Getting the Brain Back-to-School Ready

As summer draws to a close, preparing your child for the new school year involves more than just buying school supplies and new clothes. Ensuring your child’s brain is ready to tackle the challenges ahead is equally important. Here are five essential tips to help your child get their brain back-to-school ready:

1. Focus on Sleep

Quality sleep is critical for cognitive function, memory, and overall mental health. During summer, sleep schedules often become more relaxed, but as the school year approaches, it’s important to re-establish a consistent bedtime routine.

Tips for Better Sleep:

• Gradually Adjust Bedtimes: Start adjusting your child’s bedtime a week or two before school starts, moving it earlier by 15 minutes each night until you’re at your goal bedtime and wake up time for the school year.
• Create a Relaxing Routine: Encourage activities that help wind down, such as reading or taking a warm bath.
• Limit Screen Time: Reduce exposure to screens 1-2 hours before bedtime, as blue light can interfere with sleep quality.

2. Get into a Routine with Meals and Snacks

A well-balanced diet supports cognitive function, energy levels, and overall well-being. Establishing a routine with meals and snacks can help your child maintain steady energy levels throughout the day. During the summer, they may have gotten used to just grabbing a snack whenever they felt like it, but it’s important to start transitioning them to more scheduled meal and snack times as the new school year approaches so their body can adjust.

Tips for Healthy Eating to Get the Brain Back-to-School Ready:

• Plan Balanced Meals: Include a mix of proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates in each meal.
• Regular Snack Times: Offer healthy snacks, such as fruits, nuts, and yogurt, at regular intervals to prevent hunger and keep energy levels stable. Blood sugar fluctuations can greatly impact your ability to focus and learn, so helping your kids make good choices with their snack times is vital to helping them be successful.
• Hydration is Key: Encourage drinking water throughout the day to stay hydrated and support brain function.

3. Talk Through Organization Plans

Tired of junk-filled backpacks, papers going everywhere, or lost assignments throughout the school year? Helping your child develop an organized plan for keeping track of assignments, projects, and activities can reduce stress and improve their ability to focus and succeed in the new school year.

Tips for Effective Organization:

• Use a Planner: Encourage your child to use a planner to track homework, tests, and extracurricular activities. Even young kids can follow a visual schedule or list of tasks that they need to complete on a given day. The key is to use a system your kids will actually follow, so you can experiment to find what works for your family.
• Set Up a Study Space: Create a dedicated, clutter-free study area at home where your child can focus on schoolwork and have all the materials they’ll need at hand. This will help limit procrastination because they can’t find X, Y, or Z. 
• Involve Your Child: Make sure your child is involved in the organization process and feels excited and invested in the plan. Especially as teens grow their independence, it’s important for them to begin to take the lead and show ownership of their tasks and materials.

4. Create Intentional Times to Connect with Your Kids

Connecting with your child on a regular basis fosters emotional well-being and provides an opportunity to discuss any concerns they might have about the upcoming school year. The reality is that the start of a new school year can be daunting for lots of kids, so reinforcing the fact that they have a safe place to land and your unwavering support is essential. 

Tips for Quality Connection:

• Scheduled Check-Ins: Set aside regular times to talk with your child about their day, their feelings, and any challenges they are facing. Even a simple, open-ended question like “what’s going on in your world?” can foster connection in ways that nagging and probing questions will not.
• Family Activities: Engage in activities together, such as playing games, cooking, or going for walks, to strengthen your bond. Show interest in the things your kids love, and it will go a long way!
• Active Listening: Practice active listening, showing empathy and understanding when your child shares their thoughts and concerns. Don’t jump straight to trying to “fix” what they share. Instead, focus on maintaining your connection with them by asking good questions and working together to find a solution that your child can rest in.

5. Schedule a Brain Skills Check-Up

Just like a physical check-up or sports physical, a brain skills check-up can help identify any cognitive weaknesses and provide strategies to strengthen them. Cognitive skills such as attention, memory, and problem-solving are crucial for academic success.

Read More: What Are Cognitive Skills? >>

Benefits of a Brain Check-Up:

• Identify Strengths and Weaknesses: Understand your child’s cognitive profile and identify areas that may need support in the new school year.
• Customized Training Programs: Access personalized brain training programs designed to enhance cognitive skills. The assessment is the first step to help us fully personalize and individualize a program to help your child achieve their goals.
• Monitor Progress: Track improvements and adjust strategies as needed to ensure continued growth.

At LearningRx Charlottesville, we offer comprehensive cognitive assessments and personalized brain training programs to help your child succeed academically (and in all areas of life). Contact us today to schedule a brain check-up and get your child’s brain ready for a successful school year!