8 Ways To Help Your Kids Have A Great School Year

Today, social media is filled with countless back-to-school photos featuring children holding up signs of their new grades and striking cute poses. Their sweet smiles in pictures make us believe that school is their favorite place to be. But as moms, we know they will have struggles too.

Mastering tests, friendship drama, peer pressure and missing the comforts of home are just a few of the challenges they will face. Of course, it’s through the challenges that we grow and become the people we need to be — which is what I plan to tell my toddler one day (and myself too)!

We have to let our kids live their own lives and try not to be helicopter parents, but at the same time, why not help them experience a great school year too? After all, when they are happy, so are we.

Here are some thoughtful and non-overbearing ways to help make your child’s school year their best year yet:

1. Know What’s Happening

The best thing you can do is get involved in your child’s classes. Get their school-year calendar and find out what is happening through the weeks. In my kid’s 3-year-old program, they built volcanoes one day, so I made sure to talk about it when he got home. Of course, he didn’t have much to say, but I tried! For older kids, show up at sports games and help them with science projects. The more you get involved and root them on through the year, the better they will feel and do at school.

2. Join the PTA

You might not be the typical PTA mom or dad, but who cares! Mom Dawn Allcot suggests you get involved in the PTA/PTO/PTSA anyway. “Especially if you have younger children, their faces will light up when they see you at daytime/in-school events. Plus, this is one of the only times you get to see your children interact with their peers! It's a great perk and the teachers need your help as much as you and your children will benefit from your being there.”

3. Stay on Top of Homework

It’s a fact that many parents hate homework just as much as kids do. After a long day's work, the thought of doing algebra isn’t fun. At the same time, keeping track of your child’s homework and helping them through it will help your kids succeed in the classroom. A friend recently admitted to me that she had no idea her child was getting Cs in school, but now that she helps him with his homework, he’s up to Bs and he feels more confident and happy at school. We’ll take that!

4. Create a Home Work Station

Allcot has found that designating an area in your house just for homework is a great idea and will set kids up for success. She says, “It's amazing how the scramble to find a sharpened pencil can throw the whole evening off-track. Develop a homework station with all the supplies they need to get their homework done quickly.”

5. Ask the Right Questions

It can get frustrating when your child gets home from school and doesn’t tell you how his or her day went. Allcot suggests you ask specific questions instead of the typical, "How was your day?"

“Asking who they played with, what the best or worst moment was, what games they played in phys. ed., what they did at recess, funniest moment, etc. will yield better conversation! To me, the 'what they learned' can be viewed from their notebooks. I'd rather find out who they were nice to that day, who was nice to them, who isn't being so nice, etc. (Maybe I'm just a gossip? LOL )”

6. Stay Strong About Screens

Evidence shows too much screen time can increase dopamine levels in the brain and lead to obesity. Plus, in my humble mom opinion, it can make our kids a little nuts too, especially when you finally turn it off and they want more! In my latest digital detox experiment, I’ve noticed my kid is ultimately more at peace and happy without his screen fix, even if he doesn’t know it! Get kids out in nature and playing with no-tech toys for a better, mentally healthier year.

7. Be Around After School

This can be a tough one for most parents who work full-time, but take a hard look at your schedule anyway. Explore if there is any flexibility with your work so you can be home a little more. Can you work from home a few days or leave work any earlier? Can you take some extra vacation days this year so you can be around? It was recently published that the Netherlands has the world’s happiest kids. Why? Because parents have shorter work weeks and spend more time at home with their kids.

8. Set Good Intentions

If your kids are a bit older, set some good intentions together. What we believe, we can achieve! Mom Julie Lieberman Neale says, “My teen son and I now have an annual tradition of doing what I call a 'milestone hike' to reflect on last year and set intentions for the new school year.”

This year will be filled with good times and tough ones (my child just lost his favorite fox toy and he's been crying on and off for the last three hours). But with a little strength, support and preparedness mixed with a lot of love, our kids will make it through and come out stronger and smarter.

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