November 2017 archive

27
Nov
2017

November 27-December 8

categories: Uncategorized

November 27-December 8

November 27  PTA Reflections Tea

November 29 Parent/ Teacher Conferences 5-7:30pm

November 30 Students 1/2 Day- Parent/Teacher Conferences 12:45-7:30pm

December 1 Preschool Picture Retakes

December 1 End of first Trimester

December 7 Secret Holiday Shop

December 7 Lindemann PTA Meeting 6pm

December 8 Secret Holiday Shop

December 8 Report Cards Come Home

How to Prevent Holiday Stress and Anxiety in Children

 child sleeping on sofa at Christmas - holiday stress in children

The holidays are a fun and joyous time but also a very busy one, and holiday stress and anxiety in children can and does happen. During the holidays, there are lots of fun activities and events going on, both at home and at school. And while that can be a good thing, the reality is that all that hustle and bustle means schedules are often out of whack, bedtimes get pushed back, and routines are disrupted.

As a result, it’s inevitable that kids may feel some degree of holiday stress.

Set a Calm Example

The most important way parents can help ease anxiety in children during the holidays is by trying to keep things relaxed as much as possible. As with so many situations, the way parents handle an issue can set the tone for how their kids will behave. If you let holiday stress get to you, your kids will definitely pick up on it, and child anxiety is more likely to be a problem in your house. To minimize anxiety in children during the holidays, take steps to handle your own stress and anxiety.

Set Up Conditions for Good Behavior

Avoid taking your child to places such as the mall or holiday gatherings when he is hungry or tired. It’s hard even for grown-ups to deal with noise and lots of stimulation when they’re not feeling their best; kids get hungry more often and become tired more easily, and may understandably have a tough time being on their best behavior and are more likely to experience holiday stress when they’re exhausted or hungry.

Remember the Importance of Routines

The holidays can throw a big wrench into household routines, and that can play a role in anxiety in children. To minimize holiday stress in your kids, try to get routines back on track once an event or party is over. For instance, if a school holiday concert or a church gathering goes past your child’s bedtime, try to stick to quiet, calm activities the next day and get your child to bed on time the next night.

Watch What They Are Eating

Another thing that can fall by the wayside amidst the holiday hubbub is healthy eating. Between all the extra sugary holiday snacks and the lack of time to sit down to regular meals, it can be all too easy for kids to eat less healthy foods, which can contribute to holiday stress and anxiety in children. Try packing healthy snacks when you have to go shopping or run other holiday errands and try to minimize the number of sweet treats at home. Whenever possible, offer healthy snacks, such as air-popped popcorn or apple slices with cheese and crackers and limit cookies and candy to after-snack treats.

Get Your Child Moving

Fresh air and exercise are essential for boosting mood and re-setting the spirit, which can alleviate holiday stress and anxiety in children. Make sure you schedule some time to get your child outside to run around and play.

Avoid Overscheduling

As tempting as it may be to accept every invitation from friends and family, try to limit your holiday parties and activities so that you and your child are not overwhelmed. A couple of events a week may be fine, but having an obligation every day can lead to holiday stress and anxiety in children.

Have Your Grade-Schooler Help You

Big kids love to help mom and dad, especially if they get lots of praise for being responsible and helpful.

If you have to shop, ask your child to help you look for an item at the store (fun stocking stuffers for cousins, for example). Giving your child a task will not only boost her self-esteem, it’ll distract her and help prevent any holiday stress and anxiety.

Schedule Some Quiet Time

Having some peace and quiet with your child is more important than ever during the busy holiday season. Find a quiet corner and read a book with your child or create holiday pictures for grandma and grandpa. Take a walk outside in nature, away from noise and crowds and obligations.

Remind Your Child and Yourself What the Holidays Are Really All About

A great antidote for holiday stress and the bloated commercialism of the season is helping others, whether it’s by shoveling an elderly neighbor’s sidewalk or by wrapping presents for needy kids at your local church.

Helping your grade-schooler become a charitable child will help alleviate her holiday stress and anxiety.

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03
Nov
2017

November 5- 21

categories: Uncategorized

Tuesday 11/7  No AM Preschool, PTA Skate Night

Wednesday 11/8 Parent/Teacher Conferences 5-7:30pm

Thursday 11/9  Half Day of School – Parent/Teacher Conferences until 7:30pm

Friday 11/10 Red Wings Assembly- Wear Red and White/ Observance of Veteran’s Day

Monday 11/13 School Board Meeting 7:30

Friday 11/17 Picture Re-take Day

Tuesday 11/21  Half Day- Thanksgiving Recess

Parent-Teacher Conference Checklists

Before the conference

  • Ask your child how she feels about school.
  • Ask your child if there is anything that he wants you to talk about with his teacher.
  • Tell your child that you and the teacher are meeting to help her.
  • Make a list of topics that you want to talk about with the teacher.
  • Prepare a list of questions such as:
  • 1. What are my child’s strongest and weakest subjects?
    2. Does my child hand homework in on time?
    3. Does my child participate in class?
    4. Does my child seem happy at school?
    5. What can I do at home to help?

During the conference

  • Be on time (or early) for the meeting.
  • End the meeting on time. Other parents will probably have a conference after yours.
  • Relax and be yourself.
  • Stay calm during the conference.
  • Ask the most important questions first.
  • If your child receives special services such as English classes, ask about your child’s progress in those classes.
  • Ask for explanations of anything you don’t understand
  • Ask your child’s teacher for ways that you can help your child at home.
  • Thank the teacher.

After the conference

  • Talk about the conference with your child.
  • Talk about the positive points, and be direct about problems.
  • Tell your child about any plans you and the teacher created.
  • Keep in touch with the teacher during the school year.

November 7           6:00-8:00pm

Lincoln Park Skating Center

1419 Southfield Road

Lincoln Park, MI 48146

 

Friday, November 17

Please return your picture packet on November 17th or if your child was absent on picture day, please pick up a form in the office.

 

Popcorn will be available for student purchase November 10th.  Bags will be 50 cents with a limit of 3 bags.  Pre Ordering will no longer be necessary, just send in the money the morning of November 10th.

Study: Too Many Structured Activities May Hinder Children’s Executive Functioning

By Ellen Wexler July 2, 2014

When children spend more time in structured activities, they get worse at working toward goals, making decisions, and regulating their behavior, according to a new study.

Instead, kids might learn more when they have the responsibility to decide for themselves what they’re going to do with their time. Psychologists at the University of Colorado and the University of Denver studied the schedules of 70 six-year olds, and they found that the kids who spent more time in less-structured activities had more highly-developed self-directed executive function.

unstructured-play.jpg

Self-directed executive function develops mostly during childhood, the researchers write, and it includes any mental processes that help us work toward achieving goals—like planning, decision making, manipulating information, switching between tasks, and inhibiting unwanted thoughts and feelings. It is an early indicator of school readiness and academic performance, according to previous research cited in the study, and it even predicts success into adulthood. Children with higher executive function will be healthier, wealthier, and more socially stable throughout their lives.

The researchers asked parents to record the activities of their six-year-olds for a week, and then they measured how much time each child spent in structured and less-structured activities. The researchers define structured activities as anything organized and supervised by adults—like music lessons or community service. For an activity to be less-structured, the child must be in charge of deciding what to do and figuring out how to do it. All forms of free play counted as less-structured activities.

The researchers conjecture that when children are in control of how they spend their time, they are able to get more practice working toward goals and figuring out what to do next. For instance, the researchers write, a child with a free afternoon ahead of her might decide to read a book. Once she’s finished, she might decide to draw a picture about the book, and then she’ll decide to show the drawing to her family. This child will learn more than another child who completes the same activities, but is given explicit instructions throughout the process.

At the end of the week, the researchers tested the children on skills like vocabulary and verbal fluency to measure their executive function. The more time the children spent in less-structured activities, the higher they scored.

“Structured time could slow the development of self-directed control, since adults in such scenarios can provide external cues and reminders about what should happen, and when,” the researchers write in the study.

The study is the first of its kind, and the researchers believe it’s relevant to debates parents are already having on blogs and at soccer games—but it’s also resonating with educators advocating the importance of free play in classrooms.

“The ability to self-direct can spell the difference between an independent student, who can be relied upon to get her work done while chaos reigns around her, and a dependent, aimless student,” former teacher Jessica Lahey writes in The Atlantic . “When we reduce the amount of free playtime in American preschools and kindergartens, our children stand to lose more than an opportunity to play house and cops and robbers.”

The researchers acknowledge that their study only proves correlation, but not causation. That is, it’s possible that children with better executive functioning may prefer to participate in less-structured activities more often, they write, while children with worse executive functioning may be more likely to seek out activities already structured for them.

“This isn’t perfect, but it’s a first step,” psychology and neuroscience professor Yuko Munakata, senior author of the study, said in a press release. “Our results are really suggestive and intriguing. Now we’ll see if it holds up as we push forward and try to get more information.”

Thanksgiving Recess begins Tuesday November 21st @ 11:30

 

 

 

 

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