Here we are again, back into the second month of school and the leisure time of the hot fun summer has passed. Although the memories linger in tanned feet and waterslide splashes, homework, school, friend relationships, and the load on the body and mind can become intense quickly. For some, young children, and teenagers alike, these feelings can become overwhelming and coping strategies are required to re-adjust and learn to regulate these new and often encumbering circumstances. Likewise, as parents we must learn to navigate this parenting challenge. Some of the following strategies may aid in making the transitions through the school-life challenges.

1. Your child will not develop intrinsic motivation they need to succeed in life if you keep trying to control their learning and stressing them out.

2. Find out if there’s anything you can help them with. Do they need your help in removing distractions, time management, organization, etc.? Offer help and accept it if they refuse. They need to be in the driver’s seat of their future.

3. Finding enough hours in the day to ensure a proper amount of sleep for your growing child is crucial for their mood, attentiveness in the classroom, and overall wellness. In order to keep those afternoon grumpies at bay, make sure children and teens get good sleep each night. Adequate sleep contributes to a student’s overall health and well-being. Students should get the proper amount of sleep at night to help stay focused, improve concentration, and improve academic performance.

4. Some children do not cope well with anxiety and stress because they simply do not know how. Explaining to children and teens alike, that we must prioritize our concerns. Encourage your child to re-direct attention away from the worries, and towards the positives. Ask your child what the best part of their day was, most kids can think of something good, even if it’s going to gym or playing outside at recess. Chances are the fun aspects are simply getting overlooked by repetitive worries. Turning the focus from worry to fun and happiness may make a difference!