2006. Web. 9 September 2011.
Haas, Stephen. “Pep Rally 60-SH.” Photograph. www.flickr.com. Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd., 20 October 2006. Web. 9 September 2011.
Lucas, Chero. “Going Back to School: 10 Tips to Motivate Kids.” www.education.com. Education.com Inc, n.d. Web. 9 September 2011.
Outreach America. “The Winner’s Cup.” Photograph. www.flickr.com. Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd., 24 July 2008. Web. 9 September 2011.
Rideout, Debbie. “10 Tips in Motivating Your Kids to Go Back to School.” Yahoo! Contributors Network. Yahoo Inc. 28 July 2009. Web. 9 September 2011.
Stjerna N. “On the Floor.” Photograph. www.flickr.com. Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd., 15 August 2008. Web. 9 September 2011.
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