As the Holiday break concludes and both parents and today’s youth embark on establishing a fresh routine for the rest of the semester, here are five helpful tips to facilitate a successful transition back to in-person learning now that the semester is underway!

Establish a routine: It is important to gradually reintroduce school routines including setting regular bedtimes, waking up earlier, and incorporating effective study habits.

Encourage organizaion: Encourage youth to organize their backpacks and supplies to ensure they have everything they need for the upcoming semester. In addition, develop a family schedule or calendar to track essential dates and major project deadlines. Prioritizing time to review the upcoming week, noting important dates, extracurricular activities and other commitments can help your family operate smoothly and help everyone manage their time more effectively.

Open communication: Encourage youth to engage in an environment that provides support, making them feel at ease to openly share any worries or anxieties regarding their return to school. Inquire about their chosen classes, social circles, and extracurricular involvement, and collaboratively address any concerns to ease the burden of stress.

Plan for your health: Ensure youth have nutritious meals and snacks to fuel their learning. To save time, plan and prepare meals in advance to avoid adding tasks to busy mornings. In addition to eating healthy, promote positive sleep habits. Establishing a consistent sleep schedule along with creating a nighttime routine can ensure youth are getting enough rest.

Encourage social connections: Returning to school is an opportunity for students to reconnect with friends and classmates. Encourage your student to engage in social activities and foster positive relationships.

At Safer Schools Together (SST), we recognize that each family, parent/caregiver, and student are unique, so we recommend you adapt these tips as you see fit for your individual needs.

Check out our complimentary resource guide Raising Digitally Responsible Youth to further support ongoing dialogues with today’s youth on how to stay safe on the internet, on social media, in video games and more.

To learn more, visit www.saferschoolstogether.com