After Back-To-School Excitement is Gone, What’s Next?

Sep 29, 2021 • Back to School

We put a lot of focus on the back-to-school season. The transition from summer fun to school-year learning can be an important and exciting time for students! But, what happens when the excitement wears off?

After the first month of school is over and back-to-school jitters are gone, your family is back into a daily routine. If not, this is the perfect time to implement one! Habits that students develop at the start of the year can be hard to break; it’s essential to create good school habits and routines as early as possible. When kids are left to figure school out by themselves, last year’s struggles and bad habits can re-appear.

Trouble Ahead: Watch for the Signs

Your child will show signs that the school year isn’t going so great. Some things to look out for include:

• Shifts in sleep schedule, i.e., oversleeping or not getting enough sleep

• Too much screen time 
• Eating unbalanced meals or skipping them altogether 
• Procrastination
• Disorganization
• Frustration & stress levels

Discover everything you need to know about back-to-school.

Maintain Momentum After Back-to-School Season Is Over.

Helping your child stay motivated and maintaining the back-to-school momentum for the whole year is a tough job. We’ve got some tips to help you out!

1. Don’t wait for report cards—check in often! While report cards are the formal account of academic progress, they are only one part of the overall academic engagement process for parents, students, and teachers. Parents can gather a relatively accurate idea of their child’s academic standing for this grade combined with parent-teacher conferences, previous report cards, projects, tests, and assignments, and active ongoing dialogue about school throughout the year.
2. Create goals and set milestones monthly. Celebrate meeting those goals with mini-rewards. Goal-setting around academics sets milestones and gives your child something to anticipate. It’s also a great way to get the whole family involved. Kids do best when they have an example; when they see you achieving an ambitious goal, they will learn how to set goals and strive to achieve them, which is a skill that will be valuable throughout their life.
3. Do homework, even when there is none. Homework is inevitable; the sooner students learn good homework habits, the less of a struggle they’ll face. Do homework at the same time every night, even if none was assigned. This is an excellent foundation for establishing an after-school routine. Review the day’s lessons, quiz yourself on last week’s work, or read ahead to next week’s lesson.
4. Find organizational tools that work best with your child. Agendas are the number-one school organizational tool. Students should be writing homework, assignments, and to-do lists in their agendas every day. Colour-coded binders and notes can help when it’s time to study.

Let Us Help with Back to School Habits

At Oxford Learning, we know that motivation is key to school success! We help students find what motivates them so they are on track and looking ahead to success down the road. Our tutoring programs provide your child with a customized learning plan, learning strategies to implement in school, study and organization tips, improved school habits, and more! One of the best ways to maintain excitement for the entire school year is with a tutoring program at an Oxford Learning near you.