After years of having the kids at home, it can be daunting to send them off for in-person learning. But there are many advantages to getting your kids back into the classroom. Whether you’ve been home-schooling this whole time or you you kept the kids at home due to the pandemic, we have some tips to help you readjust.

It’s Okay To Allow Your Kid To Return to School

While there are perks to online learning, like the flexibility to take classes and exams on your schedule and the ability to access all lecture notes and study guides through online portals, there are some things your kids miss when they don’t leave the house.

One of the biggest benefits of in-person learning for a growing child is the chance to interact with other students they’d never meet at home. It’s the only way they can build new relationships that could blossom as time goes on. The ability to talk with others and make friends is an incredible experience you can’t replicate at home.

Another benefit of attending in-person school is that children can also have more structure than they might have at home. That’s because they need to be in the same place at the same time every day, so they learn about expectations and they develop a sense of responsibility. Plus, even though you’re doing your best as a parent, your child can still get distracted at home by things like the television and their siblings. In a physical classroom, they may be able to focus more easily.

Finally, kids can get hands-on experience in classrooms and labs that they can’t get at home. Sometimes, touching and seeing things in real time can help your child to absorb the information.

Mentally Prepare For A Return to School

There’s also a mental health aspect to the argument of online versus in-person education, and parents need to be aware of the red flags of each situation.

The opportunity that kids get to learn in person with other students is incredibly beneficial because they avoid social isolation, which can contribute to anxiety. While it’s okay for kids to spend time at home, if it goes on for years, and they don’t meet new people, then they can become lonely. Those feelings can turn into anxiety and depression which can feed into social anxiety.

In-person learning can also be a challenge for some children, which is why it’s important to educate them about the potential for bullying and peer pressure. Teach them how to cope with or avoid these stressful situations. Teach them to talk to a teacher or come home and report to you if they’re bullied mentally or physically. Also, speak to them about peer pressure, present some hypothetical situations, and tell them how they can react to each.

Finally, teach them about the dangers of social media and how classmates may try to reach out on Facebook or Instagram and say unkind things. You can prevent negative situations by monitoring their web usage and enacting parental controls so they can’t be pressured to dangerous websites.

Preparing for In-Person Back-To-School

Once you’ve told your kids what to expect when they return to in-person learning and everyone’s on board, you need to choose the right school. Look at local schools and contact the administrators to learn more about the establishment and ask your questions, like how many students are in a class and the type of subject matter they teach. If you really want to know what your kids will experience daily, then ask if you can sit in and observe a class.

If you borrowed or rented electronics from an online school or an electronics store, then you’ll want to return computers, books, and whatever else you may have. Kids tend to put stickers and decorations on their belongings; if that’s the case, you’ll need to remove them. You can remove stickers from hard surfaces like a laptop with products you probably already have at home, like toothpaste. Do the following:

1. Apply a small amount to the sticker.
2. Rub it with a cloth.
3. Wait 10 minutes.
4. Scrape off the sticker with a razor.

You may also be able to follow the same steps with petroleum jelly.

The next step is to talk to your doctor and the school administrators about back-to-school vaccinations. In addition to the COVID-19 vaccination, they may also ask your child to get the flu vaccine and take other steps to ensure the safety and health of the other students. You’ll also want to ensure your kids have safe transportation to and from school.You may opt to drive your child to school and drop them off,  have them take a school bus, or arrange for carpooling with the other children.

If you’re apprehensive about bringing your kid back to a physical school then remember that the experience could do wonders for your child. Prepare them mentally and physically for the upcoming change, and they will thrive in the classroom.

About the Author
Katie Brenneman is a passionate writer specializing in education, mental health, family lifestyle and online safety. When she isn’t writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. You can follow her on Twitter.

Summer is a time for kids to relax, have fun, and explore new adventures. However, for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), the absence of routine and structure during the summer break can often lead to boredom and restlessness.

This is why it’s important to provide engaging activities that cater to a child’s unique needs and help channel their energy in a positive way. In this article, we will explore a range of exciting summer activities specifically designed to keep kids with ADHD entertained, engaged, and stimulated.

Table of Contents

1. Understanding ADHD
2. Importance of Engaging Summer Activities
3. Outdoor Adventures

• Hiking and Nature Walks
• Biking and Rollerblading
• Water Sports and Swimming

4. Summer Camps and Workshops

• ADHD-Focused Camps
• Skill-Building Workshops
• Nature and Adventure Camps

5. Creative Pursuits

• Arts and Crafts
• Music and Dance
• Theater and Drama

6. Sports and Physical Activities

• Team Sports
• Martial Arts
• Yoga and Mindfulness

7. Educational Excursions

• Science Museums
• Planetariums and Observatories
• Zoos and Aquariums

8. Technology-Based Activities

• Coding and Programming
• Virtual Reality Experiences
• Educational Apps and Games

9. Conclusion

Understanding ADHD

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects children and often continues into adulthood. It is characterized by symptoms such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, and difficulty sustaining attention. Children with ADHD often struggle with boredom and restlessness due to their need for constant stimulation and challenges.

Importance of Engaging Summer Activities

Engaging summer activities play a vital role in managing ADHD symptoms and helping children thrive during their break. By providing structured and stimulating experiences, parents and caregivers can help minimize boredom, improve focus, boost self-esteem, and enhance overall well-being.

Outdoor Adventures

Hiking and Nature Walks

Exploring the great outdoors through hiking and nature walks can provide children with ADHD a multi-sensory experience. They can observe the wonders of nature, engage in physical activity, and benefit from the calming effects of natural environments.

Biking and Rollerblading

Activities like biking and rollerblading combine physical exercise with an element of excitement. They help children burn off excess energy while improving coordination and balance. Safety precautions, such as helmets and protective gear, should always be prioritized.

Water Sports and Swimming

Water-based activities, such as swimming, surfing, or kayaking, are excellent choices for children with ADHD. The soothing nature of water can have a calming effect on their restless minds while providing opportunities for physical exertion and sensory exploration.

Summer Camps and Workshops

ADHD-Focused Camps

ADHD-focused camps, such as Camp Starfish, provide a supportive environment tailored to the needs of children with ADHD. These camps offer structured activities, behavior management strategies, and social skills training, ensuring a positive and inclusive experience for all participants.

Skill-Building Workshops

Skill-building workshops cater to the specific interests and talents of children with ADHD. These workshops focus on enhancing skills such as art, music, sports, or technology, allowing children to develop their abilities in a supportive and encouraging setting.

Nature and Adventure Camps

Nature and adventure camps offer an exciting blend of outdoor activities and educational experiences. Children with ADHD can engage in activities like hiking, camping, team building, and nature exploration, fostering a love for the outdoors and encouraging personal growth.

Creative Pursuits

Arts and Crafts

Engaging in arts and crafts activities allows children with ADHD to express their creativity while enhancing focus and fine motor skills. Painting, drawing, sculpting, and other crafts enable them to channel their energy into productive and enjoyable projects.

Music and Dance

Playing musical instruments or participating in dance classes can be highly beneficial for children with ADHD. Music and dance provide an outlet for self-expression, boost self-confidence, and improve concentration and coordination.

Theater and Drama

Engaging in theater and drama activities can help children with ADHD develop communication skills, self-discipline, and emotional regulation.

Participating in plays or drama workshops allows them to explore different roles, express emotions, and learn the importance of teamwork.

Sports and Physical Activities

Team Sports

Participating in team sports such as soccer, basketball, or baseball can provide children with ADHD an opportunity to develop social skills, improve coordination, and enhance self-esteem. Take advantage of summer basketball camps, for example, where they can learn new skills, have fun, and make friends in a supportive environment. Team sports also teach valuable lessons in sportsmanship and cooperation.

Martial Arts

Martial arts training offers a structured environment for children with ADHD to focus their energy while learning discipline, self-control, and self-defense techniques. It promotes mental and physical well-being, as well as instilling a sense of respect and perseverance.

Yoga and Mindfulness

Yoga and mindfulness practices can significantly benefit children with ADHD by promoting relaxation, self-awareness, and emotional regulation. These activities teach breathing techniques, stretching exercises, and mindfulness exercises, which help reduce impulsivity and improve attention span.

Educational Excursions

Science Museums

Visiting science museums provides children with interactive and educational experiences. Hands-on exhibits and demonstrations stimulate their curiosity, promote critical thinking, and ignite a passion for scientific discovery.

Planetariums and Observatories

Planetariums and observatories offer children a chance to explore the wonders of the universe. Observing celestial bodies, learning about astronomy, and experiencing planetarium shows can captivate their imagination and inspire a love for space science.

Zoos and Aquariums

Trips to zoos and aquariums provide children with ADHD an opportunity to learn about diverse animal species while observing them in their natural habitats. These visits foster a sense of empathy, environmental awareness, and curiosity about the natural world.

Technology-Based Activities

Coding and Programming

For children with a keen interest in technology, summer coding and programming activities can be both engaging and educational. Learning to code enhances problem-solving skills, logical thinking, and creativity, allowing them to develop valuable skills for the future.

Virtual Reality Experiences

Virtual reality (VR) experiences offer an immersive and interactive way for children with ADHD to explore various environments and scenarios. VR can be utilized for educational purposes, allowing children to learn while engaging their senses and maintaining focus.

Educational Apps and Games

There is a wide range of educational apps and games available that are specifically designed to improve attention, memory, and cognitive skills in children with ADHD. These apps combine learning and entertainment, providing an engaging and interactive learning experience.

Conclusion

Summer can be an enjoyable and enriching time for children with ADHD when provided with engaging activities. By incorporating outdoor adventures, creative pursuits, sports, educational excursions, technology-based activities, and summer camps, parents and caregivers can help beat boredom, channel energy constructively, and create memorable experiences that promote growth and development.

A frequent social media joke pokes fun at how people today blink their eyes in wonder when they finally step outside. Modern folks spend too much time on screens, and it’s children who suffer most of all from our changing lifestyle. All this technology hasn’t freed us — quite the opposite — and many kids grow up never encountering true wilderness.

The trend stops with your children. Here’s why kids need to play more outside and how to get them off their screens and into the wilderness. Even if this wilderness is you own back yard.

It Benefits Their Mental Health

There’s a mental health crisis in America, and the young are not immune. If anything, they’re hit harder than ever. One in six kids between the ages of 2 to 8 have a diagnosed mental or behavioral disorder, and diagnoses of concerns like anxiety and depression get more common as kids get older.

Studies show that spending 120 minutes in a natural setting each week — just two short hours — has significant mental health benefits.

Spending time outdoors benefits your child’s mental health in the following ways.

1. Develop Agency

Agency, a sense that your actions can create positive change, is crucial to mental health. Without it, your child might feel like external controls dictate their life, and they are powerless to influence the outcome.

Most of a child’s life is controlled by adults. However, free outdoor play lets them become anything they desire, if only in their imagination. They’re free to make up the rules to their games and do whatever their creativity drives them, creating a sense of agency along the way.

2. Relieve Stress

Kids aren’t immune to stress, which can impact their physiology much like adults. Multiple studies have shown a link between a traumatic childhood and increased chronic illness as adults. That’s because stress throws multiple body systems out of whack, including your nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular and digestive systems. Gazing at natural scenes can lower stress levels — immersing yourself is even better.

3. Ease Depression

Sunshine is a natural antidepressant. The next time your child feels down, go outside on a sunny day and take a brisk walk together — even for two to three minutes. You can both feel the boost.

It Improves Their Physical Hardiness

Physical fitness matters. It makes it easier to weather life’s storms and survive invariable mishaps. For example, you probably want your little one to learn to swim before taking off on a canoeing adventure, but physical fitness can help them in other scenarios, too.

Active, outdoor play improves physical agility and strength. It also combats the childhood obesity epidemic and creates a healthy love of exercise kids can carry for life.

It Teaches Them Real-Life Skills

Heading outside with your kids gives you the chance to pass on some skills or learn something new together. Whether you go to your own backyard, visit a community garden or travel to a playground, being in nature opens up plenty of learning opportunities.

Playing outside can teach your kids the skills they need to feel confident in their ability to thrive. Consider these activities:

• Gardening: Learning how to grow and preserve your own food is fabulous for developing agency. Younger kids can learn about plant life cycles and how a seed becomes a sprout then a plant.

• Building: Playing outside creates space for older children to learn carpentry, how to repair simple machines, or change oil and tires — life skills that matter. Younger kids can interact with blocks or sand outside to start developing these skills.

• Caring for nature: Time outdoors teaches kids how to live in harmony with nature and to use its resources respectfully. Whether you head out to your backyard oasis, or journey on the path and off the grass at your local park, you’re teaching your kids how to love our planet.

It Connects Them to What Really Matters

It’s easy to lose sight of what really matters in today’s world. Increasing work demands coupled with childcare leave many parents scrambling.

Spending time outdoors with your children creates space to nurture your relationship. You and your child can look back and fondly remember the time you took an entire afternoon to find cloud animals with them and pick buttercups at the playground.

You can’t put a price tag on human connection, but it makes up much of the glue that keeps us going through life’s challenges. Teach your children to cherish nature and time together by turning off the distracting gadgets and spending time outdoors to simply be.

Why Kids Need to Play Outside More

People today spend far too much time on screens. Children aren’t immune, and addiction to gadgets can stifle them developmentally and leave them at risk of mental health problems.

Consider these reasons kids need to play outside more and get yours off the screen and into the wild. Spend a few hours in nature together this weekend, and watch your moods improve and bond grow stronger!

About the Author
Ava Roman (she/her) is the Managing Editor of Revivalist, a women’s lifestyle magazine that empowers women to live their most authentic life. When Ava is not writing you’ll find her in a yoga class, advocating for her children or whipping up something delicious in the kitchen!

Parents are increasingly turning to tutoring to enhance their children’s academic journey and ensure they receive a quality education. With the assistance of a seasoned tutor, students gain a competitive edge and excel academically. Tutors do more than provide individualized instruction to enrich educational development, they also help with organization and study skills.

Tutors also take the pressure off parents to continually persuade their kids to focus on their studies. If you are contemplating the idea of hiring a tutor for your child’s learning needs, we’re provided this guide to explore why it can be a wise and beneficial decision.

Providing one-on-one support for your child

Every child possesses unique learning styles and individual needs.  This requires additional academic support beyond their regular classroom environment. If you’re in need of affordable JC math tuition, do some online research to find the right teacher for your child. Identifying the ideal tutor who matches their educational needs will ensure the make the most of the one-on-one attention your child will, tailored specifically for them.

Tutors are well-equipped to provide assistance across various subjects, including math, science, reading, and writing. They create a conducive space where your child can freely ask questions, practice their skills, and reinforce their understanding in a relaxed atmosphere.  By engaging in personalized instruction, your child gains confidence in their abilities and learns how to draw on their strengths and overcome their weaknesses.  All things combined lays a solid foundation for their academic success.

Answering any questions your child has

As a parent, you want to ensure that your child is getting the academic support necessary to succeed. That’s why tutors are often called upon to answer any questions students may have outside of the classroom. With one-on-one attention, your child can receive immediate feedback and clarification on areas that may be confusing.

Plus, tutors can provide additional resources and examples to help reinforce understanding. The best part is that tutors can do all of this in a timely manner, allowing your child to stay on track and confident in their abilities. With a tutor, your child can overcome challenges and achieve their academic goals.

Helping your child stay motivated and organized

Does your child struggle with staying on top of their assignments or lack motivation when it comes to studying? A tutor may be just what they need to get back on track. Tutors provide focused attention to identify areas of difficulty your child may be encountering. They work to develop a plan to improve.

Furthermore, tutors can also provide strategies for organization and time management to help your child stay on top of assignments and feel confident in their ability to succeed. With the help of a tutor, your child can stay motivated and focused on their studies, leading to academic success and a positive attitude toward learning.

Providing feedback to parents

Sometimes, it can be difficult to decipher what areas they’re doing well in and where they could use extra help. That’s where tutors come in. With their expertise, tutors can provide valuable feedback on your child’s performance and pinpoint areas they need more work on.

Additionally, tutors collaborate with your child to enhance their proficiency in challenging areas, nurturing their skills and knowledge. With the support of a tutor, you can provide your child with the guidance needed to excel academically, ensuring they stay on the path to success.

Finding a tutor for your child is an excellent decision that can help them excel in their studies and reach their educational goals. Tutors can provide a customized approach to learning that meets the specific needs of your child. This one-on-one focus helps make sure any questions are answered quickly and accurately, providing your child with more confidence in their academic abilities.

With the added support of a tutor, your child will have better organization skills, more motivation to learn and gain an improved understanding of the material. Ultimately, hiring a tutor will empower your child to reach new heights in academic performance without feeling the pressure to compete with other students in a classroom setting.  Any additional attention given by parents when helping their kids with homework is a bonus for your child’s success.