After Thanksgiving, there is a flurry of events at school. There are class parties during the day, and evening concerts and recitals during the week. And, sports tournaments and holiday parties with families and friends on the weekends. It’s a challenging schedule to keep while keeping up with homework, finishing projects, and reviewing for big “end-of-the-semester” tests. You may want to consider giving yourself and your child the gift of kindness when it comes to schoolwork.
This form of kindness is actively helping your child with schoolwork. If your child rarely needs help with schoolwork, he or she may only need a little assistance during this busy season. If your child tends to be anxious, has ADHD or other learning differences, he or she may need a lot of help from you to navigate these few weeks successfully.
Create a comprehensive family calendar that lists every family member’s schedule. If your child is studying for first semester finals, or any unit tests, this calendar will be the only way to know when your child will have time to study and when you will be available to help if needed.
A comprehensive calendar can also help you prepare when your child will be carving time out of an event or car ride to study or do homework. Will specific text books or notebooks be needed? Do you need to pack supplies to make flashcards or have portable chargers ready to keep a laptop running?
While it can be argued that organization and preparation is a student’s responsibility, it won’t hurt to be kind during the chaos of holiday events. In fact, your modeling proactive organization will teach your child your child how to become proactive and organized.
If your schedule prevents you from being able to help as much as needed, you may want to consider having a tutor come to your home. Sometimes that extra layer of support can be just what your child needs, and what helps you remain calm.
As busy as these days and weeks are, they won’t last long. Keep your eyes on the prize of winter vacation – a break from school schedules and (most) schoolwork. Stay kind, and have happy and healthy holidays.
Rachel Fisher
Executive Director
Franklin offers specialized academic tutoring, home school, test preparation, and educational therapy in Los Angeles and Orange County. Contact us for more info!