Beginning of school year brings major changes for children and adolescents, including new social, academic, and schedule challenges as well as opportunities. Parents can support by helping children create healthy routines and replace unhelpful habits. Research-based timelines suggest early difficulty in the first days, routines forming by about three weeks, and lifestyle integration by roughly three months (21/90 and 3-3-3 rules). Habit-building succeeds when goals start small, are consistent, reinforced, and tailored to the child's pace. Consistency, patience, repetition, and realistic expectations increase the likelihood that new behaviors become habitual and sustainable.
The start of each school year brings big changes for kids and teens. Some are exciting, like making new friends, joining activities, and learning new subjects. Others are more challenging like adjusting to new schedules, balancing schoolwork with new extracurricular activities, or social life, and maintaining healthy routines such as sleep, exercise, and self-care.As parents, one of the best ways we can support our children is by helping them establish good habits that make life smoother, healthier, and more successful.
Two common "rules of thumb" can help parents set realistic expectations and understand that this is a long-term commitment: The 21/90 Rule: It often takes about 21 days (3 weeks) for a new behavior to become routine, and about 90 days (3 months) for it to feel like part of a lifestyle. The 3-3-3 Rule: The first 3 days are the hardest, the first 3 weeks begin to feel natural, and after 3 months, the behavior becomes ingrained.
Collection
[
|
...
]