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Springtime Motivation
by Patti Hermes
Who needs some motivation? Outside the weather is fine, and summer vacation is just a few weeks away. Can you blame the kids for counting the days, planning their prom and Sr Week activities and outfits, or just plain staring out the window at the most beautiful playground right outside? For the record, every playground is the most beautiful playground when you're stuck in school on a warm, sunny afternoon.
Besides the beautiful weather distracting us from our studies, there's also the endless array of "end of the year events". The proms, graduations, dance recitals, band concerts and the beginning of baseball season and spring soccer are all clamoring for our attention. Even homeschoolers tend to overfill our schedules when it comes to spring, with the same band concerts and dance recitals and baseball games as everybody else. Add to that squeezing in some last minute field trips while trying to get to the end of the math workbook before summer activities take over completely.
Here in the Midwest, we tend to treat every sunny day as if it were our last. It takes several weeks of blistering heat before we forget about the deep freeze of winter, so it's the warm sun that is both our friend and foe in the final weeks of the school year. I've been successful in drawing the blinds and drawing attention to videos on the internet, followed by discussion. My boys would rather save the reading for the evening, after some vigorous outside play with their friends in the neighborhood. The more physical movement they get during the day, the better able to concentrate in the evenings, and they sleep better too. All it takes is the sun and the freedom of an open door and they're off.
As a homeschool mom, I have that flexibility. But lots of families can squeeze in physical activity into their days, before breakfast, getting up a few minutes earlier and running around outside, and immediately after school. Homework can wait, they'll be better able to sit after running around. In fact, get together with other parents and try to get your child's school to slash homework requirements, especially for the younger students. And while you're at it, suggest their teachers implement some additional outdoor time, as well. And when playmates are in short supply, join in the fun and get some exercise yourself. You're never too old to play catch, whether it's a baseball or a Frisbee or a great big plastic ball from the discount store.
We've all heard the line about all work and no play makes a person pretty dull. Well, there's definitely some truth to that. There is growing evidence that active play stimulates the brain, resulting in better academic performance. If it's good for schoolchildren, then it must be good for us all. And the family that plays together, well, plays together! So before that beautiful sunshine makes us all too hot to really move, springtime is the perfect time to add more play to our days. And a little motivation to get us through the rest of the academic year successfully.
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| Patti Hermes is a freelance writer and columnist, specializing in family and parenting subjects and works for children, as well as essays and a blog, Writes For Chocolate. She works at home where she referees two spirited little boys and occasionally their father. Originally from Massachusetts, she and her husband of eighteen years are now raising their happy family in the Midwest. To read more visit her on the web at
http://writesforchocolate.blogspot.com
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