Strategies: 

1. Establish Consistent Routines
**Our students/children thrive when expectations are predictable
- Create visible schedules
- Parents/guardians set consistent bedtimes and wake schedules
- Create a family calendar to keep up with assignments and activities

2. Encourage Reading Everyday
- Families can read together and have book talks
- Encourage students to read independently
- Visit the local library
- Ask questions about reading, "what surprised you?"
- Graphic organizers 

3. Partner with Teachers
**Family-school partnerships improve student outcomes
- Parents/guardians attend parent teacher conferences and school events
- Check communication platforms regularly
- Share concerns early
- Celebrate successes together

4. Support Positive Behavior
**Focus more on encouragement rather than punishment
- Notice positive choices
- Provide SPECIFIC praise
- Set clear expectations and routines 
- Use logical consequences when needed

5. Encourage Healthy Technology Habits
**We live in a true digital age. Technology should support learning and well-being. 
- Monitor online activity 
- Establish screen-time expectations
- Encourage device-free family time
- Discuss digital citizenship and online safety at home and at school

6. Build Social-Emotional Skills
**Emotional development is just as important as academic development
- Teach students to identify and express their emotions appropriately
- Solve conflicts respectfully
- Show empathy towards others
- Manage frustration and disappointment

7. Promote a Growth Mindset
- Practice positive self-talk
- Praise effort and practice
- Remind students that, "mistakes help us to learn."

8. Support Organizational Skills
**Executive functioning skills are still developing
- Use planners
- Create study space at home
- Break larger assignments into smaller tasks (chunking)
- Use checklists for homework and projects

9. Foster Independence and Responsibility
**Allow students to use their increased responsibility
- Allow students time to complete homework independently 
- Assign age-appropriate household responsibilities
- Teach time-management skills

10. Teach Self-Advocacy Skills 
**Our students need to learn how to communicate their needs effectively 
- Ask questions when confused
- Seek help from teachers timely 
- Discuss concerns respectfully 
- Participate in problem-solving conversations

Resources

Canadian Paediatric Society, Digital Health Task Force. (2019). Digital media: Promoting healthy screen use in school-aged children and adolescents. Paediatrics & Child Health, 24(6), 402-408. https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxz095

Cunningham, B. (2024, July 3). The importance of teacher-parent relationships and how they can improve student outcomes. K12 Digest. https://www.k12digest.com/the-importance-of-teacher-parent-relationships-and-how-they-can-improve-student-outcomes/

Kroeper, K. M. (2022, May 20). Identifying teaching behaviors that foster growth mindset classroom cultures. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psychology-teacher-network/introductory-psychology/growth-mindset-classroom-cultures

Vines, C. (2024, February 7). Student wellbeing and the importance of routines. ASTRA Center for Innovative Education. https://www.astrafoundation.org/post/student-wellbeing-and-the-importance-of-routines

Zee, M., & Koomen, H. M. Y. (2019). Engaging children in the upper elementary grades: Unique contributions of teacher self-efficacy, autonomy support, and student-teacher relationships. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 34(2), 257-271. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2019.1701589