Yes, Summer is coming to a close and it’s time to think about getting all those school supplies on the provided lists, checking to see that shoes still fit and helping pick out that outfit for the first day of school. Traveling vacations are pretty much over now – everyone has had their annual family and friend get-togethers at cottages, camps, ocean condos and grandparents’ houses. A bit of melancholy, and perhaps a little tension, is starting to fill the air as the countdown gets closer to that first day of school. BUT WAIT!! The most challenging task for parents is how to fit in the all important sports schedules! While I totally respect and support the need for kids to have healthy, skill building physical outlets, as a speech and language pathologist who works on kids’ cognitive growth, it  becomes my end-of-summer responsibility to remind parents that working on speech and language skills, helping children learn to process information at the warp speed it comes in, helping them to make enough sense of all the new information received every minute of everyday to be able to respond to it verbally and/or in writing is an enduring, life long skill from which EVERY child will benefit!

Many of my parents are discouraged and wonder why their child(ren) work all day at school then another 2-3 hours on homework. Did you know that the National Education Association recommends that children in first grade receive 10-20 minutes of homework per night, children in second grade should receive 20-30 minutes and third graders should receive 30-40 minutes per night? Most teachers assign far more than this. It is not unusual for my second and third graders to be working for 2-3 hours per night on homework! What are teachers thinking?! Many of the children I work with have difficulties with language – vocabulary, processing sounds, memory, sequencing and sound-letter relationships. Given these underdeveloped skills, take a wild guess how much more time these kids spend on their homework. No wonder school is not a popular option! Now add in sports time…usually 2-3 times per week (if you’re lucky and games are on the weekends), plus karate, plus music lessons, plus dance, plus scouts…well, you get the idea. They’re all good outlets and definitely worthwhile for your child, but how much can you expect from someone who is 7, 8, 9 or 10 years old?

Recommendations? Think about these: 1) If your child is struggling with academics, make it a priority to get him/her specialized, professional help. Understanding and using language is the key to all success.  2) Absolutely have your child participate in sports..BUT limit your child’s involvement either by time or number of activities. Is it really necessary to be on all the school sports teams AND the town recreation teams AND the competitive regional teams? 3) S-L-O-W down the day for your child. Have a chat about the day..in the morning over breakfast (turn the TV off!), leave a note in his/her lunchbox, dare I suggest you have a conversation if/when you pick your child up after school or sports practice..without the radio on, the earbuds in or the video games?

Yes, Summer is almost over and it’s time to transition into Fall and the new schedule. I hope these thoughts give you pause to help you organize your child’s time and activities. Remember, the REAL long term goal is to help your child become an adult who can communicate effectively, prioritize work and play, and, above all, be healthy and happy!