Keeping your child's skills sharp over ther Christmas break

The Christmas holidays are almost here, which can often mean homework takes a back seat to celebrating. Even though a break is well-deserved, it’s also important that your child doesn’t lose any skills gained in the last academic term, especially as we all know how much hard work went into learning those skills. Here at Tutor Doctor, we’ve come up with some festive ways that you can help your child stay on top of their reading, writing and maths skills during the winter break.

Christmas Cooking

Chances are, there will be lots of cooking and prepping taking place in the kitchen on the lead up to Christmas, so why not get the kids involved? Invite them to help you measure out ingredients, count pigs-in-blankets and even work out when items need to go in the oven for everything to be ready at the same time. All the tablespoon and half cup measurements offer great practice with numbers and fractions.

Writing Christmas Cards/Thank-You Notes

Getting your child involved in writing Christmas cards and thank-you notes is the perfect way to fit in some writing practice without making it seem like schoolwork. Not only will this activity help them polish their writing, spelling and handwriting skills, it’ll also help them understand how to show appreciation and learn about gratitude.

Family Game Night

The Christmas holidays are the perfect time to host a family game night. Most board and card games require counting, reading, writing and drawing- so it’s an excellent opportunity for your child to maintain these important skills. It’s also a lovely way to bring the whole family together, have fun and get everyone’s brains active and thinking!

Reading

The winter break is full of opportunities for your kids to read, so encouraging them is super important. Why not head to the local library and find some festive stories or let them choose a few books they can read in the chilly winter evenings? Libraries can be very inspiring places for children to visit, so letting them have a little free reign is bound to make reading much more exciting for them. Encouraging relatives to give books as Christmas gifts is also a great plan -- just make sure you’re providing enough quiet time for reading to take place. Try to involve the whole family so that everyone can pick up and book and develop their reading skills!

Writing a holiday story

Asking your child to write a short holiday story is a fantastic way for them to practice their creative writing skills as well as use their imagination. To keep their reading skills sharp too, you could even ask them to read it out loud to the whole family on Christmas Day -- chances are everyone will enjoy it!

Helping your teen de-stress

Growing up isn’t easy, especially when you’re a teenager. With recent studies showing that 34% of teens experience moderate or severe stress (a large increase on previous figures), it’s certainly a growing area of concern for any parent. Here at Tutor Doctor we know that teenagers experience many pressures during these difficult years, which is why we’ve come up with some ways in which you can help your teen de-stress.

First: Recognise the signs of stress
It’s important that you can recognise the signs of stress in your teen if they appear. Often you may notice physical symptoms or a change in their behaviour. This can be anything from acting moody to just being negative. Other symptoms may include sudden headaches, stomach aches and a general sense of feeling sick, eating and sleeping too much or too little, avoiding parents and friendship groups, isolating themselves as well as panic attacks. Even though some of these traits are typical of a teenager, if you notice a few in conjunction then it’s time to take action. If you are extremely concerned, always seek medical attention as soon as possible and talk to their school/college to see if they help.

What can parents do to help?
Teaching your children healthy ways of dealing with stress can be an empowering skill that can be taken with them to adulthood. Here’s a few suggestions that are simple but effective ways to help them de-stress!

Be there!
Just being there for your teenager is sometimes enough when it comes to them dealing with stress. Often things can be very overwhelming and difficult to handle, meaning stress gets bottled up. Reminding them that you are there for them and that they can talk to you about anything will be a one less stress in of itself. You can also offer a fresh pair of eyes on whatever may be stressing them out and provide a different perspective on problems they are facing.

Remind them- Grades aren’t everything!
All parents want their kids to achieve amazing grades. However, it’s important to not add additional pressure to achieve them -- after all, your teen has probably already added enough stress on themselves as it is! Instead, remind them to try their best and study smart. If they fail, it’s okay- it’s a normal part of life and they can always re-take exams or find an alternative route. In fact, the sooner your teen learns that failure is a part of life and nothing to stress about the better -- all they can do is get back up and try again!

Encourage more sleep
It’s true when they say that a good night’s sleep can do the world of good! No matter how your son or daughter may act, they still need at least 9 hours of sleep per night! Studies even show that teenagers that get less sleep have a lot more difficulty when it comes to memory and concentration and are more likely to have depressive thoughts. Setting appropriate bedtimes for teens is just as important as it was when they were younger. Remember, not only will it do them the world of good, it’s also crucial for good mental health.

Exercise is good for teens (Really!)
Exercise may seem like the worst thing in the world for some teenagers, but we now know that it works wonders for stress! Try to encourage your teenage son or daughter to do a little bit of exercise a couple of times a week. It doesn’t have to be intense, a 20-minute walk with the dog, going swimming for half an hour or perhaps takings part in an after school sporting activity is more than enough. Anything that gets the heart pumping will be sure to lower stress levels and also improve their mood.

Keep a journal
Sometimes it’s difficult for teens to express why they feel stressed, or maybe they might not want to share everything with you. If that’s the case, that’s okay! Why not suggest that they keep a journal? Dedicating 10 minutes a day to write about a specific situation that is bothering them will not only be extremely therapeutic but can often help them find their own ways to solve problems or find a new angle on a situation.