How to Get Back Into a School Routine

How to Get Back Into a School Routine While the holidays offer a much-needed break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, they can easily throw your thoughtfully-constructed schedule out of order. Getting your child back into a school routine after winter break can be a challenge. Luckily, there are a few strategies for successfully easing your student into the back-to-school transition. Creating a list of goals for the spring semester, encouraging a smart sleep schedule, and supporting your child through the common jitters of starting a new semester can help make the change easier. Looking to help your child start the new year off on the right foot? Heres how to get back into a school routine: Get back into a school routine by listing important dates and goals in a planner Whether your family prefers to use an assignment book, a calendar, or a planner, set aside time before school starts to write down any important dates. When looking for significant items to mark in your calendar, ask yourself questions like: What are some dates to keep in mind, including family events, holidays, or travel dates? Are there any major assignments that your child already knows about or projects that you can note on the calendar? This type of exercise can help both you and your child envision whats happening in the near future and make the transition less overwhelming. Whats also helpful is planning outtentativelya weekly or daily routine once your child goes back to school. Things to consider include wake up and bed times, when your child will do homework, and any extracurricular activities. [RELATED: 3 Common Back-to-School Issuesand How to Address Them] Get back into a school routine by implementing a sleep schedule A good sleep routine is sometimes one of the first things to fall to the wayside during the holidays. A week or a few days before school starts, begin practicing healthy sleep habits like having a cutoff time for technology. You can incorporate some wind down activities into your nightly routine as well, like reading, drawing, or coloring before bed. Some people also like to go to bed incrementally earlier each night until school starts. Get back into a school routine by minimizing last-minute decisions and purchases Set aside time before school starts to take an inventory of your childs school supplies. Is there anything that needs replenishing? Are there any books that they need to buy or borrow from the library? This is also a great time to do a wardrobe check and see if your child is prepared for what is often cold weather. Finally, spend time working on minimizing decisions and tasks during the morning rush, like what to wear and what to put in their backpack. This can make your morning routine much less stressful. [RELATED: How Parents Can Help With Elementary Homework Challenges] Get back into a school routine by offering support for back-to-school jitters Your child might be nervous, sad, excited, or feel a mixture of feelings before going back to schoolall of which are completely normal. It can be very helpful as a parent to guide them through or teach them strategies to process these emotions. You might encourage them to write in a journal, draw a picture, or simply spend some time talking about and acknowledging these feelings and any anxieties. It might be helpful to practice some mindfulness exercises, like meditation, deep breathing, or engaging in hobbies and exercising. Get back into a school routine by planning a future event your child will look forward to Especially if the back-to-school transition is nerve-wracking, take some time to plan a future event your child or your family collectively can look forward to. This helps ease the difficulty of returning to a less fun schedule. It can be a favorite meal, a field trip with the family, or an event related to your childs interests or hobbies. [RELATED: How Parents Can Help Students Setand AchieveAcademic Goals] Keep in mind that transitions are generally stressful, so there might be more arguments or heightened emotions during this time. Dont worrythis is normal. Just keep your lines of communication open and encourage your child to talk to you about worries, stresses, and thoughts as school starts again. Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

3 Tips for Voice Projection

3 Tips for Voice Projection Suzy S. No mic? No problem! Sing loud and proud with these voice projection tips from Broken Arrow, OK voice teacher Adia P Growing up on the stages of community theater, I probably heard Project your voice! more than Curtain! or Break a Leg!  Its a little intimidating at first, but between nonstop practices and a healthy fear that all my hard work would be wasted if no one could hear my lines, I was projecting like a pro in no time. It may sound complicated, but projecting your voice is just another way to say, speak up. We do it naturally, without thinking, almost every day. When I am helping my students to project their singing voice, I often have them practice attempting to get someones attention. To do so, we raise our voice to capture the attention of our target. For example, Hey you! or Wait, you forgot your..! They quickly learn that it is fairly easy to do in fact, they project almost effortlessly. But is projecting in speaking the same as with singing? The answer is yes. I often joke that to project in song is to speak up in melody.   In the classic sense, project means to throw or thrust forward. In singing or speaking, it means we are controlling the volume of our voice, clearly and distinctly, in an effort to be heard at a greater level. It is less of a skill to be taught, and more of a method to be practiced. In fact, most of our difficulties with projecting have more to do with confidence than lack of ability.  Insecurities about your voice, or overwhelming concerns about what others will think about your sound can get in the way and cause you to shrink back. This is not always an easy fix, and often takes consistent practice and work with your coach to get your confidence level where you need it to be. But I’ve found that these three quick practice tips have helped my students master projection and get one step closer to achieving their vocal goals. I hope they help you too! 1. Find your focus. In practice, give yourself a target object to direct your voice toward. For example, a wall, window, or object on the other side of the room. Youll notice when you give your voice an aim, you will project naturally. 2. Fill the room. Always sing with enough clarity and volume to fill the space that you are in. This will help you control the level and intensity of projection you need to give. A small studio or recital hall will not require the same power or support needed to fill a large theater or concert hall;   note where you are and project accordingly. 3. Forget the fear. Since your sound comes from within, confidence struggles can greatly inhibit your ability or even willingness to sing out. But dont let fear have the final say. If there is something about your voice you dont like, focus in and work with your coach to get stronger and more proficient. Always believe in your ability to make a sound worth sharing. Adia P. teaches singing lessons to students of all ages in Broken Arrow, OK. Adia specializes in vocal/stage performance, beginner-intermediate singing, sight-singing, musical theater and audition preparation and performance. She joined the TakeLessons team in October 2012. Learn more about Adia, or search for a teacher near you! Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher Photo by  Matt McGee