A Fresh Start Without Pressure: How to Help Your Child Reset Academically After Winter Break

Happy and Healthy New Year to you and your family! Now that the holidays are over and your kids are ready to head back to school. Some of you and your kids may be dreading this getting back to the routine that was stablished before the break.

The holiday break is a wonderful time and we all look forward to it. However, it is also a disruption to the flow of the school year and the learning that takes place. Some of our kids probably forgot or barely remember some of the things they were working on right before the Christmas frenzy began. So, what do we do? Should we completely freak out? Not at all, we just need a soft reset. January isn’t about catching up — it’s about finding your footing again. The key is calm consistency to help our families to get back to the routines we had already established before the break. 

"It’s about finding your footing again. "

1. Why resetting academically in January Feels Harder Than September for Many Kids

For some students it will  be harder to jump right back into the routines that were previously established. Back in September there that feeling of a fresh start. Students know that they are starting a new school year, and a new grade, new teacher, and everything begins slowly. January is different; even though it is the start of a new calendar year, for students there is more of a mid-year fatigue happening. Yes, they had some time off, however, they are not starting slow and fresh. Teachers have goals that need to be met, lessons to be taught; some might even be behind already and with state tests on their way in a couple of months, there is no time to waste.

2. Resetting Routines Without Overhauling Everything

The academic demands actually increase right from the start, so your child may get a bit overwhelmed by all of this, and you may notice struggling happening during homework time, or from the teacher feedback the first few weeks. Does this struggle equate to failure? Not really… The struggle is information; not a label. Pay close attention, your child might just need a little extra help to get adjusted to the routines. Maybe the last topic they covered in math was not clear to your child, and he will need you to go over it with him one more time.

It’s about finding your footing again.

Encourage small resets:

Start with a consistent time to do homework. Right before the break, the consistency was broken and due to recitals, cantatas, and almost a full week of no homework for some students. So start small: 

Get back to a consistent homework time. You know what time worked better for your child, so try it again and consider adjusting it if it’s needed. 

Emphasize Flexibility: 

Some days will be harder than others. If  you notice your child getting frustrated easily, take a break, and go back to it when things have cooked down a little. Encourage your child and remind him that “practice makes the results better!”

Remember parents, consistency beats intensity- especially in January. Keep showing up and little by little you will regain that momentum once again!

3. How to Talk About School Without Stress or Shame

As the year begins, parents can also begin to feel the stress building when they see their kids struggling and becoming overwhelmed repeatedly. If this is where you find yourself I would like to share some tips that have helped me as a mom in our homeschooling life, as well as a tutor through the years. Let's try to avoid telling our kids:

• “You should know this by now”

• “We need to catch up”

These comments could cause children to automatically put up a wall if they feel criticized, and this will make everything harder. Instead, we can offer supportive alternatives such as;

• “Let’s take this one step at a time”

• “It’s okay if this feels hard”

The language we use really matters. When our children can feel safe, they will be at ease to ask questions, make mistakes and eventually put more effort. This will then lead to success and an increase in confidence in your child.

We are witnesses of this switch from defeat to confidence with our students at Accelerate Tutoring. After forming a bond with their tutors, students feel safe and they understand that their tutors are there to support them and guide them without any judgment. They begin to put down the "wall of resistance" (check out this other blog that goes into detail explaning how we can help students to become more open to support/tutoring ) and they begin to bloom as they become open to making mistakes and learning from them.

It is a beautiful thing to witness when each student begins taking ownership of their learning; their confidence begins to soar!

4. Focus on Confidence Before Performance

As you are slowly getting back to your routine, be open to doing things a bit differently. You may need to spend a few extra minutes reviewing math facts from back in December before moving on to complete the current homework. A little review can work wonders!

When your child is completing this review, make sure to celebrate their effort and willingness to work a bit extra. They will know that the review requires more time and they might not be too excited about it, however if they see you smiling and you sound uplifting and encouraging, they will be more likely to cooperate.

5. When Extra Support Can Make Academic Reset After Winter Break Easier.

As you read this blog, you might be thinking, “It all sounds great, but I don’t have time to do any of this!” Maybe you work long hours and barely have time to make dinner and get your kids ready for bed before you collapse after a long day. Maybe you have tried some of these tips already, but you find yourself getting frustrated and you would prefer to have some outside support. You are in the right place! We would love to help you! Our tutoring services are geared not only for struggling learners, but we also offer support for students who are advanced learners and you would like for them to keep advancing in their skills.

• Our support as Accelerate Tutoring is:

  
  

  • Skill-based

  • Encouraging

  • Goal-driven

A Gentle Start Can Set the Tone for the Year

• Remember, consistency with a calm atmosphere will bring about safety and increased effort, which will lead to an increase in confidence level. 

If your child could benefit from a calm academic reset after winter break, we offer  FREE assessment to help families create a clear, confidence-building plan for the months ahead.

I hope that you leave this blog feeling encouraged that better days are to come as you take small, gentle steps. You've got this!

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