(Chelsea Update would like to thank Kristin Krarup-Joyce for the information in this column. Krarup-Joyce is a school psychologist with the Chelsea School District. She serves preschool-third grade. Please send your questions to [email protected]. While she is not an expert, she has access to a variety of resources to help answer your questions.)
The theme of this year’s school psychology awareness week, is “Connect the Dots and Thrive.” The National Association of School Psychologists suggests many ways families can help children connect the dots and thrive:
- Encourage your child to set goals and to map out a plan for achieving.
- Help your child internalize a sense that he/she can achieve by reinforcing the skills already developed and encouraging him/her to try new challenges.
- Help your child identify his strengths and interests and learn new skills.
- Emphasize that learning and growing requires trying new things and that success comes from small steps to a long-term goal.
- Help him/her work through setbacks or lack of self-confidence by helping to identify negative thoughts that may suggest concerns about his/her ability to be successful. As a parent, you can help children see what the small steps are and how persisting and overcoming obstacles is a part of succeeding. Help him/her realize that setbacks are not permanent or all-encompassing.
- Praise attempts as well as success and make sure that you focus on the effort put into the success.
- Create an environment at home that allows your child to explore building (blocks, helping with projects, and more), drawing (crayons, finger paints, paper), and music (on the radio, with children’s instruments, or through formal training).
- Demonstrate, through your own behaviors, how to identify and achieve long-term goals by thinking aloud, creating a pathway of short-term goals, and using problem solving and decision making skills along the way.
- Model perseverance and problem solving when faced with challenges or difficulties.
- Help your child develop positive relationships with peers and adults and model respectful, caring behaviors with others.
- Encourage your child to participate in community activities that may help him/her develop positive behaviors, such as being thankful and having gratitude. In particular, volunteer activities may encourage the development of positive behaviors.
- Participate in community events or encourage your child to participate in extra-curricular activities in the community to increase his/her connectedness with community members, including other children and adults alike. This will increase your child’s well-being, achievement, and also create a sense of community, safety, and security amongst adults and children.
- Seek out support systems available in the community to help your child learn new skills and thrive, such as tutoring or mentoring programs.
- Consider learning more about Positive Psychology, and what enables children or individuals to thrive (www.positivepsychology.org/books).
