A house of happy thoughts

Have some fun with your children and at the same time reinforce positive thoughts that you are having about your child.

Children thrive on reassurance and combined with the element of surprise, they feel quite excited and anticipate what is next. It becomes a very pleasant game of reassurance. In a child's bedroom, for example, write little affirming messages and scatter them in different places - under the pillow could be a message, "you have such a great smile.” Perhaps in their kitchen mug the words "thanks for helping me today.”

The messages can be put in a variety of spaces around the house and of course can change to suit the occasion. A surprise note in the school lunch box or school bag is a wonderful warm and reassuring feeling for a child during the school day. The fact that there is a written statement about a positive aspect of the child, builds their sense of self worth and reminds them that they are valued. Some children may keep the notes and paste them in a book which is handy to read from time to time. Children will often write loving notes to parents and this is our way of doing the same.

I often bring a child into my office and together we guess where I have left my note! No surprises that they find it very fast!

When there are significant absences from school

Teachers often comment that when children are absent from school for a reasonable length of time, they can feel more vulnerable returning to class and fitting back into the classroom environment.

They sometimes feel that through their absence their relationship with the other children is more vulnerable and that socially engaging with them will be difficult.

 When a child is absent for a few weeks, it is a good idea to keep talking about school and if the child has been sick, I would encourage a few phone calls with friends to keep in touch.

If there has been an extended holiday which has caused the absence, consider the child writing emails or keeping in touch through whatever social media the school is using. This gives the child the sense that they are not so removed from their school and that dialogue with friends is alive and well.

In today's world of fast communication, it is not difficult to keep the conversation going between school and family.

Absences from school

What's in a school year?

There are four term in a school year.  

A teacher thinks and plans four terms, each with 10 or eleven weeks work. As parents you will soon get into a similar routine of planning around the four terms.

First term is all about establishment, building relationships, getting to know the children in class and establishing friendship groups. Some children are not great change agents and this can take a little time. For some children, it may take the whole term, especially if they bonded well with the previous teacher and class. Teachers are settling into routines and it is important that the parents understand how the teachers work. This way you can support your child best by talking about the teacher's style..

Term two, routines are well set up and expectations very clearly set. This is a time to ensure your child has established patterns of working at home and at school.

Term three is serious consolidation and by this time, teachers have a lot of data about their students where they set goals very specifically for each child. This is also winter time and it is not uncommon for children to have bouts of illness. Keep an eye on their health and make certain they get plenty of sleep around this time.

Term four is a happy one and a time to really deepen their connections with teachers and class. Towards the end of the year, anxiety can creep in with the prospect of change. This is a time to chat to them about the excitement of change and remind them how they settled into their current class. 

 Remember school is about routine and each term has its own character and purpose. 

How can you plan for the different school terms?