Suwannee’s HEART

Helping Everyone Achieve Resilience and Thrive 

It’s that time of year again! Beginning with Thanksgiving week in November and stretching until students return to school in January after the holiday break, kids will be out of school for an extended time.  Although this time away from school is expected and anticipated, it can also be disruptive. Even though the daily routines and schedules of the school day are not happening during a break from school, maintaining structure is essential for our kids.  Everyone – kids and adults alike, function best with structure. When children know what to expect and have predictable routines, they are more successful in managing their moods and behavior.

As we enjoy this time of year together, consider the following tips to help keep time off structured and ease the transition back to school:

Keep Bedtime and Wake Up Time Routines

The amount of sleep children need stays the same whether it’s a school night, weekend, or holiday. Even if kids don’t have to get up in order to get to school on time, it’s still a good idea for them to keep their bedtime and wake up routines close to their school day schedule. One good way to get kids on board about keeping a close to normal school day schedule is to communicate clear expectations about bedtime and wake up time for them before the school break begins. Getting enough sleep helps your child regulate their attention, mood, memory, and behavior. Talk to your kids about the positive reasons for keeping routines in place –getting good rest as well as not sleeping too much will help them have energy and be able to have fun and enjoy the day. Optimal rest and awake time helps everyone be rested, calm, alert, and cheerful.

Physical Activity

Part of the regular school day includes PE, recess, and other opportunities for movement of various kinds. Engaging in physical activity plays an important role in kids’ ability to listen, pay attention, sleep well, and regulate their mood and behavior. Limiting time on electronic devices and incorporating physical activity during the day is key to your child’s physical and mental health. Participating in playing outside with your kids is also a great way to spend quality time with them and positively affect your own physical and mental health too!

Plan Ahead For Upcoming School Projects/Assignments

Older kids are likely to have homework, assignments, or school projects that need to be worked on during the break. You can help your child by discussing any work that they may need to begin or complete during their time off from school, along with due dates for upcoming assignments. Help your student plan when they can work on assignment(s) during the time they are away from school. Be sure to follow up by checking on progress, asking if your child needs help or supplies, and showing interest in their ideas and progress. Heading back to school organized and caught up will help students feel eager and ready to get back and get started. It will also minimize anxiety and stress about not being prepared or not having required work completed when school begins again. Starting off the second semester of school behind on school work is sure to give kids feelings of anxiety, stress, and being out of control. Instead, help your child feel a sense of accomplishment and eagerness to return to school, ready to take on the second half of the year!

Back to School Transition

Heading back to school after a long break can bring mixed feelings and sometimes stress. To help your kids get ready and cope with back to school anxiety or worries, focus on the positive things about returning to school – like seeing their teacher(s) and friends, getting started on the second half of the school year, and telling everyone at school about what they did during the holiday break. Also, helping your child get all their school supplies, book bag, and any school work that was  done over the break complete and ready to go for the return to school gives them a feeling of preparedness and control over the transition back to the school routine. An easy way to begin the transition from home to school for younger children is to have a visual countdown of the days until school starts by marking it off on a calendar daily to get kids ready for the back to the school transition.

While rules and routines during time away from school may seem a little restrictive, the payoff of consistency and predictability on your child’s mental and physical health and wellbeing is definitely worth the effort. It will also ensure that you and your kids enjoy the school break and time together to the fullest and create many fond memories together.

Have a wonderful holiday season! Wishing joy and peace to you and your children as we finish the first semester of the 2021-22 school year and looking forward to a productive and successful second semester when we return in January.

Deborah Godbold

Mental Health Counselor

Suwannee County School District