Back to school tip 1: Keep connected – Relationships matter
Your Child Support your child to contact a friend from school, chat online or spend some time together before the start of term. For children who may find this difficult, help plan an activity or discuss ideas of what they could talk about.
Think of ways your child can feel connected to you when they return to school, E.g. give them a picture, a written message or a familiar object that they can take with them in their pocket or bag. Schools will give advice on what your child can bring with them initially.
You Arrange to meet or call a friend or another parent, have a chat and share your plans for returning to school. Suggest walking to school together or arrange to meet up after school starts.
Together Share anything important that has happened during lockdown with school at the start of term- let them know about any family changes, positive achievements or challenges experienced. Your child may want to draw a picture or take a photo of something positive they have done to share with a staff member or their friends.
Back to school tip 2: Be kind to others – Everyone needs kindness
Your Child Encourage your child to think of ways they can be kind to others and pay attention and praise your child when you notice them doing this. “It was kind of you to… share with your friend/ include them in your group at break”
Children learn by watching others- show or tell your child ways you have been kind to others. For example, “I had a chat with our neighbour, she looked a bit sad.”
You Notice other parents on their own in and around the school, you never know who may welcome a friendly greeting or chat.
Above all, be kind to yourself. We’ve all been through exceptional circumstances.
Back to school tip 3: Talk things over – It’s good to talk…and listen
Your Child Notice when is a good time and make space for your child to talk about things. This may be walking the dog, in the car or at bedtime. Create opportunities for your child to build a relationship with another family member, trusted adult or professional.
Be available to actively listen to what your child is thinking or how they are feeling. Name what you think they are feeling, let them know you understand and try not to jump in too soon with a solution. For example. “It sounds like you’re worried about having no one to play with, I can see why that’s upsetting you.”
After the school day, your child may need time to wind down before telling you about their day. You could try sharing something about your day first.
You Think about who you can talk to about any concerns or worries you have, such as a friend, family member or maybe a professional.
Back to school tip 4: Look on the bright side – Find positive moments, however small, each day
Our brains are wired to notice threats, sometimes that stops us seeing the good stuff. That can mean we have to really try to be positive.
Your child Help your child identify the positive things about lockdown easing or returning to school. Who might they be looking forward to seeing or what might they be looking forward to doing?
You Consider the positives for you of lockdown easing and children returning to school.
Together It can be helpful to make time each day to think of one or two positive things. It may be nice to write these down in diary or post them in a jar, share them with your child and listen to their ideas. You could have a phrase like “Today I loved…. playing football with you”
Back to school tip 5: Challenge your mindset – Remember we can cope…we just did
Your child It can be unsettling not knowing what may happen. Help your child focus on all the things they do know, such as how to get to school, what they will wear, seeing a friend. Introduce new information gradually as it becomes available.
Everyone is a unique individual, discuss with your child the little things that they can do or have already achieved. Remind them of these skills and successes when embarking on a new challenge.
You It is normal that many children and parents will be feeling anxious, try to focus on how you will manage rather than what might go wrong. Show confidence, even if you are feeling a bit wobbly, it helps that your child sees that you have a plan to carry out together.
Back to school tip 6: Take a moment – We all need some time out
Your child Reflect on what you have noticed helps or may help your child to cope with new or difficult situations or emotions such as listening to music, jumping on the trampoline, etc. It might be helpful to practice new coping strategies together and plan for how these can be used when things are tricky.
You Being a parent can be really tough, doing things to look after our own wellbeing helps to manage stress, boost our confidence and makes us more able to cope with the ups and downs. Try to prioritise doing something that improves your wellbeing – it might help to set aside some time each day. You could- chat with a friend, go for a walk, read a book, go fishing, etc.
Together If appropriate share with your child a way you have managed a difficult situation.
Back to school tip 7: Make a difference – Small things can make a difference
Your child Discuss with your child what they did to make a difference to someone in your community or your environment over the past few months. Like displaying a rainbow, shopping for a grandparent or cutting the grass for a neighbour.
Acknowledge the small things – for example notice your child when they help a sibling, put litter in the bin, help around the home.
You Talk about who or what made a difference to you or your family during lockdown.
This could be something that seems small, like someone calling when you needed cheering up. Consider how you made a difference and what else you’d like to do.
Together By each of us washing our hands, wearing a mask and keeping a distance we help protect others.
Back to school tip 8: Get active – Keep going, or get started
It’s proven that physical activity boosts our sense of well-being.
Your child If your child started to be more active during lockdown, think about how this can be continued. If not, what small steps could you encourage. Be curious about what may interest them and plan how they could try something new.
You A lot of us were more active individually as well as together as a family – playing games, going for cycle rides and walks together. We will have noticed the benefit; plan how you can keep these activities going.
Together As lockdown eases we can benefit from more exercise outdoors and reduce some of family screen time and online activity.
Remember little rewards to yourself and family can help establish a good habit!
Back to school tip 9: Respect yourself – Be proud of your child and yourself
Your child Help your child make a list of the things they have learnt and enjoyed over the last few months. E.g. learned to hula hoop, baking, mountain biking. Share and celebrate these with family and friends.
You Think about and share all the ways you and the family have adjusted to the challenges over the last few months and acknowledge together, the strengths you’ve shown. There may have been ups and downs but remind yourself of the things you managed to do. Such as using video calls, cooking family meals, supporting your child with their learning or exploring your neighbourhood.
Together You may wish to put together a scrap book or time capsule to help remember this extraordinary time. It could include photographs of the things you did at home, news articles, letters, interviews from different family members, etc.
Back to school tip 10: Have a goal – A new journey starts with a step…
Your child Talk to your child about what they would like to learn or get better at by the end of this term, such as a sport’s skill, a new hobby, being able to cook something, dress themselves, etc.
You Think about something positive you can start to do, or you keep doing when your child returns to school. E.g. start a new class, exercise, meet a friend, complete a home improvement project.
Eight ways to entertain your dog with a cardboard box and toilet roll tubes!
With the nation’s dog owners mostly spending National Pet Month (April 1st – May 10th) indoors, Dogs Trust is issuing some top tips on how dog owners can keep their dogs happy – all with simple household items – a cardboard box and toilet roll tubes!
Jenna Kiddie Head of Canine Behaviour at Dogs Trust, said: “We understand that owners may be looking for ways to keep their dogs occupied, especially when the current advice is to go outside just once a day for exercise with your four-legged friend.
“Whilst physical exercise is important for your dog, mental stimulation is also essential to help keep them happy. You can make it fun for them, and because they’re using their brains, it’s just as tiring as physical exercise.
“It’s really easy for you keep your dog’s brain busy from the comfort of your own home using simple household items. From activities involving their favourite treats, to games using things you may have left over from online deliveries, there are many ways you can keep your dog active, without stepping outside your front door.”
Dogs Trust has come up with eight fun ways to entertain your dog with a cardboard box and tubes whilst you’re staying indoors, and asking people to share their pictures and videos using the hashtag #MyDogIsForLife and tagging @DogsTrust on Twitter and Instagram.
Tutorial videos for the eight games will be released during National Pet Month on the charity’s social media pages.
The paw-fect figure 8 – Get two boxes and set them out a little distance apart. Hold your dog’s treats or a favourite toy in one hand and slowly start to move them in a figure of eight around the two items, swapping the reward into your other hand at the centre point. One arm will guide your dog around the item to the left and the other arm will guide your dog around the item to your right. Repeat several times until you’ve got the movement smooth and well-rehearsed!
Digging deep: Shred or scrunch up newspaper or any paper items and pop them in an empty box. Drop in some treats or toys, and watch your dog dig away!
Paws-up: Can you get them to put their front feet on the box? Their back feet? Can you get them to run round to the left, to the right? Can smaller dogs sit in the box? Think outside of the box and we’re sure you won’t be able to contain yourself with all this fun!
Bowling balls: Create a 10-pin bowling alley with spare kitchen roll tubes. Have a competition and see how many pins you can knock down vs. your dog!
Tunn-els of fun: Cut the sides of a few boxes and line them up to make your very own DIY tunnel. Encourage your dog to go through with the promise of treats or their favourite toy at the end of the tunnel!
Jog your dog’s memory: Lay out multiple boxes in a semi-circle and pop a treat in one of them, making sure your dog is watching. Hold up a sheet to block your furry friend’s vision, drop and then see if they remember which box the treat was in! Repeat the game and change the box with the treat in, see how many times they get it right!
Snoot challenge:next level – remember the original snoot challenge where you had to make a circular shape with your hands and wait for your pooch to run up and put their nose through the hole? Building from this, cut a hole out in your box and see if you can get your dog to poke their nose through it! *boop*
Teach your dog to read – for starters write different words (e.g. sit, down, paw) on different boxes that you want your dog to learn. Say the word that’s on the specific box in front of them, and ask them to do what the word says. When your dog does as you’ve asked, reward them with a tasty treat and repeat several times until your dog has associated the new word, with the specific box!
Images and videos shared with Dogs Trust will appear on the My Dog Is For Life webpage feed for others to see and take inspiration from. www.dogstrust.org.uk/mydogisforlife
Eating five portions of fruit and veg every day can help keep your heart healthy and reduce the risk of heart disease. As supermarket shelves are emptier than usual, Heart Research UK have some tips to help you achieve your 5-a-day during this challenging time.
What counts as a portion?
Eighty grams of fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and veg or 30g dried fruit count as one portion. For example, one fresh pear or banana, two small plums, or three heaped tablespoons of peas. Beans and pulses also count, but you should only count these once as they contain fewer nutrients compared to other fruit and veg. 150ml of fruit/vegetable juice or smoothie also counts, but you should limit these drinks to no more than one a day due to the sugars they contain.
Top up with lentils
Lentils are a versatile ingredient and a great source of fibre, which is good for heart health. Try replacing some of the meat in your bolognese sauce with a handful of lentils or try adding lentils to homemade soups.
Include tinned, frozen and dried fruit and veg in your meals
As the population is being encouraged to make fewer trips to the supermarket, you may find that you need to rely on the food in your store cupboard and freezer more than usual. Try adding dried or frozen fruit to your bowl of breakfast cereal in the morning and include a variety of frozen or tinned veg with your evening meals. Tinned fruit with yoghurt can also provide you with a healthy dessert.
Enjoy homemade soups for lunch
Homemade soups are an easy way to increase your veg intake. You can include a variety of tinned, fresh and frozen veg in soups. There are lots of healthy vegetable soup recipes available online, but here is one to get you started.
Easy-peasy pea soup.
1 tbsp rapeseed oil or vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
400g frozen peas, defrosted
500ml vegetable stock
Salt and pepper
Fresh mint, finely chopped (optional)
Heat the oil over a medium heat and stir in the chopped onion. Gently fry the onion until soft, but not browned. Add the peas and stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Puree the soup using a blender and add salt and pepper to taste. If you have fresh mint available, you can add this at the end.
