Vacations are lovely, refreshing escapes from life. But at the end of it all you still have to plug back in and re-enter the busy rat-race of life.

Despite having the whole brood at home I do look forward to school holidays for I can forgo the early morning wake ups, trying to be extra creative with school lunchboxes and the of course the tedious trek to after school classes and unconquerable homework.

Leisurely staring a day where the main objective is to engage in any fun activity, is addictive. But children have to go to school and life has to be filled not aimlessly but infact with some structure.

As a child of course you live for the school holidays, abandoning oneself to playing and daydreaming as much as possible.

Therefore when school began once again after the Christmas break, it took an Herculean effort for us to look slightly chirpy and enthusiastic on the first day, myself included.

The activity noticeboard teemed with all the extra play practice schedules, swim practice sessions. This was all looked upon in horror and I thought however much the kids groaned, I would have to pull my sock up and get the motivation running high for this busy semester.

If you’re still trying to overcome the joy’s of the Christmas break and get back in to the “school groove” here are some useful suggestions:-

1.    Early organization: However boring this sounds, it is best to get the kids into their normal routine a week before school.

This means early bedtimes, maybe starting back of out of school activities and a couple of hours of sit down study work. This helps to get the kids back into a structured routine and become familiar with once again sitting down and doing school work etc.

Days spent playing or watching T.V can make any an eager child lazy or complacent when it comes to hard work. Of course this might be easier said than done, for getting children to bed early and also getting them to do some work requires an intense amount of willpower to withstand the shouts of disbelief.

But once school starts and they easily get back into the routine, you will be thankful of your forward thinking.

2.    Fresh Start: A break from school is always a chance to embark on a fresh start with regards to school work. The child who relaxed last term and did not do so well or even for the child who did this is an opportunity for them improve or do better.

You can get older children to write down some goals that they would like to achieve and set them as targets with a prize in mind.

A challenge can be quite encouraging, especially with a much sought after reward at the end of it.

3.    Healthy Living: Due the holidays everyone’s diets take a tumble, including mine. Christmas time is a sugary diet filled with candy cane, Christmas pudding and every other chocolaty dessert one can conjure.

Watch your children’s diet during this period, they will be a lot of snacking and indulgence of sugary delights causing mood swings and bad behavior. When school starts as well, children might continue with their need for a “sweetie snack” resulting in tired insolent behavior which is not conducive to a busy school week.

Make sure your children eat healthy, of course the occasional indulgence is fine, but maybe a week before, get your children on a healthy eating track, they will feel and act better.

4.    Fun learning: Despite the number of breaks you take, sometimes children can find school not FUN. It is human nature to indulge in activities that interest and shy away from ones that are hard and tedious.

Think of a few ways to help your child enjoy their learning days. Talk to them about it and encourage them to give a few ideas. Maybe go on trips to visit topics studied in geography or history, allow them to come grocery shopping with you and weight out the produce to help them with their maths etc.

Making learning fun, is definitely an easier way to win the study battle.

5.    Calendar time: Usually at the start of a semester my head is in a twirl as to who is in which activity, what practice is on what day etc. As much as I can I have a board up in the kitchen with each child’s activity, day and time and contact number of person conducting the session.

The older kids are able to manage themselves by referring to that, swim bags and running are duly packed without my prompting.

Getting back in the fast paced school mode is not an easy accomplishment. Our bodies and minds yearn for some rest and relaxation even after the first hectic day.

It is advisable to take things slow and also allow your children to slowly get into their flow. There is no race to won, we are all in this together and helping our children enjoy and thrive in school is the main objective.

See you on the playground!

By Mayuri Jayasinghe