Do your children have everything they need for back to school #1

Do your children have everything they need for back to school? 

Going back to school means shopping for new clothes, maybe a backpack, school supplies and more.  However, preparing your child for September may take more preparation than a visit to the store.  Here are some of our top “Back to School” suggestions to keep your children healthy and safe. 

Teach your child the importance of exercise.  Getting sufficient exercise enhances mental function.  Moderately intense exercise increases your energy, stimulates a good mood, reduces anxiety and releases a chemical that rewires your brain to make better memory circuits.  It has to be a regular occurrence to maintain healthy brain function. 

Teach your children to get enough sleep.  We tell students about the importance of a restful night of sleep in order to have a strong body and strong mind. Muscles repair themselves when you are sleeping.  Many adults are sleep deprived too.  A good night's sleep will help enhance the learning and retention of the day's activities. 

Teach your children to eat a healthy breakfast.  Sending your child to school with fuel for the day is critical.  What would you feed your prize racehorse before sending them out to win a race?  Children who eat breakfast do better in school than children with an empty stomach.  Kids have different needs than adults when it comes time for cognitive work.  Between the constant stimulus of learning and the brain growing, children need more energy to function. 

Teach your children how to set a goal for excellence.  At Quest Martial Arts we say "We are a Black Belt school" using Black Belt as a metaphor for doing their best.  From the very first day a student enrolls we set the standard for high achievement and we expect to see improvements in class, at home and in school.  Our instructors always teach students that you don't need a Black Belt to have a Black Belt attitude, just try your best (although many children have not yet learned what their best is).  Give them some daily examples of excellence.    

Teach your children how to self-evaluate a performance.  A simple way to for kids to appraise their performance is to ask them to grade their effort on a scale of one to ten. One is stinky, rotten and not too good and level ten is a world class performance.  Which one do they want to be? 

The final lesson to get ready for school- (PPPPP)- perfect planning prevents poor performance. 

Master Mike Bogdanski has a Bachelor's degree in psychology and a Master's degree in school counseling.  He is a co-owner of Quest Martial Arts in Putnam with Master Kristin Duethorn, and are celebrating thirty years in business.