The AfterSchool Workbook

© 2017 Messy Motherhood �1By Amanda Rueter

After SchoolThe

Handbook

© 2017 Messy Motherhood �2

Copyright © 2017 by Amanda Rueter of Messy Motherhood. All rights reserved. You are welcome to print a copy of this document for your personal use. Other than that, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the author. Requests to the author and publisher for permission should be addressed to the following email: [email protected]. Limitation of liability/disclaimer of warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this guide and workbook, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this document and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives, promoters, or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

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Table of Contents

Introduction Pg. 4

Morning Prep for a Great Afternoon Pg. 5

Connect with Your Child While They’re Pg. 6 at School

After School Greetings Pg. 7

After-School Conversation Starters Pg. 8

Best Snacks to Stave Off Hangry Pg. 11

Homework? Done! Pg. 12

Homework Battle Tips Pg. 13

After School Routine Pg. 9

Setting Boundaries Pg. 14

Tracking Behaviors Pg. 15

Monthly Calendars Pg. 16


IntroductionHey there!

Thanks for purchasing After School Handbook for Parents.

School can be fun for kids, but also really stressful.

So many parents have told me how surprised they were when their children have great days at school, then fall apart when they get home. They cry, they whine, they get into trouble.

It’s shocking to a lot of parents, yet they don’t know why or how to fix the problem, or even why it’s happening.

It takes a great deal of emotional and mental work to follow the rules throughout the day, especially for little kids.

Each time your child refrains from hitting that boy who took his toy, holds up her hand and covers her mouth so she doesn’t speak out of turn, or stops himself from running down the hall to recess, they have to restrain themselves. This restraint builds and builds, almost like a bubble.

Then they walk into their safe place, and POP! They can finally let loose and stop having to restrain themselves.

They get to let it all go.

It’s a good thing that your child feels safe enough to fall apart at home. When things get hard, we fall apart on the people we feel safest with.

Think about it. After a hearing terrible news or during a hard day at work you’re able to keep it all together and not cry. But as soon as you see your safe person (husband, mom, best friend) you end up a blubbering mess.

Kids do the same thing.

In this handbook, you’ll get ideas for how to help your child transition back home after a busy day at school.

Print out the following pages and get ready to have fantastic afternoons with your kids!

Warmly,

Amanda


1 Morning Prep for a Great Afternoon

I know mornings are hard for a lot of families. Everyone is rushing to get out of the house, emotions are high, and everyone has a lot to remember. But it’s important to start your kid’s day off well. So even if the mornings are hectic and crazy, take a moment and connect.

Here’s what I can do to make our morning’s better. Examples: Prep backpacks, lunches and clothes the night before.

Leave more time for kids to get shoes on and out the door.

Sing silly songs on the

drive to school.

Tell jokes over

breakfast.

Race each other to the

bus stop.

Look your child in the

eyes and tell them that you

love them.

Make up a secret

handshake and do it to

say goodbye.

Ask your child what they are excited to do

at school today.

Make plans together for after school.

Ideas for Connecting in the Morning

How can I connect with my child before they go to school?


2 Connect with Your Child While They’re At School

Help your child feel loved and connected throughout their day. Use these little notes and jokes to put in your child’s lunchbox, pencil box, folder, jacket pocket, or

somewhere where they will stumble on it during the day.

“““““

What do you call a flying

skunk? A smelly –

copter!

What did the paper say to the pencil?

You’ve got a really good point!

Who’s the king of all the school

supplies? The ruler!

Why don’t eggs tell jokes?

They’d crack each other up!

What has 4 legs, but can’t

walk? A chair!

What has ears but can’t hear?

A piano!

What has hands, but

cannot clap? A clock!

What’s full of holes, but still holds water?

A sponge!

Smile :) You are so loved

Do good on your test

today!

Have a fabulous day!

Hey there, just thinking about

you.

You’re awesome

I’m so proud of you

Do Great things today.

Shine Bright You got this!


3 After School Greetings

When you see your child after a long day of school, you want to know about their day. So you ask questions like “How was your day?”, “Do you have homework?”, “Did you get into trouble?”, “What did you do?”, “Did you make friends?”

No one likes to be bombarded with questions or grilled about their day as soon as they walk in the door.

“Hey, it’s good to see you again.”

“Welcome home”.

“Do you want to tell me about your day now or at dinner?”

This gives him the power to decide when to talk.


4 After School Conversation Starters

Cut these out and place them in a jar or basket. When your child is ready, pull out a few and start talking.

“What was your favorite part of the day?”

“Tell me one interesting thing that happened today?”

“Who did you play with today?” “What new thing did you learn today?”

“What made you laugh today?” “What was the most frustrating part of your day?”

“Who did you enjoy talking with the most?

“What was the best thing your teacher asked you to do today?

“What was the best game at recess?

“Who did you sit next to at lunch today?”

“If you could choose, who would you like to sit by in class? Why?”

“Who would you NOT like to sit by in class? Why?”

“When were you bored today?” “What do you think you should do/learn more of at school?”

“If you got to be the teacher tomorrow, what would you do?”

“What are you looking forward to tomorrow?”


5 After School Routine

Use the cards below to build an after school routine that works best for your family. Tape them up on the wall and then your kids will know exactly what to do when they get home. An after school routine chart will help cut down on the nagging. No more “did you hang up your backpack?” or “is your homework done?” With these cards, you just point to the cards and your kids will know exactly what to do.

14

SNACK

RELAX & PLAY HOMEWORK

HANG UP BACKPACK


5 After School Routine

14

READ A BOOK CLEAN UP TIME

© 2017 Messy Motherhood �11© 2016 DirtAndBoogers

6 Best Snacks to Stave off Hangry

Hangry (adj): Bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger. ‘I get very hangry if I miss a meal’

Don’t let hunger start your afternoon out on the wrong foot. Feed your kids good healthy snacks

to get rid of the hangry.

Apple Slices

Sliced Carrots

Mixed Nuts

Grapes Protein Bars Yogurt

Snap Peas

Trail Mix Popcorn


7 Homework? Done!

Laminate me or put me in a sheet protector to make me reusable with dry erase markers.

FriThursWedTuesMonCompleted

Assignments


8 Homework Battle Tips

Homework doesn’t have to be painful for everyone, use these tips to combat the homework battles.

1. Schedule it during a certain time of day and be consistent about doing it.

2. Consider letting your child do it in the morning since they’ll be more rested.

3. Give your child at least a 30 break before busting out the homework.

4. Be aware of your thoughts about homework. If you think it’s worthy and important, your child will too. If you find it frustrating and inconvenient, so will your child.

5. Decide on a regular spot to do homework, and make it distraction free.

6. Don’t hover or be overly helpful. Spot check homework for understanding, but don’t go over every single problem and demand perfection. This makes homework painful for everyone, plus the teacher needs to see where your child might need some extra help.

What does my child struggle the most with when it comes to homework?

How can I help my child through their homework struggles?


9 Setting Boundaries

It’s not abnormal for a child to come home and explode on their adult or go wild and crazy after a long day of holding it all in. You are their safe place, their place to fall apart, their place to let go.

This is a good thing, but it can be frustrating.

Follow these 3 quick steps to set boundaries and allowing your children to let go after a busy day.

1 2 3Acknowledge their feelings and needs. “Wow, you are super mad right now.” or

“Man, you really need to run around.

Set boundary “but I’m not for yelling at…” or

“but it’s not safe to jump off the couches.”

Find alternatives. “You can either talk

calmly to me or go yell in your room until you

can. Or “you can go run outside, or we can

build a crash pad of blankets and pillows for you to jump in.”

They key to this technique is to recognize your child’s need, set a boundary, and then find 2 more alternatives that will get their need

met in a more appropriate way.

This technique takes practice, but it gets easier over time. Just practice, practice, practice. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your child responds to setting boundaries in this way.

Fill out the next chart so you can find some alternatives for your child’s behaviors.


10 Tracking Behaviors

Think back at some of the behaviors you’ve seen lately from your child and use this chart to help you determine

the boundary and better alternatives. This way, you’ll be prepared!

BehaviorChild’s Feelings

or NeedsBoundary Alternative


August

Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun

Upcoming Projects Things to Remember


September




October




November




December




January




February




March




April




May




June




July




Thank you so much for purchasing The After School Handbook. I hope it helps you and your child enjoy the

afternoons!

Warmly,

Amanda

Thank You!

The AfterSchool Workbook

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Transcript of The AfterSchool Workbook