Some students have already started their summer vacations and others only have a couple of weeks to go! Keeping up with school day routines and staying motivated in the final weeks of the quarter is tough with summer just around the corner. If the enthusiasm for school is rapidly declining in your household, consider these creative ways to keep everyone going strong in these final weeks.

• Surprise! Make an effort to surprise your child with a note to tell them how proud you are of their accomplishments and hard work. This can be a notecard in their backpack, words of encouragement tucked in a folder on test day, or a special treat and card in their lunchbox.
• Change the conversation. Asking a child about his or her day at school, especially during this time of year, likely results in a one word answer. If you are met with “fine” or “good,” when trying to get the details of the day, consider asking a different question.
  • “What is something that you did really well today?”
  • “If you were the teacher, what fun end of the year activity would you plan?”
  • “Who did you sit next to at lunchtime?”
• Get creative together. Help your child make a poster or scrapbook of their accomplishments from this school year. Remembering field trips, class pets and fun times with friends can be a great way to keep them excited about the final days of school.
• Give an A+ for effort. Look for progress everywhere! Consistently recognizing your child’s effort can go a long way in motivating them. Noticing the way they handled a particular problem, the extra time put into an art project or the initiative they took to read a more challenging book, can be great causes for celebration!