Getting back into the school routine can be a shock to any child’s system, but lately I’ve been hearing more and more parents complaining about the morning alarm and wanting to know how they can equip themselves to cope with it.

I have two teens of my own, and we have spent decadent summer days waking up at noon and heading straight into lunch and then watching the Olympics way past midnight while munching on unhealthy snacks. Going off for a big fat Indian wedding only to return at midnight — the night before school begins — can be challenging.

The only thing that has kept me calm is experience — been there, done that. It’s about a week of feeling jet lag-like symptoms before settling into the predictable pattern of the school day.

This physical settling in can be disconcerting to begin with but is definitely not a cause of worry unless it extends beyond a couple of weeks. That’s when you might consider seeking professional help for your child in case he or she is suffering from any other cause that is hindering him from settling into school.

To help your child look forward to the new school year, the one defining activity that is often overlooked is goal-setting. However young or old your child is, it is a skill you can help him develop, and that will give him clarity and direction. Goal-setting need not apply to only doing well in academics. Goal-setting can also encompass your child’s physical, emotional and social well-being.

Take the recent Olympics, for example, each participant had a goal that they had been working towards for the past four years that made them wake up at 4am to run or swim or practice whichever sport they excelled in. They were so focused on the end goal that the gruelling daily practice only propelled them further. They were driven and motivated because they had goals that they were working towards.

So sit with your child and ask him what he thinks of the last year and what are the areas he wants to progress in. If he was playing cricket in his school team, would becoming the captain be a goal for him? Would he want to increase his social interactions by calling more friends over for play dates? If he did well in maths but wants to improve further, what grades would he aim for? Did he feel the need to improve his stamina so that he could participate in the 10k run? If he felt he could not focus while studying, what benchmark would he set for himself? If he is learning to play the piano, what is the next exam he needs to take?

Goal-setting would involve taking three to four areas of his life and setting up some clear end goals that motivate and excite your child and then creating a vision board out of them. Something that he could stick on the wall and visualise every single day, which would propel him towards success both academically and on the personal level.

Goal-setting is a skill that will help your child stay focused because by stating his goals he will be taking responsibility and ownership of achieving those aims. It will keep him motivated as he visualises the joy and sense of achievement he will feel when he reaches those goals.

 

— Sunaina Vohra is a certified Youth and Family Life Coach at Athena Life Coaching in Dubai. For more information log on to www.athenalifecoaching.com or call (+971) 56-1399033.