Help Your Kids Get Ready For School

Students are getting ready to go back to school. Click in this story for some tips that may help your kids!

Sunday, August 10th 2008, 9:44 am

By: News On 6

Students are getting ready to go back to school. Here are some tips that may help your kids. Tips are provided by Robin Gurwitch, Ph.D., a child psychologist at the OU Physicians Child Study Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City.

Adequate Sleep = Success in School

Back to school means back to those early-to-bed and early-to-rise schedules. It's not always an easy transition for children. However, sleep experts at the OU Medical Center stress the importance of getting back into a routine as soon as possible to help ensure your child is getting adequate sleep. Here are some key facts about kids and sleep to keep in mind:

Children, especially teenagers, need about nine hours of sleep per night;

Adequate sleep helps ensure better academic and athletic performance, greater concentration and enhances a child's ability to handle stress;

Maintaining the same sleep schedule during the week and on weekends is best;

Lack of sleep is dangerous in young drivers. Half of all drowsy driving accidents occur in young adults age 25 and younger;

Lack of sleep also can result in increased health problems.

Help Your Child Live with Less Stress this School Year

Blowing bubbles may seem like unconventional treatment, but Robin Gurwitch, Ph.D., says it may be a good way to teach children about relieving stress. Below are some tips for a less stressful school year for your child.

Don't fill up every minute of every day; allow the child to have time to be a child;

Aim to spend time together as a family each day;

Try to maintain regular sleep and meal time schedules;

Blow bubbles. It may sound like child's play, but blowing bubbles teaches children how to breathe slowly and evenly. This can help reduce feelings of anxiety during times of stress.

Mind Your Child's Schedule This School Year

Do you find yourself running in a thousand different directions, trying to get your child from activity to activity? It's not good for your psyche or your child's either. Experts at the OU Physicians Child Study Center say activities are an important part of childhood. However, they emphasize children also need "down time" amidst their many activities to help protect from physical and emotional overload. Here are some benefits of providing adequate unstructured time.

Children learn how to occupy their own time;

It allows for creativity, imagination and self-entertainment;

It may lessen existing health issues such as asthma;

It can reduce stress, which may deter mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders and substance abuse.

Ready for Kindergarten?

Kindergarten is an exciting step for children if they're ready. So how does a parent know if his or her child is truly ready to head off to school for the first time? Robin Gurwitch, Ph.D., says there are many ways to determine if your child is ready for kindergarten. Here are a few guideposts for children:

Academically:
Able to say their ABCs
Know their colors
Able to count to 20

Self-help skills:
Able to go to the bathroom by themselves
Eat from a plate and drink from a cup
Hold crayons and pencils
Cut with scissors

Emotional and social skills:
Sit and listen to a story
Plays well with other children
Does well working in a group
Shares with others