Psyched About School

Schools are closed for in-person instruction, we must stay at home, stay away from others, and find a new routine for our daily lives. Perhaps there is something positive to come from the radical shift in our day-to-day behavior. Currently accepted theories in cognitive psychology agree that our behavior influences how our brains are wired . We see this demonstrated through learning; what feels difficult at first becomes more fluid with practice. This is also the foundation upon which the evidence based cognitive-behavior therapy is built. One crucial set of cognitive functions are known as “ executive functions .” Check out this great video by Sprouts explaining executive functions in more detail. Here are the basics: 1. This is the part of the brain responsible for directing our attention, thoughts, emotions, and actions. Think “self-control.” 2. Those with strong executive functions experience a variety of positive life outcomes including physical and mental health, effe...

This feels like a different world that we are living in recently!  Stay at home orders, distance learning, social distancing, mask wearing, etc. are different for all of us, and can be particularly challenging for young children or kids with autism. Children with autism often struggles with changes in routine, or things that are unexpected.  Social stories can help kids be prepared for things that could be different or new experiences  A social story is described by Carol Gray, creator of Social Stories, as a “social learning tool that supports that safe and meaningful exchange of information between parents, professionals and people with autism of all ages.”  More simply put, for many children, a situation that is difficult to understand can be made more clear with the help of a simple story, with pictures and told in the first person.   In a typical situation, for example, a child might need help understanding how he or she needs to behave in the cafete...

COVID-19 has caused a major shift in the way we support our families and students in school. Families are adjusting to new roles, such as learning to homeschool, working, and trying to find activities children can do at home. Our routines and normal activities have shifted to how do I support my child during these difficult times. Children who have ADHD may need extra structure and support to manage attention and behavior challenges to keep on track with their learning! Caroline Miller wrote a great article for Child Mind Institute (Support for Kids with ADHD during the Coronavirus Crisis). She outlined eight tips on how parents can support their child with ADHD: Communicate with the School It is important to always have an open line of communication with your child’s school. Ask the teachers and staff how much of a role do you need in keeping your child or teen organized, focused, and on task. Ask the teacher questions such as “What has worked for my child in the past when th...

As we wrap up Teen Week, we hope you will bookmark our blog and go back and review these ideas and activities as needed. Today we are including ideas that didn’t quite fit into other categories. Please remember to keep sending in your activities so we can keep adding to our lists.  Tweet us @schoolpsychws and use #wspsychs and #wsfcslearnon. We hope our blogs this week will help teens and families as they navigate these uncharted waters! Encourage your teen to do something outside: Go for a walk, practice a sport, sit in a hammock and read a book, etc. Being outside will get them some much needed Vitamin D and lift their spirits!  Here is a great list of teen activities created by mom and blogger Danyelle Little.  Ideas include journaling, learning a new word each day, and writing letters to elderly in nursing homes. Read her other great ideas at The Cubicle Chick The Forsyth County Public Library has a digital registration form to get a library card. Your stude...

Today’s teen post is about helping them find a creative outlet.  During these days of quarantine, engaging in some form of art is not only fun, it can also be therapeutic. If your teen has a daily schedule, suggest that they include time to get creative and/or learn more cultural arts such as music, art, writing, or theater. Here are a few ideas we found. As always, show us your activities by tweeting to us @schoolpsychws. Use #wspsychs and #wsfcslearnon.  We would love to add more ideas to this list! Google has compiled an extensive list of museums offering online galleries. Examples include the MET, MoMA, and Musee d'Orsay in Paris, just to name a few. You can also use this site to visit some of the world’s greatest landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower and Taj Mahal. You can find this list at Google Arts and Culture Although Broadway is temporarily closed, you can still stream many famous shows, like Cats, Phantom of the Opera, and Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat....

Today’s post for our teenagers is all about social-emotional support and activities that can help to ease the burden of “social distancing.”  (We would prefer the term “physical distancing,” as social connections are more important than ever right now!)  It can be difficult to find ways to maintain communication and socialize with others during this pandemic.  Here are some ideas for meeting the social-emotional needs of teens and helping them stay connected: Social Activities Maintaining social interactions is so important for teens. To help with this, Netflix has created Netflix Party, a Chrome extension for watching Netflix remotely with friends.  It even synchronizes video playback and allows for group chat.  Learn more at Netflix Party Sometimes it is helpful for teens to hear about how others their age are coping with the quarantine and spending their time. This article from Buzz Feed News has personal stories from teens all over the country. Thei...

Today’s post for teens is all about FREE ONLINE COURSES! Before you scream that you’ve had enough learning at home, you should check out some of the ideas we’ve found for your student. Show us your activities by tweeting to us @schoolpsychws. Use #wspsychs and #wsfcslearnon.  We would love to add your ideas to this list! Free Courses CollegeBoard is offering resources so that AP students can continue working toward college credit and placement. They are providing free, live AP review lessons that focus on skills and concepts from the first 75% of the course. There will also be some supplementary lessons from the final 25% of the course. The courses are delivered by AP teachers from across the country.  Learn more at CollegeBoard Babbel is offering three months of free language learning to U.S. students through mid-June 2020 in any of its languages: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Dutch, Turkish, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Indonesian, and E...

Last week, we posted a blog on fun activities for students during this time of quarantine.  As we looked over the list, we noticed that it was mostly focused on elementary and middle school students. Our high school students are also struggling to find ways to fill their time and remain socially connected to their peers.  For seniors, this time has been particularly difficult because they are missing out on many of the events they have looked forward to since kindergarten! To support our teenage students, our blog will be devoting an entire week to them!  Each day, we will have a list of activities to keep them engaged, active, and entertained. Today we are sharing ways they can begin preparing for college and planning for their future. Let us know if you think of more!  Show us your activities by tweeting to us @schoolpsychws. Use #wspsychs and #wsfcslearnon.  We would love to add your ideas to this list! College Prep Is your teen planning to take the SAT n...

Having trouble with your anxiety? If so, you are certainly not alone. This situation is unsettling, at best. Our brains are wired towards what’s called the fight or flight response. When our brain perceives that we are in danger of some sort, we either want to run away from the perceived danger or fight with it. Neither of those strategies is an option, which of course makes us anxious. Often, when we are anxious, we breathe very shallowly, or may even hold our breath without realizing it. Making a conscious effort to breathe more deeply in a controlled way is one way that we can help to calm our nerves and calm that fear response in our brains. There is a simple technique, called box breathing, that can help to ease our anxiety. First, either imagine a square in your mind or draw a square on a piece of paper. Now, time yourself for 4 seconds across each side of the square. 4 seconds across the top to the right, breathe in. 4 seconds down the side of the square – hold your breat...

There's so much information coming at us from so many different directions right now.  Not only are we trying to keep up with news about this pandemic and how to keep our families safe, but we're experiencing disruptions to our social lives and our jobs.  The cherry on top of this COVID-19 sundae is that many parents are now being asked to step into what is, for many, a brand new role: distance learning facilitator.  (Make sure you put that on your resumes from now on! 😉)  Parents, students and educators are ALL scrambling to learn new routines and new technologies with very little - if any - warning, guidance or training. Recently, the Twitter feed for @teachergoals.org  posted something that really resonated.  When I feel myself getting overwhelmed by the "tsunami of stuff" coming at from me all directions, I revisit this tweet : Since this blog is written by a bunch of psychologists, it's probably no surprise that student mental health is our pas...

As you may know, reading is very important for development and learning. Students should read at least 30 minutes a day but with the stay-in home orders, students do not have access to public and school libraries. The Forsyth County Library has created  a way to register for a virtual library card that gives people access to the online database, ebooks, eaudiobooks, and emagazines. Follow this link below to register for a Forsyth County Library Virtual Library Card: Virtual Library Card Please allow 1-2 business days for the Forsyth County Library to process the request. Once your request has been processed, you will be able to access the digital books on a computer, smart phone, or tablet. Show us how you read digitally at #wsfcslearnon and #wspsychs. Happy Reading!