Making the most out of your child's school years

01 September 2014

Every parent wants to make the most of their child’s school years, but we know this is of particular interest to the families we work with at AEIOU.

In July, we hosted a workshop with our Alumni group, where AEIOU’s Senior Occupational Therapist, Cheryl Kotzur, shared strategies to help families support their children both in the classroom, and in the playground.

For Cheryl, the key is in establishing positive partnerships with teachers at your child’s school and helping children develop a sense of identity.

When it comes to creating positive partnerships with your child’s teacher, try to advocate for your child while also supporting the teaching team. Parents and teachers share the same vision - you both want your child to thrive, but you might have different views on how to achieve your goals.

We’ve said it before in our blog post about behaviour, but consider the essential things a teacher needs to know about your child. Be specific, and keep the list short, for example, to a top five.

Part of your role as a parent is to educate teachers about potential behaviours, and offer solutions at the same time. Why is scheduling important? What resources and visuals can help?
Create resources that will be easy for the teacher to implement, and think about how they can also be used for other children in the class.

Communication is essential. Find what works best for you and your child’s teacher, whether that’s email, phone or meetings in person. Some parents consider volunteering time to help in the classroom, although this doesn’t work for everybody, and can present other challenges. Helping at class outings can benefit, and the best tip is to remember that if you do have a concern, share it with your child’s teacher, remembering to focus on key priorities, and approaching issues positively and proactively.

But what happens outside the structured learning times in the classroom?

Every parent concerns themselves with their child’s diet, especially children with special requirements or food aversions.

After Prep, there’s less attention given to how much your child is eating at school. Ensure packages and lunch boxes are easy for your child to open (some parents snip bags open, or transfer foods to snap lock or sandwich bags). Encourage your child to eat protein rich food for breakfast or snacks, with foods that release energy slowly. Also, capitalise on tuckshop day, sausage sizzles, and more.

Beyond the essentials of lunch time, what about unstructured play?

If your child dreads their long lunch break, it can be helpful to provide them with some skills to manage this unstructured time.

Cheryl’s advice is to:

Do some homework – what’s on at school? (check the website, school newsletter, emails)
- Do you know what your child does at lunch? It’s a good time to find out!
- Tell them how long the break is, and help them develop some interests to participate in during this time.
- What does your child need in their day?
  - Do they need a break to burn off some energy, or some time out in the library?
  - What’s the geographical layout of the school?
    - Is there visible teacher support? Lots of students? Spaces for quiet time? Is the playground close to the classroom?
    - Look at the specific playground equipment, undercover areas, and the school oval

You can use the lunch break to help your child navigate social challenges. This is your opportunity to support, especially as your child ages and their language develops. You can guide your child by teaching them:

Social skills – how to approach “will you play with me?”, taking turns, handling unfair scenarios, how to exit when the bell goes
Physical skills – teach the rules of schoolyard handball, basketball, soccer, and cricket
Problem solving skills – set up some visuals to discuss “what if...”

Establishing meaningful roles

Whether we realise it or not, much of our identity comes from what we do – for example, “I’m a mother, an occupational therapist, a movie buff, a football fanatic..” these are all examples and expressions of identity that merge from activities and interests we grow to love, and roles we assume.

So, the school yard is the opportunity to foster a sense of identity for your children. Encourage your child to participate in activities that may interest them, with a few examples including:

Chess
Cross country
Swimming
Library time – interest groups

Fostering friendships is important, too. How can you do that?

First off, stay in touch with your friends from AEIOU!
At school, help your child with great show and tell items. Other ideas include:
Find out who they like at school
- Setting up a play date – start simple to ensure success.
- For example, go to the movies, a low key activity that has a start, a finish and takes place over a limited time.
- Host great birthday parties

There will always be schoolyard tussles. All parents worry about the below examples. Here, we’ve teamed the up with some potential solutions or another way of considering these experiences:

If your child feels they’re being treated unfairly by another child or children, this can and should be addressed by school policy

- Try to ensure your child has a social outlet outside of school – whether they participate in an interest group, or have friends or family members their own age they enjoy sharing time with
- Misunderstandings –these can be minimised with regular contact with teachers, and encouraging your child’s teacher to support your child in these situations
- Fights – While they’re not pleasant, they can present an opportunity for ‘natural consequences’ to take effect, and a chance to discuss this with your child – for example, through conversation or role play, considering what could you do differently
- Anxieties – We all have a natural fight or flight response – learn to manage, learn to anticipate and avoid issues, and ensure your response isn’t adding to the stress

Always remember, that you can draw on the skills you learned at AEIOU. And no matter how old your child is, and even if they have developed great verbal skills, the below tips are helpful!

Use visual supports