SATURDAY, Aug. 25, 2001 (HealthDayNews) -- Say goodbye to staying up late, sleeping in, eating when you feel like it and spur-of-the moment planning: The school season is about to replace the summer season.
To help kids get ready for the change, parents can do a number of things beyond buying needed school clothes and supplies, say representatives of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"Transitioning from summer to the school routine is really tough for some kids," says Dr. Barbara Frankowski, a pediatrician and professor at the University of Vermont College of Medicine.
Parents should start "to slide the bedtime earlier," which could help ease the transition, she says.
Also, she suggests, "Having an activity in the morning to do is a good practice so the first day of school isn't total chaos."
Once school is underway, a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast are top priorities for students to do their best, Frankowski adds. That can be tough, especially for teens who have more homework than younger students and often are juggling homework, extracurricular activities, after-school jobs and their all-important circle of friends.
Teens frequently will skip breakfast before school, saying that eating early in the morning makes them feel nauseous.
Frankowski says she hears that so often from teens that she advises parents to involve the kids in ways to solve the problem.
"Good nutrition is such a challenge," she says. "Say, 'Here's the bottom line. Going without eating from when you go to bed at night until 11:30 a.m. when you have lunch is not a healthy option, so what are the options?' Often, kids will be pretty good coming up with solutions."
Answers could include something "healthy but acceptable to them," Frankowski says, such as granola bars, tubes of yogurt or fruit, which they can eat while waiting for the bus, or on the bus if that's permitted. Also ask if they're allowed to have a mid-morning snack at school, so they can eat when they are actually hungry.
Along with sleep and healthy eating, experts say, the back-to-school list of priorities has to include a good attitude about school. The pediatricians' group says parents can do a great deal to help foster that by doing two things: setting clear expectations and listening to their children's fears and concerns.
"What's key for parents is to listen," says Dr. Ellen Sholevar, the director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Temple University's Health Science Center in Philadelphia. "Talk to your child about how they feel about school. Listen and pay attention to it. Communication is huge."
Many schools today hold an open house before school starts to give children a chance to meet their teachers and find their classrooms ahead of time. It's a great way to alleviate the common fears children have about getting lost or whether their teachers will be nice. If you can't make it to open house, call the school and ask if you can bring your child at another time.
"Be as involved as possible in your child's school," Sholevar advises. "Meet the teacher; know what the culture in the school is. A lot of the problems I hear about can be helped by these principles."
It's normal for children to have a few days of anxiety before and after school starts because they're settling in to a new routine, she says. But if it doesn't go away, don't hesitate to talk to your child's teacher.
"If the child continues to be very anxious, seems sad most of the time, doesn't seem to enjoy going to school or seems to have significant problems with peers, teachers or the work, talk to the school about it," she says. "They may have resources available, such as counselors or psychologists. If that doesn't seem to solve the problem in short order, seek out a qualified mental health professional."
What To Do
To help children have a successful year at school, the pediatrics group suggests parents:
- Give children strategies for coping with bullies. Tell them not to give in to a bully's demands, but to simply walk away or tell the bully to stop. If necessary, talk with the teacher about a persistent bully.
- Make sure children know where they're going after school and how they'll get there. If parents won't be there when the children arrive, they need to know who will be responsible for them, what the rules are, and how to get help in an emergency.
- Notify the school if a child developed any new health problems over the summer that will affect the school day. Most schools have strict rules about prescription medicines, so if a child needs to take medication at school on the first day, make arrangements for that in advance and make sure you've filled out all the proper forms.
For the full list of back-to-school suggestions, visit the American Academy of Pediatrics online.
For more information on how much sleep is enough for children, go to the KidsHealth Web site.
And for some safety tips from McGruff the Crime Dog aimed at kids headed back to school, try the National Crime Prevention Council.
