Math in the Morning

Can we get comfortable with uncertainty? Just four weeks ago, our school district announced our kids would go to school 5 days a week. Woohoo! Two days ago, we learned our sons will do a hybrid version with two days in school, if not fully remote. Boo! I can spend hours spinning on why educating our children is not considered essential and liquor stores and weed dispensaries are. Or, I can choose to find a new way forward for their schooling (and my sanity) in this wild Covid world. I am choosing the latter which means math in our morning.

​With school from home, we are now teachers in addition to all our other roles. We are not the support team this fall, we are the co-teachers. So how can we structure the day for more learning and less chaos, complaining and back talk? Did you know studies show that 80 percent of kids perform better on analytical skills in the morning? Why does this matter? If we help our kids to do their analytical subjects like math and science in the morning they will get more out of it - and well, isn’t that the goal? And bonus, they probably will enjoy it more and complain less.

Two subjects into the day, everyone’s focus will drain. Great time for a midday break with exercise in the outdoors. Did you know moving, ideally where there is some green space, gives energy and improves mood? Yours and theirs!. Afternoons are a wonderful time for creative and restorative activities. Are you recognizing that afternoon slump? It is NOT from your lunch, but rather your natural time rhythms. So how about some creative writing, art, technology, silent reading, or even viewing a documentary on a historical event?

Knowing a bit about our prime zones of energy, focus and creativity sets the family up for success. It won’t necessarily be easy, but these simple timing tips can decrease the fights and tension we all felt this past Spring. So let’s take a BIG deep breath as we approach the school year, and start with math in the morning.