Strategies for Maintaining School Habits

Introduction 

Now that the new school year is well underway, many students and families are likely feeling more settled into their routines and responsibilities. However, maintaining these habits can still be challenging. Common obstacles may include academic, organizational, and social pressures. This blog will share some practical ideas to help you support strong school habits for your kids.  

Types of Habits

Many types of skills and habits contribute to promoting students’ success throughout the school year. These can include creating and maintaining daily routines, developing organizational skills to stay prepared for classes and extracurricular activities, building effective learning and study habits, and strengthening social-emotional skills for interacting with peers, teachers, and others in the school community.

Tips for Good School Habits

There are many ways you can help your child build and maintain good school habits:

• Talk about school so your child knows what to expect. 

Regular conversations about school and what a typical day looks like can reduce anxiety and build confidence (Guiding Bright Minds, 2024). Using visuals, schedules, or stories can also help support these conversations, especially for younger children or those who benefit from visual aids. 

• Establish consistent routines. 

Creating consistent morning, afternoon, and evening routines on school days can help your child understand their daily responsibilities (PEARS Pllc, 2024). Writing out or discussing your weekly routine together as a family can ensure everyone is on the same page. 

• Set a designated, comfortable space for schoolwork.

Having a dedicated space for schoolwork can help your child focus (PEARS Pllc, 2024). Involve your child in setting up their space to make it fun and inviting with comforting items (e.g., fidgets, stuffed animals, beanbag, etc.), decorations, or supplies. 

• Practice organization and time management together. 

Using reminders, visual schedules, or timers can help your child stay on task, thus enhancing their time management and organizational skills (Saline, S., 2024). In addition, breaking down larger assignments into smaller, manageable steps can also make tasks feel less overwhelming and more achievable. 

• Support your child’s emotions. 

Making space for downtime after school—whether it’s to relax, decompress, or engage in a physical activity—is essential, especially if your child has been sitting for long periods of time (Guiding Bright Minds, 2024). In addition, teaching and practicing coping strategies that your child can use at home and school when they feel frustrated or overwhelmed, as well as promoting space for your child to freely talk about their feelings, can help with validating their experience and working on problem-solving together (Seattle Children’s Hospital, 2024).

• Practice social skills and social situations. 

Role-playing social situations, such as sharing, turn-taking, or handling conflict, can help your child feel more prepared when these challenges arise in real life.

• Focus on the positives. 

Celebrate your child’s efforts and progress in building these habits, no matter how small (Seattle Children’s Hospital, 2024). Positive reinforcement (e.g., praise) can encourage continued growth of healthy habits and build your child’s confidence. 

Tools to Support School Habits 

You can also use a variety of tools and resources to help your kids build strong habits for the school year. Here are some options that many families have found helpful: 

Visual aids, such as calendars, planners, and to-do lists to help your child stay organized and keep track of important tasks and deadlines. 

Rewards and reinforcement, specifically for practicing and achieving goals—especially challenging ones—to motivate your child to keep up with positive habits. 

Books and videos, specifically ones about school life and common challenges, such as bullying or test-taking, can help prepare your child and provide useful strategies. 

Conclusion 

The start of a new school year often comes with many new responsibilities, but you can help your child develop good habits that can support them academically, organizationally, and socially—not just now, but for the future as well. Additionally, maintain open communication with your child’s teachers to stay informed about their progress and to assess if they may need additional resources or support.

References

Guiding Bright Minds. (2024). Tips to Help Your Neurodivergent Child Transition Back to School. https://www.guidingbrightminds.com/resources/tips-to-help-your-neurodivergent-child-transition-back-to-school 

PEARS Pllc. (2024, January 22). Homework and Study tips: Supporting Academic Success for Neurodivergent kids. P.E.A.R.S. https://www.pearspllc.com/homework-and-study-tips-supporting-academic-success-for-neurodivergent-kids/ 

Saline, S. (2024). Surviving Back to School: A Neurodivergent Parent’s Guide — Dr. Sharon Saline. https://www.drsharonsaline.com/blog/2024/08/surviving-back-to-school-a-neurodivergent-parents-guide 

Seattle Children’s shares advice on reducing Back-to-School worries. (2024). Seattle Children’s Hospital. https://www.seattlechildrens.org/healthy-tides/back-to-school-worries/