NORFOLK, Va. — A successful school year starts with three P's – positive, prepared and productive, according to CHKD community outreach coordinator and parent educator, Michele Tryon.
The title of her CHKD blog is "Going Back to School-Positive, Prepared and Productive."
"Really thinking as positive as you can be and optimistic about how the school year is going to go for your child – also taking into consideration any feelings they may have about going back to school," said Tryon.
When it comes to being prepared, Tryon suggests parents log on to school websites for any announcements, make sure their children are good on school supplies and get their children involved with the preparation.
"Can they help pack their lunch--can they be in charge of some things?" Tryon asked. "We know that when kids have agency in their life, they feel better about who they are and what they have to contribute."
For children to be productive students, they have to feel like they belong.
"So thinking about do they belong to this classroom--do they belong to this school? Do they belong to this community--and how you can make those connections for them," Tryon explained.
Often, it's hard for parents to get their kids to open up about how their school days are going.
Tryon said to consider what she calls the body budget.
"One of the things we find is by the end of the day, what I call a child's body budget is really depleted," said Tryon. "They have had been in school waiting their turn – trying to answer questions. They're really tired by the end of the day."
So, it is recommended that parents should ease into conversations and reconnect with something lighthearted first.
"Five minutes of reconnect time and then they will start to talk when they're feeling reenergized a little bit."