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Advice for parents:
The school-aged child

Back to school

  1. In order to return to a routine, reintroduce a sleep schedule a few weeks before the start of the school year.

  2. Establish a routine and follow it every day, even before the start of the school year! You can write these steps down on a note and stick it on the refrigerator.

  3. Allow your child to accomplish tasks appropriate for their age to encourage independence and self-confidence.

  4. Adopt healthy habits like exercise and eating healthy snacks.

  5. Set a limit for the amount of time spent in front of a screen.

  6. Talk about your child’s concerns and worries with them. Take deep, slow breaths with your child to show them how to calm down.

  7. Celebrate the start of a new school year!

 

Socializing with peers

Pre-teens and school-age children have many opportunities when making new friends, whether it’s at school, the park, or during a walk in their neighbourhood. The numerous friendships your child makes will also allow them to develop social skills and build their trust in you.

 

Conflicts with peers

At some point, your child will have to deal with some conflicts and misunderstandings with their friend(s). It’s completely normal to argue with a friend from time to time. On that note, it’s important to remain respectful during a conflict and reconcile. Every argument should inevitably end in reconciliation. During a constructive argument, it’s important to remember that both parties should be able to speak to each other openly and without feeling judged, insulted, or belittled.   

 

Bullying

Bullying is a lot more than a simple fuss between friends in a schoolyard. On the contrary, bullying is a repeated gesture that hurts and belittles a person until they feel inferior. Sometimes bullying can show up as mockery, violent actions, and even rejection.

 

Bullying can be:

  • physical: hitting someone, making them fall, pushing them, pulling their hair, breaking their personal belongings, touching them inappropriately, etc.

  • verbal: insulting someone, threatening them, making unpleasant remarks, humiliating them, etc.

 

It’s important to point out that bullying can be direct or indirect. Direct bullying is the most common among children. In this case, violent acts are directly aimed towards another child. It’s much easier to notice direct bullying. However, indirect bullying is much more subtle. Adults often have difficulty noticing it and intervening because indirect bullying is usually in the form of mockery, false rumours, attacks on a child’s reputation, and exclusion.

 

It’s essential to address the situation if your child is a victim of bullying, as it may affect them in the long term. In fact, bullying may have an impact on their self-esteem and motivation. Your child may also no longer want to go to school. These issues may lead to problems with anxiety, difficulty learning, memory retention, depression, absence from school, etc.

 

Physical development

As your child grows with age, their body will enter a period of growth and development. They will go through significant transformations during this stage of development, and it is important to exercise and strengthen their basic skills, such as agility, balance, coordination, and stamina. Working on these skills every day will allow your child to gain a sense of confidence and establish positive self-esteem, leading to a gradual feeling of satisfaction and independence.

 

The importance of sleep

Sleep has a positive impact on memory retention, attention span, and overall learning. On the contrary, a lack of sleep can lead to difficulty with managing bad behaviours and emotions. Children that have trouble sleeping are more susceptible to mood disorders, like depression.

 

The amount of sleep a child needs changes throughout this stage in their life. Two major changes take place during childhood. First, their sleep schedule regulates as they begin to sleep less during the day and more at night. In other words, they’ll no longer need naps. Second, the number of hours needed for sleep decreases as they grow older.

 

The number of hours a child should sleep at night isn’t yet clear, since the amount of sleep needed varies between children. It’s best to determine the amount of sleep needed by assessing how well a child functions in the morning. For example, do they feel well-rested in the morning? A school child around the ages of 6-13 years would typically need 9 to 11 hours of sleep every night.

 

Sexuality

At this age, your child may be able to understand the different terms related to sexuality. Your child may understand that gender isn’t determined by genitals and that an array of gender expressions exists. Your child may also understand the role of sexuality in relationships.

 

Many pre-teen and adolescent children begin to explore their bodies, something that’s completely normal. However, it’s important for children to understand that learning about their bodies is a private activity.

 

With technology increasingly present in our lives, it goes without saying that you should talk about the proper use of cellphones, since so many incidents occur today. Children in this age group should start learning about respecting others in an online setting. It’s important to talk to your child about rules regarding interactions with strangers and sharing photos online. Your child must also know what to do and who to contact in case of facing an uncomfortable situation. They should also know that they should never feel obligated to reveal themselves or exchange photos.

 

A child’s mental health

Did you know that 20% (or 1 in 5) of children have a mental disorder? This statistic is concerning, and action must be taken to prevent such challenges from a young age.  However, how can this be done?

 

First of all, you can ensure that a child’s physical and emotional development stays on track. Please see this page for more information.

 

To better help your children manage their emotions during a difficult time, there are many simple techniques to try out with your children. Among other things, you can use the following techniques:

 

 

Mind Masters 2 is a program that includes many of these types of techniques and is offered for free by Ottawa Public Health. To access the guidebook and audio tracks, please click on the title ‘Mind Masters 2’ at the bottom of the this page.

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Other resources

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