Spring Fever

With our first set of warm weather behind us, I think all of us would prefer to be outside rather than inside on these breezy spring days.  Just as the weather changes throughout the year, so does the school year, and with the end in sight, students will become restless and less focused then before.  Expect behavior to be a bit worse after Spring Break, so you must be prepared.  Try a few of these tasks below for an easy transition into spring with your student:

1.  Accept the behavior and move on.  Don't waste time challenging the behavior, encourage the child to move forward.

2.  Provide more rewards and make privileges easier to earn.  Emphasizing rewards will keep spirits high help your students feel successful, knowing they finished at their best!

3.  Allow for breaks.  Keep your breaks consistent and frequent as it will be hard to sit still when the sun is still shining at seven o'clock at night.

4.  Stay on schedule with what you're doing.  Just because the weather is changing, doesn't mean your routine needs to.  By staying with a routine you are letting your student know that school is not over and

4.    Set realistic goals.  Plan ahead for tests....it's easy to become lazier once the weather becomes nicer.  Break bigger assignments into smaller ones and leave extra room for things to get done.  Students might need more breaks, so better to plan ahead and plan for extra time.

5.  Find closure.  After spring break, students tend to tune out of school, especially this year with Spring Break being so late.  By helping your student find a sense of closure for the end of the year you are gearing them towards a successful end to a successful year.  Help them make plans for summer by setting goals for their summer vacation, make a list of all the milestones they have reached this year, or make a countdown calendar.  The end of the year can be very busy, so create a calendar of all the events happening the last two months.  Write down activites and circle important dates.  Show your student how to cross the days off as they end.  Before they know it, the end of they year will be knocking at their door!

So this year when spring fever shows up, remember there are ways to deal with this change by coping with the situation and making room for the new season to arrive (goodness knows we need it) and for another successful school year to come to an end.