Back to school!!!
Salaam Alaikum!
It is that time of the year, where families are preparing for “back to school”. Yes, summer is almost over! It is time for early mornings, packing lunches, ironing uniforms and hearing your child complain about waking up early and going to school. However, the crying and complaining is very short-lived and children end up loving school. Within a few weeks they get to play with their classmates, excel academically, and engage in various activities.
Soon parents get involved in their child’s school life, and they want to see their child get straight As, take part in extra-curricular activities and demonstrate excellent behaviour. However, often times in the process of getting children to become an “all star”, more attention is paid on the outcome of achieving higher grades and there is less focus on the methods that aid in enhancing a child’s performance. These are some fundamental aspects of a child’s life that act as fuel to enhance his or her progress both in and outside of the classroom. As a teacher, I have seen students struggle with concentration due to the following factors: lack of sleep, and inadequate nutrition and physical activity. Let us examine these contributors individually and how they affect a child’s ability to perform to their fullest potential.
Sleep
It is scientifically proven that in order for the brain and body to rest and re-energize, one needs to get approximately 8 hours of sleep. There are 5 stages of sleep and it is important that we go through each stage in order for the brain to rejuvenate for the next day. Lack of sleep can cause a child to feel irritated and tired, and be inattentive, and the child will not be able to take in a lot of information or retain it. This slowly begins to affect their performance in the classroom. Lack of sleep also reduces their energy level, leave them feeling tired and exhausted during gym time, when playing sport or simply during recess time. Therefore, it is very important that children get proper sleep during school days. Sleep allows the body to recover. Try to help your child avoid procrastination so that he or she is not up all night scrambling to complete an assignment.
Diet
From my experience as a teacher, I have witnessed first hand many students bringing “treats” to school that are high in sugar for snacks or for lunch. When I ask them why, they often say that they do not like veggies or that their parents did not have time to prepare lunch for them. However, for a child to perform to their fullest potential, it is important that their brain is well nourished. In order to ensure one is meeting their child’s nutritional needs, incorporate foods from all five-food groups. The five food groups are vegetables, fruits, protein, dairy, and grains. Lack of vitamins and minerals, can affect the body and brain causing lack of attention and fatigue. Ask your child what they like and try hiding vegetables that are least liked by your child in their meals by grinding them up or cutting them into tiny pieces. Reduce the intake of junk food with high sugar and salt levels such as cookies, cakes and chips. Remember – there is always a healthy available.
Routine
Many a times, especially if your child is in higher grades or needs extra help, we as parents tend to over work our child by tutoring them after school, giving them extra homework besides homework given by the teacher or we drill our children to sit and memorize the content in order to achieve higher grades. We forget that these children are kids and that they need to relax and be kids. We tend to over work their brains just so they can get straight A’s. A child’s brain only works for a certain period of time and after that anything you force upon them is a waste. In order for your child to progress and use their abilities to their fullest potential, create a routine and make them follow it. This routine should include homework time, reading time, and play time. Just like adults, children need to unwind and rest their body and brain before they can take on more workload. If you create a routine and get your child to follow it, it will allow them to better absorb and retain information and it also gives their body some time to reboot and get back in to work mode. Having a routine gets them used to a pattern and soon a child will know and act according to their routine with less parental reminder or interference. It is all about getting used to a routine.
Exercise
Television, computers, Wii and other electronic gadgets have become a norm in our children’s daily life. Children are rarely seen playing with their friends in the front yard. Children are not very interested in taking up a sport such as soccer, hockey, martial arts and much more. They prefer staying home and playing video games. For a child to be fit, exercising and staying fit is very important in order to the keep the mind and body active. One does not have to take up extra curricular activities to stay fit, but simply gong out for a long walk in your neighborhood on daily basis. Biking, playing soccer in your back yard, and jogging are a few examples of staying fit and healthy.
Remember, the above remains true for children attending school or if they are being home schooled. We want the best for our children academically but sometimes we push our children without realizing that other aspects of their daily life impacts their academic performance. For our children to progress both socially as well as academically, they need to be fit, well rested and well nourished.
I hope these pointers will serve as a reminder for all of us! The beginning of the school year is a great way to implement small changes that can make a big difference!
Fatema Abbas
Smile Editor
