Parenting Tip on Helping Your Kid Cope With School Demands

My second born is now in Grade 1 and as I observed it, he’s having a hard time coping with the new schedule. He sleeps earlier and not as bubbly and playful as he was when he’s in pre-school. He’s no in school from 7 Am to 1:30 Pm, where as when he was in pre -school it’s only 3 hours of school. Another thing, in pre-school, they only tackle 2 subjects per day, now in grade school, they tackle all subjects everyday! Poor boy:(

I know some moms with a first grader can relate to my situation. So I have been thinking how I can make it easier for him and help him cope with the demands of longer school hours and more difficult subjects.

To start, feed your child well. Prepare a heavy breakfast so that they would have enough energy for the day. Also make sure that they have something to munch on during recess or break time. Make him feel more special by bringing his lunch. That’s how we do it here, as much as possible, I make it a point to bring his lunch to school so that he won’t feel being away from me that long.

Give your kid vitamins and other supplements. Being in school with other kids exposes him to different virus, specially that he’s now in school for a longer period of time. To make sure that he’s protected, I give him extra dose of his vitamins.

Do not force your kid to study more. For my grade 3, we spend an hour each day for studying (class then meryenda then tutor time with Mommy).. but for my Grade 1, I only give 30 minutes or less so that he’ll have more time to rest.

Let them watch TV or play for a while. As much as I don’t want them to watch TV or play a gadget, I realized it’s their way of relaxing. Now, I let watch TV for an hour a day (but still no gadget, that’s a Saturday treat!)

I guess in time, a few more weeks or so, my Grade 1 boy will be able to cope with the school demands and I want to make that few more weeks easier on him.

If you have a Grade 1 student, have you noticed the same?