We have all had the morning rush trying to find backpacks and matching socks. Who has time to deal with that, and even more, who wants that kind of stress to start their day? If you haven’t experienced the shouting: “I can’t find my other shoe. Where is my jacket?” – you are probably one of the few.
Most families have had to deal with this kind of a morning, sometimes every morning. Try some tips to help minimize the morning stress.
Organize school clothes ahead of time. Try one week or even one day ahead. Hang pants and shirts together. Clip socks onto the hangers. Always put shoes and jackets away in the same place.
We made special hanger organizers one year with our kids. We took pieces of fleece (you could use any kind of fabric) and cut them to fit over the hangers. The kids used fabric paint to write one day of the week on each organizer. Then they picked out their clothes for the week and put the outfit on a hanger, and added the fabric organizer over the top. If you are good at sewing, you could add a pocket to the front of each organizer for socks and hair accessories.
You can also have your children lay out their clothes the night before. Have them decide what to wear and then have a special place that the clothes are placed, such as the top of the dresser or end of the bed. Make sure they have shoes and socks to go with the outfit.
Another way to avoid the last minute scramble is to get up earlier in the morning. Having more time to get ready can help when something is lost. Keep the television off until everything is done, and the morning will be much calmer.
Browsing Posts published in April, 2009
Some people have a fear of tests. For those of us that don’t, it seems hard to understand. Yet it’s important to be able to help your child if they have a fear or stress from taking tests. Without some way to control this, they will have a very difficult time in school and their grades will suffer.
Talk to your child about why tests are given and explain that they help the teacher to understand the things the child has learned. Ease their fears that it judges everything about their learning. Show them how other things they do in school also count towards their grade.
Make sure they know that you love them no matter what their test scores are. Let them know that there are more important things and that it isn’t such a big deal. Don’t downplay their fears but help them to know that it isn’t the worst thing.
Give them some practice tests to give them an idea of what tests they will be taking and teach them some techniques to calm down and decrease stress. Also, talk with their teacher for some ideas to help. It might be easier for them to test if they can work alone. It might be possible to allow them to talk their tests in the library while the other students are taking theirs in the classroom.
Their teacher might have other suggestions as well. It’s important to help your child alleviate their stress and fear of tests before it gets too bad. Unfortunately, taking tests is a big part of attending school, and it’s difficult to avoid. Give your child every chance to be successful in school.
