Is your child starting to feel overwhelmed as the end of the school year approaches?
Are they becoming more anxious surrounding school-related conversations?
Here are three tips to help them finish the school year strong!
1. Help your child figure out if they have any outstanding assignments before the school year ends.
You might be thinking, of course my child has finished all of their work, it’s almost the end of the year, right? Well, that may not be the case. Sometimes an assignment has been so overdue that it is forgotten about and your child may not even realize that they never turned it in! Encourage them to ask their teacher if they have any outstanding assignments that they are still able to turn in for credit. At the end of the day, a little bit of credit is better than no credit and now, there will be no surprises when they see their final grade.
2. Help your child stay organized.
Good organization at such a high stress time is key. Help your child test their executive functioning skills by making sure they are keeping their space organized. Not only will being organized help them feel as if they are on top of all of their assignments, but it will help prioritize which assignments need to be completed first. Often times, when students (and adults, alike!) feel overwhelmed, they do not know where to start! Post-its, bulleted lists, and agenda books could be considered as great ways to stay organized. Help your child obtain these materials and then assist them in going through which assignments need to be completed first. Assignments should be prioritized based on due date, length of assignment, and amount of time it will take to complete. This will help them to feel as if they can conquer the end of the year and be ahead of all their assignments.
3. Help your child see their previous accomplishments.
During very high stress times, students often focus on what they are not able to do and find it hard to remember what they have already accomplished throughout the school year. EMPOWER them and help them see all the things they have achieved. Studies have shown that during periods of high stress, people often have trouble seeing past accomplishments and only direct their attention towards potential failures. Laying out all of your child’s past accomplishments (such as good grades from the fall, a sports championship, or obtaining their drivers license) will help them see that even during stressful times, they have been able to accomplish many things. Leaving the school year feeling empowered will help set your child up for a successful summer and for the new school year in the fall.