As the days get longer and the weather gets warmer, you and your kids may start to look forward to summer and lose motivation to keep focused on schoolwork and the routine of day-to-day life.

Here are a few tips to get your family through the home stretch!

• Make time to blow off steam. The end of the year often comes with many tests, projects, and performances. It can be a little overwhelming for both kids and their parents. No one functions at their highest level when they are overwhelmed and stressed. Making sure to set aside time to relax or to have fun as a family can help relieve stress and can help make the time kids do spend studying or working on the end of the year stuff more productive.
• Prioritize. Make sure your child has a good balance of time spent between school, homework, friends or doing fun activities and unstructured down time. It can be tempting to sign up for all of the great activities, festivals, and spring events that start to gear up toward the end of the school year, but it might be healthier for everyone if you choose to participate in only the things they are really passionate about or engaged in.
• Get on the same team. Many times, parents are just as burnt out by the end of the year as their kids. It takes a lot of energy to maintain a busy school-year schedule, and by the time finals roll around everyone runs the risk of mentally checking out. Sharing your own feelings of being tired, overwhelmed, or ready for a break in a positive manner can help your kids realize they aren’t alone and open the door for conversations about why it is important to finish well, what needs to be prioritized, and how each family member can contribute.

Written By: Molly Halbrooks, LAMFT