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Wishing for a Great Monday Morning After Vacation? Here's How!
By far, the holidays are some of the busiest days of the year for most families. There are family members to visit, shopping to do, cooking and cleaning galore to get accomplished, and so much more! Often there are many more places to go and things to do than you have time to complete everything! So, whether it is after a holiday break, or any other school vacation, exhaustion is usually part of the end-of-vacation routine for many families. With everything that goes on, it is only natural that many of the daily routines you have established in your household become disrupted- and that often includes children's schedules as well.
Having established routines is important for your children. Having homework times, regular sleep and waking times, and family meals all allow children to have a certain amount of predictability and comfort in their lives. When these schedules are disrupted, even for great activities, all children will, in time, become restless and "out of sorts". Many times, by the end of their vacation you may find yourself battling with your child more than you regularly do, and this may continue well into their return to school after a vacation or holiday break.
Jennifer Cummings, has a B.A.in psychology, and a M.Ed. in special education from Framingham State College in Massachusetts. She has been an elementary teacher in Massachusetts for almost 10 years, serving both regular education and special education students. She has taught grades 1,4, and 5.
"I believe that families' involvement in their child's education is one of the key ingredients to creating a successful school experience for children. Keeping parents informed about school-related issues helps parents and teachers work together for the best possible outcomes for their children. Learning together makes learning fun - for everyone!" - Jennifer Cummings. Contact her at A Note from the Teacher .
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If you have any school-related questions, please e-mail us and we may answer your question in a future column!A Note from the Teacher
There are ways to combat the effects of schedule chaos, which will help you enjoy the vacation time more and will make returning to everyday life much easier. First, try to keep children's bedtimes as close to normal as often as you can. When children become chronically tired, they will become crankier than usual. Also, try writing down a weekly schedule of activities that are planned for your family; be sure to include any school projects or homework that must be completed, so that you are not up until midnight the night before school starts completing it all at once. Finally, two or three days before school begins, try going back to a regular school schedule with your kids. Have them go to bed at "school time" and wake up as they would for school. This will help them readjust their own internal clocks, making the "Monday back to school" routine much easier for you and them.
Everyone agrees, the times around the holidays are some of the most wonderful days of the year, and vacations are great opportunities to do unique things together as a family. By planning ahead, you can help to be sure that the ending of your vacation is as terrific as the beginning was!
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