By GREGORY K. MOFFATT, Ph.D.
Child;s Play

It is hard to believe that is it already time to think about sending our children back to school. This will be my last article of the summer, so I decided to take a few minutes and talk about some issues related to school.

The first three years of school are the most important. During these years, a child learns to either like or dislike school, teachers and administrators. Therefore, it is especially critical that a parent of a younger child pay close attention to his or her child's needs during these impressionable years.

One way to help your child adjust to school and acquire a love for learning is to become involved in your child's school. Be a volunteer tutor, have lunch with your child, participate on parent day, and show up for parties and special occasions.

Even though I have a busy schedule, I have made it a point to have lunch with my children every week they have been in school. I read to my children's classes when I have been asked and I go on field trips.

My wife, also very active in the school, does many of the same things. Our involvement teaches our children how important we perceive school to be and that we are all in the educational process together.

Teach your child to respect teachers. I have, for the most part, been very pleased with every teacher my children have had, but there have been times that I have disagreed with something the teachers have said or done. I never display my frustrations with teachers or administrators in front of my children. In our home, teachers deserve the highest respect, thereby communicating to my children that teaching is a noble career and that learning is of utmost importance.

As the summer winds down, your children will need to adjust their sleeping schedules to accommodate their sleep needs. Some children need more sleep than others, but most of us let our children stay up later in the summer.

I suggest that you begin changing bedtimes of younger children a week before school starts. Get them up during this week at the same time they would need to be up during school. This will help their bodies adjust to going to bed earlier and to getting up earlier before they actually are in school. Four or five days of an adjusted schedule should make the transition into the classroom easier.

It is easy to get into bad eating habits over the summer. A healthy diet is critical to learning. Children who eat too much fatty foods are less alert and too much sugar can make it difficult for a child to pay attention and they will become tired more quickly.

Sugar burns very quickly in the body's system. Once that brief boost of energy is used up, a person becomes tired and lethargic. I know we've all heard this since we were children, but fresh vegetables, fruit, and some protein every day make for a good diet.

Shut off the television. We do not have cable television or a satellite at my home and because of where we live, we only get three our four channels. I am not opposed to cable television - in fact there is more productive programming on cable than on the networks — but we don't watch much television.

My children read constantly and I don't want them to replace reading time with television. We play educational games and we do things together as a family. Television should be used carefully, like any other appliance.

I am amazed at how little there is on television that is worth watching. A good rule of thumb for school children is no more than two hours of television a day, but a one-hour limit is better.

As a new school year begins, get involved. Even if your child has a poor teacher, you can compensate for that deficit by involving yourself in your child's academic life. Respect teachers, make sure your children get enough sleep, ensure that they have a proper diet, and limit their TV time. These suggestions should help your child start the school year off right.

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