Avoid Overscheduling Summer's end is also a good time to review family schedules and priorities. Alice Ra'anan couldn't agree more. But the commitment has a huge ripple effect throughout the whole year. It' s not September that I'm worried about, but June, when we're all burnt out. But now that my youngest is 13, I've learned to pick the activities that mean the most to him.
Some children can gracefully balance three or four activities.
Rather than dreading the start of school, the family should treat it like a holiday, says Mrs. Peel, who suggests holding a special dinner on the weekend before school begins. After sharing these resolutions, family members should file away the lists, to be reviewed at the new year as well as at school's end. Mrs. Peel also prescribes regular family meetings as an antidote for evening chaos, when exhausted parents clash with needy children. At the start of the school year, the family should coordinate all of their activities on a master chart and fill in a regular study time each school night. Parents should honor this quiet time by turning off distractions such as the television and phones.