School Year Theme

By now, you are probably thinking about the new school year.  Shopping for clothing and supplies are usually first thoughts.  Eventually, it turns to a mental review of last year and wondering how this year can be made better but simpler.  After all,  assignments, activities and schedules become more difficult even though last year seemed challenging enough.  If this is your train of thought, you've landed in the place. 

I want to help you strengthen your child's learning power while not weighing you down.

In this post, I want to tell you how choosing a theme for the school year can impact focus, decision making, and attitude -not just for your child but for you as well.  A school year theme doesn't take a lot of time, in fact I'll show you how this simple AND FUN idea can SAVE time.

To start with, a school year theme helps clarify priorities.  When you are clear about what you value, your child knows what to aim for.  Add on to that, a theme can help maintain an enthusiasm that often fades as the school year seems to drag on. 

Here are 8 elements that help make a theme bare the weight of an entire school year.  Plus, a list of examples to help get your creative juices flowing. 

 1. Positive terms rather than negative: 

"Take Responsibility" or "Responsibility Wins" rather than "No blaming" or "No Excuses".  Take a couple days to think through possible themes that could fit well for your family.  Make a list of as many themes as possible and then narrow it down from that list. 

Once you identify the general theme, play around with the wording.  Chose wording that you think your family will best respond to…or ask your family for their help in the selection process.  For example, which would your family favor, "Responsibility Wins," Responsibility Rocks" or "Be a Responsibility Rockstar?"

By using positive terms to state your theme, you will be able to use it for encouragement, praise, and compliments.  You will want to identify and comment on moments when you see your child being responsible, "How did it feel taking responsibility for that?"

Themes can also clarify priorities that can have an impact on making decisions.  For example, your child asks to change today's afterschool schedule to play with her neighborhood friends before completing homework.  Your carefully selected theme can help set up your response, "As long as your responsibility for homework wins in the end."  Such a response clarifies priorities for that time of the day and helps place the decision making back on your child.  No nagging required, negative attitudes avoided.

If your child ends up not following through with her homework responsibilities for that evening, she can learn from it.  She'll have a better appreciation for the risks involved in certain choices she makes.

 2. Keep it short: 

One word or a short phrase is better than a long phrase or a whole sentence.  Many times, simple is better.

Again, try wording the theme in different ways.  Try one word possibilities as well as short phases before making a final choice.  "Momentum" could be another way of saying "Just start it."

3. Generalizations work best:

Themes can be stated in general terms while still being connected directly to specific, desired actions.

 "Spread happiness" can work with all age groups, from the teenager who picks on her younger brother as well as the younger brother who complains about the smallest inconveniences. 

4. Make it a family affair: 

The theme is for you too, not just the kids.  Being a role model for your child is important.  Including the whole family will allow opportunities for you to demonstrate the theme in positive actions as well as acknowledge when you slip-up. 

It's just as important to model success as well as failure.  Your child needs to see you handle failure with a growth mindset rather than staying stuck in a dead-end.

5. You can make it or break it: 

Be sure you select a theme that you can maintain an enthusiastic attitude about.  Make it fun!  Laugh about it!  Discuss it!  Look for it!  Live it!  Eat it! (WHAT?) Love it!  Reward it!  The theme should become a part of your everyday family life, in an enjoyable, enthusiastic way. 

 If your family needs to warm up to the idea of having a theme for the school year, ease them into it.  Monitor how your family reacts to the mention of the theme and if you detect some negativity, then make an effort to present it in a different light. 

Use sincere recognition when you observe a family member demonstrating the theme.  Find it in characters of books you read and movies you watch. 

6. Connect the theme to your beliefs. 

If you associate with a religion, you can adopt a theme that is rooted in your beliefs.  For example, I am Christian and relate to themes like, "Serve others", "Look for the blessings in disguise" or "Forgive 7x7".

7. One per family: 

Resist identifying a theme for each family member!  Ugh, not only will it become difficult to manage but the shared experience of having the same theme is part of what makes it a meaningful, even memorable, experience. 

Years from now, your family will be able to compare one theme to another and identify special moments related to each.  If every family member has a different theme, the shared experience is diluted.  Depending on the age of your child/children, there may need to be different approaches to the theme even though everyone is focusing on the same theme.

8. Front and center: 

Find new ways to keep the theme in front of your family: posters, decorations, food (treats), notes in lunch box or backpack (dreamslettering.com)  Don't do everything at once.  Think ahead so you can plan simple ways to incorporate the theme into special events and holidays.  Have your child add a sign to the family's smiling Jack-o-lantern, "Smile.  Then smile some more."  Or, make a sign, "Self-control" and place it next to a Jack-o-lantern that your family has made to look absolutely crazy and wild. 

Surprise your family with a 'theme dinner', 'theme dessert, or 'theme snack'.  Something you'd probably already be doing.  Like I always say, "keep it simple" or it won't get done.  It just needs to be something that you attach the theme to, keeping your child interested and engaged. 

Make a theme 'wall'.  It could be as small as a poster board hung on the back of the basement or garage door if you don't want it displayed anywhere else in your house.  On the other hand, how awesome it would be to have a theme wall prominently displayed in your house for everyone who visits to see! 

Each family member could make their own poster, even as small as 8.5" x 11" to display in their own room (back of closet door).

One of my favorite places to download fonts for making special signs and banners is www.letteringdelights.com  This is an affiliate link that will pay a percentage of your purchases to me, without any change in your price.  I would love to receive a picture of your family's theme board/wall once it is up and running.  Please include permission for me to post it on my website and social media if that is okay with you.  Submit theme board pictures to [email protected].

Being enthusiastic about the theme and keeping it front and center will have a compounding impact on your child's focus in that area.  Plus, the theme can become a huge influencer on time.

THEME Examples:

Spread Happiness

Momentum

Effort

Just start it

Self-control

Look for joy

Stick with it

Be gentle with yourself and others

Serve others

Bottle your worries

Breathe

Smile.  Then, smile some more.

Be the best you!

Work hard, play hard!

Once the theme becomes a part of your family's way of life, it will earn it's keep by the amount of energy and time it saves.  A theme for the school year can clarify expectations while making communication more direct.  It can lift attitudes and help maintain steady levels of enthusiasm throughout the entire school year. 

Next school year, you can choose a new theme to build on this year's success. 

Let's create s'more teachable moments, together!

Ron