Is Your Student Ready to Go Back to School?

Your child is still enjoying a relaxing summer break, which is exactly what they should be doing. But in a few weeks, it will be time to start getting ready for back to school. Mindy Enkhbayar of the Lincoln Park Huntington Learning Center says that back-to-school preparation is key to students’ success. “Most children prefer the fun of summer to the structure of school, so a little preparation can go a long way toward easing stress and making them feel less overwhelmed about getting back into learning mode,” she says.

Enkhbayar offers a few back-to-school tips to help your child prepare academically, emotionally, and physically.

Tips to prepare academically:

Deal with lingering academic problems. Make sure your child is ready to succeed. That means addressing any issues that arose last school year. If your child struggled with low grades and high frustration, it’s not too late this summer to get them tutoring help from Huntington. Our programs provide personalized instruction that is designed to better understand your child’s academic difficulties and find a solution to successfully overcome their challenges. No matter your child’s struggles, Huntington can help your child get back on track before the first day of school.

Start working on the organizational system. For many students, organization is a challenge. Summer is a good time to revisit best practices on how to maintain a planner, binder system, and filing system (paper and digital).

Discuss the art of prioritization. Have your child refresh their memory on how to prioritize, using the example of homework. Generally, that involves dividing homework into categories: Due tomorrow, Due this week, Due next week or beyond. Ranking specific tasks from most to least challenging helps too. Prioritization is a key component of good time management.

Tips to prepare emotionally/socially

Talk through transitions. If your child is going to be a new middle or high school student, chances are they’re experiencing some back-to-school stress. You can ease their worries simply by talking about what to expect. Teachers will help them get up to speed with new expectations and you’ll be there for support at home.

Build your child’s confidence. Confidence comes from being prepared in school and understanding the material. Remind your child that staying on top of school and homework is the very best way to avoid school struggles. However, your child needs to realize that when a subject gets difficult, not all hope is lost. Make sure they are aware of what support systems are available to them.

Set the tone for positivity. You have a big influence on how your child talks and thinks about school. Make sure you are optimistic about the new year. Let your child know that new school years can be exciting, fun, and a fresh start filled with opportunity.
Tips to prepare physically

Restart the routine. For the first month or so of summer, many children want to catch up on sleep, socialize, play video games and relax. However, it’s good to start getting back into a routine in the 4-6 weeks before school resumes. Have your child incorporate some structure into their summer schedule, like daily exercise or daily reading.

Control the bedtime. For most children, especially teenagers, the school routine is a rude awakening compared to the laidback summer schedule of late nights and sleeping in. You can help their bodies and minds adjust by encouraging an earlier (screen-free) bedtime during the last couple of weeks of summer as well as an earlier wake-up time. For younger children, run-through what their morning routine will look like.

Whether your student is moving through elementary school or headed into their senior year of high school, helping them ease from summer into a new school year is beneficial. If your child’s concerns about returning to the classroom seem worse than ever, it’s important to get to the root of the issue. Your child might be afraid to struggle through another school year. Call Huntington at (773) 348-4444. They’ll conduct an academic evaluation to determine any trouble spots and learning gaps and then build a customized tutoring program to help them rebuild their skills and confidence.