School is in full swing!

"Mom, what day is it?" Its Thursday. "Oh....I don't go to school on Thursdays."--the kindergartener says the second week of school.

By now, everyone in our house is in school (even Dad...online psych class!). My kids always need some adjustment time. After doing this for several years, I think I have figured out most of the tricks of the trade on getting them adjusted.

Although they have all asked, I don't grant sick or personal days the first month of school (this year is the exception as my daughter was actually sick one day). They go, everyday, all day as much as possible.

Expect tantrums, naps, and ravenous hunger after school. They are exhausted when they get home, rightfully so. Our basic strategy is snack immediately and chill out time of their choosing (usually some TV). Maybe even some cuddling. I don't even ask too much about their day (we wait until diner)...just veg time.

Bedtime! Early bedtime! After dinner we might do something...play outside, walk, game, or a quick TV show (if nothing was watched earlier). But then it is bedtime. If they haven't dropped before dinner, by 730pm, the younger ones are drifting off. Don't want to sleep that early, read as much as you want in your bed (this usually amounts to 5-10mins).

As I am very busy as well the first few weeks of school, I try hard to plan dinners ahead so we can eat together and eat well. And have some good breakfast choices on hand for the mornings.

Its take some time but it will fall into rhythm.

What is the most important thing for young children to learn before kindergarten?

Social-emotional development!

I have no question in my mind about that answer. Social-emotional development, including recognition of emotions, coping skills, expression of emotions, empathy, compassion, and 'friend'-skills are the most important thing a child needs to learn before kindergarten.

Humans, in general, need these skills more than any other in order to survive. Solid social and emotion skills will help anyone be more successful in their careers and relationships. Think about that seemingly brilliant co-worker or family member of yours that has an IQ through the roof BUT you can't stand having a conversation with them. Or that family member who can't help you with the crossword but always knows the right thing to say when you are upset.

I have little doubt that my child will learn to read, write, and do math in elementary school. I am confident the fine kindergarten and first-grade teachers of the world will teach children letter recognition, phonetics, number placement, basic addition, the scientific process, and much more. If your child is already interested and knows some of these skills, that is great, but they are not necessary to enter kindergarten successfully.

What is necessary? Being able to navigate the social environment and make sense of it. Asking peers and teachers for what they need. Telling a parent or teacher when they are having difficulty with an academic concept or social situation. Being able to dress, feed, and toilet independently. Being able to learn the academics being presented even if emotionally they are upset. Seeking and giving comfort to those around you. Being able to calm down and focus their energy and attention to a teacher-directed task. Being able to make and maintain friends in their peer group. Learning to balance 'work' and 'fun'.

With my own children, academics has never really been a problem. Our issues always reside in the social-emotional realm. When my daughter first started elementary school, she never ate lunch because she would talk the whole time and then her friends would finish eating and leave for recess. Since there was not an adult sitting with her, urging her to eat, she had to learn to balance her conversation and eating as well as being emotionally ok with remaining at the table to finish while her friends left.

Recently, the now-seventh grader, saw a huge drop in her grades while she and her two best friends had a major falling out second quarter. She had a big challenging figuring out how to focus on her academics while she had to sit next to someone she was fighting with outside of class. This is a good example of how a child without the appropriate coping skills can hurt his academic development. If a child cannot cope with an intense emotion or situation, they cannot learn the information being presented to them. This includes recognizing the emotion or problem as well as finding or asking for help to resolve it.

We, as parents and educators, need to fill the social-emotional toolbox for our children so they can fill up the academic toolbox on their own.

School Days

So, its official...school is on!

Our 11yo just loves middle school. She finally got her locker combination down...memorized her lunch code...met all her teachers...made some new friends. Although there hasn't been a lot of talk about academics...she is doing well. She went to the mall the other day with her girlfriend...oh, help me!

Our 4yo LOVES school. He goes to 'morning' school with me...which he likes and really enjoys being an inside man. Then he goes to 'bus' school...which he just raves about. Hey, the bus pulls into the driveway. Right now the schools balance each other. He likes them both and looks forward to school everyday...and I mean EVERY day (it was a long 3-day weekend).

Our now-3yo loves his half-day of school too. I think he's still trying to be a big kid (he's the youngest in his class). But he is busy...although playdough is still the main activity of the day. He is exhausted come 4pm though...and we are enjoying having him to ourselves a little bit. He does ask to go to 'bus' school with big brother or walk over to our daughter's school...he really wants to do all the activities of the others.

I love teaching again. I am so busy but its all good for now. It makes me go to bed early (9pm on Sunday!).

My hub loves that he's not in school this year!

Ya, I'm here.

I've been sooooo busy this week, that I kind of fell off the blog-sphere. So, let's catch up.

First, congrats to Mrs. Chicken on her new baby boy! And LBOTP for their upcoming baby in the winter! Best wishes to all of your families.

Secondly, thank you for the amazing weather we've been having! I do wish we could have hit the pool a couple more times....but we should get our chance the next 2 weeks.

I've spent the week working like mad at my new job at the preschool and learning new things for my fitness job. This all while making sure all the paperwork was complete for all our jobs and schools (and a nice dose of PMS). We decided to move our daughter to our neighborhood school...but that was a bit more work than we had thought. But.....its official....she is in jr high!!!! I'm sure that I blended in quite well with the middle school crowd so I have to get over there and meet all the teachers so when I visit they won't ask for a hall pass. She also decided to try cross country....lots of soreness and moaning but I think she'll stick it out.

We also have our 4yo in two preschool programs this fall. He is coming with me in the mornings and then to our local school district program in the pm. Our hope is that if the dr decides he needs any services, that he will get them (we finally have an appt with a developmental specialist for his sensory needs....after 6mons). It will also give him some time away from his little brother...who will be sharing the morning class with him. We'll see.

And our almost 3yo has decided to cash in his Terrible Twos card while its still valid.

Buying school supplies, dr appts, shoe shopping, grocery shopping, work, playdates, Olympics....the 'to-do' list is endless right now!