Moving Forward PLC. Wishes You a Flurry of Success this Holiday Break!

The holidays are exciting times, but they can also be full of anxiety and dissembling schedules. At this point in the year, everyone is in full swing of their activities. Students have become used to waking at a certain time, attending school and after-school activities with sports games and play dates on the weekends. The holidays can come as an upsetting hit to children and adolescents who rely on a schedule to keep them functioning and organized.

Moving Forward, PLC is here with some helpful tips to help your students (and you!) flourish this holiday season.

Keep to a schedule

Most students will immediately want to sleep in once Holiday break hits. You need not fully discourage this extra sleep time. However, set a loose, yet consistent bedtime and waking time to keep students on a schedule. Make sure your child knows what his or her day is going to look like. What will they eat for breakfast? What is expected of them? This can range from helping organize the house for company, to the expectation that they will run errands. If there is a plan, there is going to be less anxiety and less behavior disruptions. Kids love structure and the more you can provide, the better adjusted they will be during break and after they return to school.

Read, Read, Read!

Set a time for the whole family to come together and read. I recommend putting away all technology and becoming “un-plugged” for just a few hours. I encourage families to pick up a book together and, even in the silence, enjoy each other’s company. If you get some push-back create a rewards system. Perhaps a special ice-cream trip when the book is complete? Or a chance to pick the movie theater choice? You know your child and what will incentivize them. Reading is not only stimulating for a mind on break, but it is also a great source of entertainment. A trip to the local public library is a great way to spend a break day and get your child excited about the book they got to choose.

Some exciting reading choices are provided below:

• Elementary
• Charlotte’s Web
• Hatchet
• The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe
• Bridge To Terabithia
• Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
• A Wrinkle In Time
• Shiloh
• Little House On The Prairie
• Pre-Teen
• Percy Jackson series
• The Harry Potter Series
• A Series of Unfortunate Events
• The Hunger Games
• The Giver
• Ella Enchanted
• The Hobbit
• The Princess Diaries
• The Outsiders
• Teen
• The Fault in Our Stars
• The Maze Runner
• Paper Towns
• The Catcher in the Rye
• Little Women
• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
• Eragon
• The Book Thief
• Lord of the Flies
• Adult
• The Goldfinch
• Dan Brown series
• The Game of Thrones series
• Gone Girl
• Go Set a Watchman (sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird)
• The Martian

Have a safe and joyful Holiday Season!