Smooth Back to School Rhythms
Part 1 - supporting your school-aged child
It’s officially back-to -school season. My Instagram and Facebook feeds are filled with photographs of kids in fresh uniform and brand new shoes. I’m personally keeping my fingers crossed that mine keep theirs scuff-free for at least one day.
But aside from the excitement - or dread - of the first day, one of the biggest changes in Autumn is getting back into a routine. After a long (and well deserved) summer break, your thoughts might have also turned to how you can support your child navigate both the academic and social and emotional side of school life.
As a former teacher and mother to three, I know exactly how hard it can be to juggle work, home-life and the expectations of school. Regardless of whether you home-school or your child attends the local school, there is no denying that school can take up a lot of our time. Aside from academics, there’s also meetings, community events and the occasional last-minute dash to complete a costume or project.
Supporting your School-Aged Child - a new series for September
As a former teacher, I also know the formula for success for supporting your school-aged child. So in this brand new series, I’m going to be sharing the information that really helps. Because your support at home genuinely makes a difference. According to the Education Endowment Foundation:
Parental engagement has a positive impact on average of 4 months’ additional progress.
Your support at home can help close attainment gaps but this isn’t done just by helping with homework tasks. There’s a whole range of factors that matter throughout a child’s school journey.
In this series, we’ll cover:
Establishing a simple weekly and daily school rhythm (this article)
Supporting academics
Supporting social and emotional needs
Organisation and Communication
What exactly is a rhythm?
Is it different from a routine? Why is it important?
A rhythm is simple flow to your days, weeks and months that you can stick to easily. It is not a strict timetable with set timings for activities.
Young children thrive when things are familiar and predictable. That’s why building a simple daily rhythm is so important if you want life at home to run smoother.
School Rhythms
Regardless of whether your child is starting school for the first time or not, there’s always an opportunity to start afresh with a simple school rhythm.
As a family of five people, our school days used to be slightly chaotic. Everyone needed to be somewhere different; we were often running late and I found it hard to keep track of what was happening when. That was until we introduced a family rhythm.
Our family rhythm helps us to navigate all elements of life - not just school - but if you are just getting started, creating simple weekly and daily school life rhythms can help make life run smoother.
A weekly and daily rhythm during the school term matters because it allows you to set the pace. It will help your child to feel supported, allow them to pursue non-academic activities and spend time with the family.
Weekly Rhythms During School Term
Weekly rhythms during the school term should ideally1 be a blend of academics, extra-curricular activities and family time.
Whilst I give guidelines throughout this article, it’s you that truly knows what you and your family can handle. One child might be exhausted after one extra—curricular activity, whereas another might be able to do several without getting tired.
Many activities both inside and outside of school tend to be dictated by school terms. Whilst this is convenient in many ways, it can feel overwhelming when suddenly everything starts up again.