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Back To School

White and orange graphic with photos of three children walking with backpacks and information about starting back to school
Back To School

Back to School Survival Tips From Parent Connext®

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Summer vacation is wrapping up, and most school-age children are returning to the classroom and to the school year structures and routines this month. Help your child’s transition back to school run more smoothly with a bit of preparation and intentionality! Take Steps to Prepare for the New School Year Start your family back on a routine. Now is the time to incrementally adjust bedtimes if needed. Involve your child in back to school shopping. This gives them ownership of the process and helps you both mentally prepare for the big day. Take advantage of any opportunities to visit the school and meet the teacher(s) if possible. Look for open houses, schedule and technology pick-up days, and other opportunities to connect with your school. Talk to Your Child About How They are Feeling About Returning to School Back-to-school time can bring with it lots of anxiety for your children. Acknowledge their fears and reservations and have conversations with them to help them mitigate their fears. They are probably also feeling excited about seeing their friends and returning to a routine, so encourage them to focus on the positive. Once you get your child’s schedule, help them plan out their day, map their routes to each class, and help them anticipate any roadblocks or challenges in their day. Watch For Changes in Their Behavior. You may notice changes in your child’s behaviors when school starts as they get used to new routines and structure. Plan to provide more downtime as they adjust to school. Perhaps plan a short vacation, a trip to the park, or a day at the movies-do something special as a family to celebrate the start of the new school year. Involve your child in deciding what to do. Review Your Own Self-Care While your kids may be busy and anxious, back-to-school can be a hectic time for YOU as well. Make sure to plan to take care of yourself during this busy time. Are you getting enough sleep? Physical exercise? Time in nature? Do you have time for fun and play? What is one way you can help reduce your stress today?

Photo of three children with backpacks on walking outside of their school
Back To School, Beech Acres, Beyond The Classroom

Welcome Back, Families!

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Back to School time always fires up butterflies in students’ stomachs, and again this year they will deal with the uncertainty of a pandemic plus whatever may be going on in their minds, hearts, and in your home. This combination of excited, nervous anticipation, and genuine apprehension can wreak havoc on your child’s emotions …and yours! If it all becomes too much… Beech Acres Parenting Center’s Beyond the Classroom™ team is here. Our name says it all, our team is here to remove barriers your students may have outside the classroom preventing them from bringing their best self to their academics. What do we do? Behavioral Health Support (Therapeutic Service Provider)– Helps student work on coping skills, self-control, staying on task, and if needed crisis management. Therapy (Licensed CounselorProvider) – Helps students get to the ‘root’ of their mental health challenges; often working in tandem with therapeutic service providers. Medication Evaluation and Management – If needed, this can include medication management that supports your child’s behavioral health can be prescribed by our doctor and nurse practitioner. Family Peer Support – YOUR advocate when working with the school and navigating community resources. A trusted partner and mentor who walks alongside you as you become your child’s best advocate when working with the school or navigating community resources. Where else are we in the community? Beech Acres Parenting Center’s Kinship Connection program works closely with Beyond the Classroom™ families who are caring for a loved one’s child. Kinship Navigators have been in your shoes, are frequently caring or having e experience cared caring for a loved ones’ child full time. and Because of their experience, these professionals can walk alongside grandparents, aunts, uncles, or friends to find resources and connect you with a supportive community of others caregivers just like you. Parent Connext™ is a parent coaching program that sits located inside in pediatric offices around Greater Cincinnati. Their individualized coaching sessions have proven to improve a child/parent relationship in just 3 sessions. It is not mental health, but instead supports parents in daily challenges from potty training to homework battles. The Character Effect™ is a program for the entire school community built on positive psychology, character strengths, and mindfulness. How do you get in touch with us? Visit our website, find your school, and click on your team lead’s name to connect directly with them via email! Team Leads are ready to provide support, Team leads are ready to be your guide in identifying your unique needs and matching up the supports that are right for you and your family. We are delighted to be a new partner with your child’s school and are actively working to grow our team to provide a full spectrum of care. Using our strength of honesty, we have not been immune to the effects of the pandemic and are continuing to work to recruit additional Beech Acres staff to support you and your child. be sure all schools are fully staffed.We are excited to be BACK in buildings with your students and ready to support their needs.

Photo of three children with backpacks on walking outside of their school
Back To School

Start the School Year Off Right with These Back to School Tips from our Parenting Experts

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Want to be prepared to navigate back to school easily? Schedule a session with one of our Parent Connext® Parenting Specialists. It’s Back to School Time! Are You Ready? It’s back to school time, which means change and new routines! Children – and parents – have many different feelings happen this time of year: excitement, worry, dread, cheer, exhaustion, and relief, to name just a few. We all get stressed during transitions – you are not alone! Here are some tips and tricks from our parenting experts to help ease everyone into their new routines. Get Organized! Be proactive and get organized before the school year starts. Start moving from summer sleep schedules to school sleep schedules two weeks before the first day. Create and communicate expectations that you want to enforce from the get-go. Having backpacks ready the night before, as well as an outfit picked out, can make the morning flow much more smoothly. To help your child remember, display pictures of tasks (or post-its/checklists) at eye level. Start with a few tasks and gradually add more overtime to promote independence without overwhelming your child. Schedule Downtime Schedule some downtime. Most families will adjust to the new routine before too long – resting when adapting to something new help keep everyone at their best. Even if you are super excited to hear every detail of your child’s school day, it may be the last thing your child wants to discuss. Don’t take it personally! You can check in, but also give some space. When big emotions do arise, try to stay calm and empathize with the stress your child could be feeling. Don’t Forget to Remain Positive Make the most of it! Mistakes can be made into learning opportunities. Expect there will be ups and downs. The more you can focus on the ups; the more energized you and your family will feel. Call out the small wins, share the strengths you see in your family and yourself, and celebrate all that is going well. This will build confidence and help your family’s mindset about conquering the back-to-school moods. Related Activities Here are some related activities to help you navigate the start of the new school year. Download for FREE! Back to School Quick Tips Character Strength Coins Feelings Thermometer Loving Language Wheels of Feelings Tip of the Iceberg

Graphic of a blue backpack full of school supplies
Back To School, Parent Connext™

Get Ready to Head Back to School with These Tips from Parent Connext®

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Summer vacation is wrapping up, and most school-age children are returning to the classroom this month. Help your child transition back to school smoothly with a little advanced preparation! Need a little extra help? Schedule a session with a Parent Connext® parenting specialist today! Reestablish School Year Routines • Shift to an earlier bedtime. If your child has been going to bed later for the summer, take some time to slowly shift to an earlier bedtime and earlier waking time in the a.m. (The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends:10-13 hours of sleep for 3 – 5 year-olds (including naps), 9-12 hours for 6 – 12 year-olds, and 8-10 hours of sleep for 13 – 18 year-olds. • Designate a homework spot where your child will do their homework. Have materials your child will need to do their homework on hand nearby.• If screen time has crept up over the summer, the start of the school year is a good time to cut back on screen time, so your child will have adequate time for homework, physical activity, family time, and sleep. • Do a practice run of your weekday routine. This will help prepare everyone for how much time they need to get ready in the a.m. and help make sure everyone has everything they need to get the year started on the right foot!• Read aloud to your young child, have older children read to you or on their own. Managing Back-to-School Jitters • Talk to your child about how they are feeling. Be supportive and normalize thateveryone feels nervous at the start of a new school year.• When possible, tour their new classroom and meet the teacher before the first day of school.• Schedule a meet-up with a friend or small group of friends before the first day back to school.• Take your child Back to School Shopping. Let them pick out their school supplies and/or a special outfit for the first day.• Plan a special outing to celebrate the start of the new school year. Visit a park, the zoo, a swimming pool, or go out for a special meal or treat.• If your child is especially anxious, consider seeking additional support through your child’s school or pediatrician. Reconnecting • Transition Time: Your child needs time to shift gears from school to home. Some children need time alone in peace and quiet. Others want to talk to you about their day. Allow time for your child to decompress in whatever way best suits them before starting homework or heading to an activity.• Time In: As life gets busier, make one-on-one time with your child a priority. Five minutes a day of focused attention helps build a strong connection. Let your child choose what you play or what you talk about.• Family Time: When possible, have meals together. Plan other activities together, such as a walk after dinner, storytime, or a family outing on the weekend.

Photo of a girl holding her parent's hand with the Beech Acres logo on the bottom of the picture
Back To School, Natural Strength Parenting™, Parenting Tips

Back to School!

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It’s that time of the year! Parents, teachers, and students are all preparing to return to school. We know this time of the year can come with added stress and anxiety for everyone. Don’t worry, Beech Acres Parenting Center is here for you! All month long, we will be sharing advice from our parenting experts to help your family ease into heading back to school. Download our back-to-school quick tips today. Looking for additional parenting support during this busy time? Connect with a Parent Connext® parenting specialist today!

Photo of a loving mother and child holding hands while talking and sitting on sofa
Anxiety, Back To School, Mental Health, Natural Strength Parenting™

How To Talk To Your Kids About Mental Health; Tips For Speaking With Your Child In Elementary School

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How To Talk To Your Kids About Mental Health 1 in 5 children lives with a serious, diagnosable mental illness. 1 in 5. Think about your child’s friends, their class, their school. That’s a lot of kids. It’s never been more important to be able to speak openly and honestly about mental health with your children. Fortunately, today’s parents are more open to discussing these important issues that previous generations. So, you’re open to discussing mental health with your child, but how do you do it? Where do you start? As with most essential topics, start at the beginning. Talk with your children about their feelings, focus on their strengths, and most importantly listen to what they have to say. Here are some tips from our parenting experts to get the conversation started with your child in elementary school. We also shared how to talk to your preschooler and we’ll help you keep the conversation going with tips on speaking to your child into junior high and high school. Elementary School By the time your child is in elementary school, their personalities are well established, they’ve probably made some strong friendships and they are full of emotions. Often, these emotions will come as unexpected outbursts that may catch you off guard! That’s OK. They are learning to express their feelings, and you can be there to guide them. Linking their feelings and how they express them to their strengths is key at this age to identify and build their unique strengths and build resiliency. What to say to your kids when they are in elementary school. Make a feelings thermometerhttps://copingskillsforkids.com/blog/2016/4/27/making-a-feelings-thermometer Kids at this age can understand things when they are presented to them visually. Giving them a way to express and understand how they are feeling visually can help them start to manage those emotions. Have your child interview others about their feelings and how they cope. Hopefully, while your child was younger, you helped them identify key adults (including yourself!) that they can talk to about their feelings. An interview with one of these trusted persons can help your child see that everyone deals with changing emotions and can give them insight into how others cope. Ask your child, “Is it okay to feel; sad, embarrassed, guilty, shame, happy, joy, lonely, anger?” Normalize their feelings. No matter what they are. Forget the notion that boys don’t cry and eliminate the concept of shame from your daughter’s vocabulary. All emotions are valid, and your child is going to feel ALL of the feels. Sometimes in the same day! Make sure they understand it is OK to not be OK all the time. And remind them that you are there for them. What does it feel like when you get nervous? Those butterflies in their stomach aren’t going to go anywhere anytime soon. As they get older, they may encounter more things that cause them to be nervous. New teachers, new school, new friends, new team, homework. Managing their nervousness and making sure it doesn’t explode into full-blown panic is a skill that they can continue to develop their entire lives. Who are three people are in can trust with your thoughts/ feelings? As they get older, your children may feel more comfortable discussing things with their friends. That’s fine, but make sure those relationships stay healthy and make sure to keep yourself in the loop. Narrowing down a circle of trusted people ensures them that they always have someone to talk to you. Talking with your children early, often, and continuously about their mental well-being is so essential. Share these tips with fellow parents and let us know which strategies worked best for your family. Check out our complete guide to talking to your child about mental health at any age. Learn more about discussing mental health with your preschooler. Learn more about discussing mental health with your child in elementary school. Learn more about discussing mental health with your teens and high schoolers. Looking to go further? Check out Natural Strength Parenting To Go! These text-based courses from our parenting experts help you get the most out of Natural Strength Parenting™ with easy to implement parenting strategies. Get started today!

Photo of a little girl reading with father on the couch
Anxiety, Back To School, Mental Health, Natural Strength Parenting™, Parenting Tips, Parents

How To Talk To Your Kids About Mental Health; Tips For Talking To Your Preschooler

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How To Talk To Your Kids About Mental Health 1 in 5 children lives with a serious, diagnosable mental illness. 1 in 5. Think about your child’s friends, their class, their school. That’s a lot of kids. It’s never been more important to be able to speak openly and honestly about mental health with your children. Fortunately, today’s parents are more open to discussing these important issues that previous generations. So, you’re open to discussing mental health with your child, but how do you do it? Where do you start? As with most essential topics, start at the beginning. Talk with your children about their feelings, focus on their strengths, and most importantly listen to what they have to say. Here are some tips from our parenting experts to get the conversation started with your preschooler. We’ll also share how to keep the conversation going with tips on speaking to your child in elementary school and into junior high and high school. Preschool It’s never too early to begin talking to your child about mental health. For your younger children, keep it simple and speak in terms and contexts that they will be able to understand. Preschool-age children are likely not just going to tell you how they feel, but they may express their feelings in a variety of ways. Look for their clues and engage them when you see them expressing different emotions. Use these clues as an opportunity for you to help them understand their feelings as they are first experiencing them and help them navigate their reactions to those emotions. What to ask. And what to say to your preschooler. What causes you to have butterflies in your stomach? This feeling of anxiety or nervousness is an easy one for children to recognize as it manifests itself physically. Help them identify what causes these feelings and help them cope with it by facing their feelings head-on. Where do your feelings come from? Helping your children understand where their feelings come from, how and why they react to certain experiences and stimuli, can help them begin to work out what to do with those emotions. Who can you talk to if your feelings get to be too much? Let your children know that you are there for them always. But also teach them to establish trust with other key adults in their lives. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, mentors, close friends, and doctors and therapists should be recognized as trusted people that they can turn to discuss their feelings. What are some ways you can calm down/relax/feel better/control your feelings? However, you phrase it, making sure that your children understand basic coping techniques at an early age is important. It may be quiet time in their room, a certain song or playlist, drawing or coloring, or even snuggling with mom or dad. Once your children know they have a way to deal with their feelings, they are starting to build resilience. Use media and daily experiences to normalize conversations about reacting to specific emotions. After watching a movie, TV show, or YouTube video together discuss how the characters interacted with each other and dealt with their feelings. Talking with your children early, often, and continuously about their mental well-being is so essential. Share these tips with fellow parents and let us know which strategies worked best for your family. Check out our complete guide to talking to your child about mental health at any age. Learn more about discussing mental health with your preschooler. Learn more about discussing mental health with your child in elementary school. Learn more about discussing mental health with your teens and high schoolers. Looking to go further? Check out Natural Strength Parenting To Go! These text-based courses from our parenting experts help you get the most out of Natural Strength Parenting™ with easy-to-implement parenting strategies. Get started today!

White June Summer Activities graphic with colorful icons and strengths listed on it
Back To School, character strengths, Strengths

Focus On Your Child’s Strengths Before They Head Back To School!

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Summer vacation is almost over! We’ve got you covered with some easy, fun summer activities that you can do each week. The best part is these activities allow you to recognize and build on your child’s strengths. If you haven’t already taken the VIA Survey of Character Strengths, you can get started here. You can download and print activity sheets for June and July and work on recognizing your child’s strengths all summer long. The strengths for August are forgiveness, leadership, prudence, perseverance, perspective, sense of meaning, friendship, and honesty! ICYMI here are the tips for July!

White Back to School Quick Tips BAPC graphic with a backpack on it
Back To School, Beech Acres, character strengths, Natural Strength Parenting™, Parenting Tips, Parents, Schools

Back To School Quick Tips!

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Back to School Quick Tips Try a few of these tips at home to help your family successfully transition back to your school year routine. Let us know which ones worked for you! State An Intention Start by setting an intention with your child for the new school year. Ask, “what can you do to make this year your best yet?” Get curious with them and ask “What do you need from me to succeed?” Then make sure to build in accountability. “What steps will you take to succeed?” “How will you know if the intention you set is working? How will your experience at school be better?” Build On Thier Strengths Acknowledge your child’s fear and anxiety, and offer the idea that these feelings subside as you become familiar with what was once ‘new’. Every person has 24 character strengths inside them. You can discover your family’s strengths for free by taking the VIA Character Strengths Survey located on our website. Take A Mindful Moment Actively listen to their concerns and let them know you are listening. “I hear that you are worried about your first day of school, but you smiled when you talked about seeing your friends again.” Take Time For Yourself Set an intention for yourself to be prepared and ready to help your kids succeed! Lean into your own strengths of Love, Fairness, Judgment, Leadership, and Perseverance. Take a moment for yourself. Sit outside and take a moment to Appreciate the Beauty of these final summer days.

Photo of a mother holding books and looking annoyed at her unwilling child
Back To School

From the Pool to Back to School; Tips to Get Your Family Ready to Go Back to School

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Back to School, Back to Routine After spending the summer lounging by the pool, you’re starting to dread getting back in that drop-off line at school. That’s right; it’s time to start thinking about back to school. Here are some ideas to make the back to school transition a little less bumpy. Use Mindfulness To Calm Those Back to School Jitters Your kids probably realized that school is about to begin when that trip to get some ice cream turned into an all-day shopping trip for new school shoes. Back to school shopping can trigger anxiety in kids who are already not looking forward to heading back to the classroom. You may also notice them behaving differently as the start of school draws nearer. They may be more agitated than usual when you ask them to stop playing Fornite and finish their summer reading assignments. While you may be getting agitated yourself, use this as an opportunity to help your child grow into a resourceful and confident student. Take your child’s feelings seriously. Normalize uncertainty and anxiety, so they do not feel alone.  You do not want them to struggle with whatever it is they are feeling and thinking their feelings are not valid. Experiment with different mindful activities to help them relax. Have them put down their smartphone and try a body scan with them. This activity can help them identify where they are noticing anxious feelings in their bodies. Have them get off the couch and head outside, after all; breathing exercises can easily be done anywhere and anytime. The fresh air will do them good. Make sure they put their electronics away at least an hour before bedtime. Instead, try practicing some simple yoga moves before going to bed to help them feel less anxious. Be Playfully Curious During Your Morning Routine If your morning routine during the summer has included sleeping in until noon and Pop-Tarts for breakfast, getting back into your school routine can be a bit unsettling for the whole family. Talk with your kids in advance about what school mornings will look like. Get curious with them about what reminders they will need to remember to brush their teeth, remember their homework, and wear matching socks. Be creative with them! Create fun posters, notes for their lunchbox, or handmade calendars. A little preparation and some teamwork can ensure that not every morning involves a last minute run through the Starbucks drive-thru for breakfast. Morning can be a great time for everyone to set one intention for the day and will provide a great way to check in later in the evening. Strength Spotting Can Help With Homework Let’s face it; your kids are likely more interested in Snapchatting with their friends after school than doing their homework. Knowing your child’s temperament and what they need to focus on can help you influence your child’s success. For example, do they need quiet? Do they work better with others around? Do you need to hide the remote so they can focus? How do they need you to be present? How long can they sit before they get distracted by their phone? Do they need shorter breaks more often, or can they sit still and get it done in one stretch? A great way to offer encouragement is to strength-spot them. “Your creativity helps you with your writing. I am proud to see you are using it to do such a great job on your research paper”. If your kids are quick to grab for Doritos or juice boxes after school, make sure to have some healthy snacks on hand to keep their energy level up. Be Intentional During Your Evening Routine A consistent evening routine is just as important as your morning routines. Be intentional in winding down so your children can ease into the transition of going to sleep. Try to complete preparations for the next day (picking out clothes, getting their backpack ready, preparing and packing their lunch) as early as possible. It’s important to make time for the things that help them to relax. Rather than binging on Netflix, try a mindful activity like the body scan, deep breathing or even a warm calming soak in the tub. Evenings are a great time to read together to encourage curiosity and a love of learning. Parents that are fully present for this part of their child’s day can more easily wind down from their day as well. Sometimes snuggling is all children need to go from their day to a good night’s sleep.      

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