Five Tips for Helping Kids Remain Positive About School During Winter
1) Stay Strong Spiritually
One of the best ways to stay strong emotionally is to stay strong spiritually! Just because it’s getting dark outside, that does not mean it has to grow dark inside.
Even though it might be easy during Winter to get discouraged by the rigors of testing and finals, this can never be a reason to grow lazy in seeking God. Only by seeking Him daily can we continue to draw close to God, allowing Him to bring us cheer among our struggles (Psalm 94:19).
2) Take Breaks when Needed
Studies show that students study better when they have regularly scheduled breaks. It makes sense; eventually, you’re bound to burn out when you’re constantly burning the candle from both ends.
To help your student fight against the weariness of Winter, together, come up with a plan for your student that pushes them to succeed but also does not allow them to be pushed too hard. This leads to our next suggestion.
3) Create a Solid Schedule
One way to stay on task during the winter season is by having a good schedule and sticking to it. As we said, make sure your student is involved in this process and is excited about the plan that you’ve made.
Once they realize that they don’t need to be only doing homework all the time, they might be able to get through it all a little bit easier.
4) Don’t Neglect Relationships
Even though it can be common during this season to self-isolate, especially during a time when self-isolation can become a legal mandate, it’s important that our students still maintain all of the significant relationships in their life. Preferably, it is best to meet in person, but at the very least, try to meet through a screen.
Just like how we have to put time and effort into our relationship with Jesus during these times, we have to do the same with our other relationships as well. Make sure these relationships do not get shoved to the side amidst the hustle and bustle of the end of the semester.
5) Be a Role Model of Positivity
At the end of the day, the way that you model positivity, spiritual maturity, and continued effort are going to be a large determiner in the way in which your student learns how to exhibit those same traits. If you want your student to stay positive throughout the winter season, you are probably going to have to be first willing to do so yourself.
What does this look like? Take joy in your environment. Talk with your student about their life and feelings and make sure they always know how proud you are of them.
Positivity can easily be passed along. As parents, we are the ones who are the most capable of giving the gift of a positive mindset to our children.
As we begin thinking of the type of attitudes and characteristics which we would like our students to have in the winter, we must first make sure we have those same attributes ourselves.
Here at Emmanuel Lutheran School, we understand how important it is for students to have healthy role models that they can trust and rely on, as well as how important it is to maintain high spirits, even during the Winter season.
That’s why our entire faculty has such a passion for both Jesus and for students. If you’re a parent within the western North Carolina region, and if you have some of the same passions we do, we would love for you to check out our website and would be happy to answer all of your questions regarding our school and our STEAM-based curriculum!
Contact Emmanuel Lutheran School for more information today!