Gone are the days when children went to school, came home, made a peanut butter sandwich and went to play with the neighbourhood kids!  Cindy Glass, Director and Co-founder of Step Up Education Centres explains “Children are naturally high-energy beings and very little thought is given to the extreme pressures and overloading of activities that our children face in the world that we find ourselves living in today! As adults, we are familiar with the challenges of physical and emotional burn-out, but we do not consider that children are prone to burn out as well.  In fact, burn out in children, if left unchecked, can lead to depression, complete apathy and a myriad of health issues.”

Cindy goes on to explain that many children are being subjected to competitive and pressured activities all day, every day and at a pace that most adults would find challenging to keep up!  “Academic expectations, sports (school and clubs), cultural and religious studies, extra lessons, music, art, drama, dance…. the list goes on and on… when packed, back-to-back into the daily schedule of children can lead to overloaded children becoming exhausted and this may lead to burn out!”

Parents who notice that their children are showing a combination of the following signs may want to consider that their children may be heading towards burn out-or worse-have already burned out!

• A loss of motivation or desire for activities that they once enjoyed or looked forward to.
• Anxiety, fearfulness and panic attacks
• Fatigue and tearfulness, withdrawn, uncharacteristic tantrums
• Feelings of dejection, making excuses or simply refusing to attend activities that they may have enjoyed before
• Physical illnesses, loss of appetite, nail biting
• Falling behind in academics or other activities

Burn out is not something to be taken lightly.  Cindy gives the following tips to consider when dealing with burn out in children:

1. Choose to be a mindful parent. Watch, communicate, listen-with-understanding, acknowledge that something needs to change and act to help and support your child!
   
   
2. Honestly assess the activities and stress causers in your child’s life.
   
   
3. Work with your child to reduce or stop the activities that cause the greatest stress. Allow time for your children to just BE. Allow time for rest and reflection, for childish games and laughter. Teach your children the importance of listening to their bodies and making healthy choices for themselves—choices that are uplifting, enjoyable and less pressured.
   
   
4. Be realistic in terms of how many activities your child is doing every day and every week. Watch for signs of exhaustion. Engender a relationship of non-judgemental communication with your child. Guide, support and teach them positive coping skills (which may or may not involve a change in schedule).
   
   
5. Choose to create balance in yours and your children’s lives. There is no advantage or positive learning that can take place from overloading a child! It is important for children to learn a variety of skills as they grow, but be aware of how much is expected of them—too much can be counter-productive! 

Cindy concludes by saying “Burn out in children is more prevalent that we may have allowed ourselves to consider before! It can lead to serious consequences.  As parents, it is essential that we acknowledge that children, although naturally high energy beings, can and will burn out if their lives are out of balance and the signs are left unchecked!”

About Step Up
Established in 2016, Step Up Education Centres is a dynamic after-school remediation and tutoring franchise with a difference. Step Up offers children an opportunity to succeed in a schooling system that is, at times, very unsympathetic.  From the moment, a child walks through a Step Up Education Centre door they feel different.  They no longer feel silly or stupid. They no longer feel misunderstood. They no longer feel judged. After just one lesson they feel hope. They see possibility. After a few sessions, they walk taller, feel smarter, do better. Why? Because Step Up believes that every child has potential… and our passionate educators will not give up until they reach it!                                                                                                                                               

Press release disseminated on Behalf of:
Cindy Glass
Director and Co-Founder of Step Up Education Centres

Disseminated by:
Carmen White
Account Manager
Sam Watt Marketing Communications
081 260 4011

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Many of us are familiar with Cliff Richard’s classic Christmas song, ‘Mistletoe and wine’. The chorus goes something like this:“Christmas time, Mistletoe and wine, Children singing Christian rhymes. With logs on the fire and gifts on the tree, A time to rejoice in the good that we see.” Christmas time is a few weeks away, department stores have been suitably decked out for over a month, and thousands of children are dreaming of family gatherings, delicious food and, of course, Santa Claus!  “Christmas time is associated with the buying of gifts and it, not unlike a shark feeding frenzy, elicits a culture of must-buys and massive overspending. Unfortunately, gifts are equated with stuff – toys, gadgets, computer games – the options are endless. This ‘stuff’, in turn, is temporarily exciting to receive but that joy is short-lived and soon, more stuff is demanded in order to fill the hole that is left.  ‘Stuff’ does not provide lasting fulfillment and long-term happiness!” says Cindy Glass, Director and Co-founder of Step Up Education Centres. 

Cindy adds, “Think about it for a moment: Our children are being starved of positive human connections, uplifting fulfilling experiences and the opportunity to grow into leaders who embrace life to the fullest! It is time for a change of mind-set when it comes to defining what gifts best serve our children during this holiday season.” 

Cindy offers a few novel, cost-effective gift ideas to consider:

GIVE THE GIFT OF TIME: Your children value your time, your encouragement and your engagement in their lives way more than a gadget!  By giving of your time, you give them a part of yourself!  In addition, you are better able to provide a sincere, non-judgemental ear to listen and understand.  

GIVE THE GIFT OF GIVING: Use this time to involve your children in choosing interesting gifts, wrap them with love and give these to the less fortunate. The very act of giving joy to others gives priceless joy to yourself!

GIVE THE GIFT OF COMPASSION AND GRATITUDE. Why not join your children in visiting and supporting an animal shelter – walk the dogs at the SPCA, for example. Visit an old age home with something special to give.  Encourage an attitude of love, compassion and gratitude by what you do and not just what you say!

GIVE THE GIFT OF EXPERIENCES. Do something you have not done before—zip-lining, hiking, playing a board game together and getting out into nature. Have fun together! Laugh, play and be silly together! Create positive memories that will last forever!

GIVE THE GIFT OF CREATIVITY. Make Christmas gifts, decorations and treats instead of buying them. There are thousands of easy-to-do, low-cost Christmas treasures on the internet! Creativity is exciting, fun and soul-fulfilling! “Christmas time is, indeed, the season for giving and sharing.  By exploring some of the ideas above, you will add great value to this time and the rewards of increased happiness and fulfilment will be worth the effort!” Cindy concludes.  

About Step Up
Established in 2016, Step Up Education Centres is a dynamic after-school remediation and tutoring franchise with a difference. Step Up offers children an opportunity to succeed in a schooling system that is, at times, very unsympathetic.  From the moment, a child walks through a Step Up Education Centre door they feel different.  They no longer feel silly or stupid. They no longer feel misunderstood. They no longer feel judged. After just one lesson they feel hope. They see possibility. After a few sessions, they walk taller, feel smarter, do better. Why? Because Step Up believes that every child has potential…and our passionate educators will not give up until they reach it!                                                                                                                                               

Press release disseminated on Behalf of:
Cindy Glass
Director and Co-Founder of Step Up Education Centres

Disseminated by:
Carmen White
Account Manager
Sam Watt Marketing Communications 

Imagine that you are observing from the side of a swimming pool and are watching children learn how to swim. As you watch, you notice the different variety of abilities, confidence levels and fears that they display in the water.  Some children seem to grasp these new skills with ease while others seem to struggle and need a bit of extra assistance and encouragement along the way.  With a swimming gala looming ahead, the decision has to be made as to who is competent enough to compete at the next level, and who may need extra practice in mastering the skills that are needed. 

“In a scenario such as this one, it is without a doubt that any child who has not sufficiently mastered the skills at this level will become more fearful, less confident and progress slower if they were forced on to a more challenging level. They may even risk drowning in the process!” says Cindy Glass, Director and Co-founder of Step Up Education Centres. 

She adds that while learning to swim is not quite the same as learning to read, write and progress academically, the principal of learning any new skill is the same. “It is best to achieve sufficient mastery of each level of study before progressing to more challenging levels of learning.

”Sadly, for generations, the need to repeat a school grade has been classified as a failure, leaving scores of parents and learners struggling to embrace the idea of repeating a grade to better master the necessary skills needed for the next level! “Yet, forcing a child, who is not ready, into the next grade could have a significantly negative impact on the child’s self- esteem and, worse, it could slow the learning process or even stop it altogether as the child’s struggles worsen with the pressures of the new grade!” Cindy explains.

Cindy gives the following advice to parents facing the decision of whether to allow their child to repeat a grade or not:

1. Repeating a grade is NOT a failure. It is an opportunity for a struggling learner to better master the skills he needs! If you speak of failure, your child will feel like he has, indeed, failed! Your approach to a child repeating the grade will determine your child’s reaction toward it!
2. Discuss all available options with your child’s teachers before making a final decision. Have an open mind – remember that this is about what is best for your child. Discuss any concerns that you may have openly and honestly.
3. Consider your child’s level of competency in the current grade. If your child is struggling significantly, he is most likely going to struggle even more so in the next grade.
4. Consider your child’s age and physical development. Remember, always, that YOU need to decide what is BEST for your child. A child who is significantly taller or older than his upcoming classmates may feel too embarrassed for a repeat to be of any help!
5. Make a list of all the pros and cons of your child repeating the grade or going on. Ask yourself: What is best for my child?  What are the long-term benefits or harms? What would happen if I do/do not allow the repeat?

“There is no denying that the decision to repeat a struggling learner is an emotionally tough one to make.  Take your time and do what you feel is best for your child. Remember, how you react to the situation will set the tone for how your child responds to it!” Cindy concludes.                                                                                                                                             

About Step Up

Established in 2016, Step Up Education Centres is a dynamic after-school remediation and tutoring franchise with a difference. Step Up offers children an opportunity to succeed in a schooling system that is, at times, very unsympathetic.  From the moment, a child walks through a Step Up Education Centre door they feel different.  They no longer feel silly or stupid. They no longer feel misunderstood. They no longer feel judged. After just one lesson they feel hope. They see possibility. After a few sessions, they walk taller, feel smarter, do better. Why? Because Step Up believes that every child has potential…and our passionate educators will not give up until they reach it!                                                                                                                                               

Press release disseminated on Behalf of
Cindy Glass
Director and Co-Founder of Step Up Education Centres

Disseminated by
Carmen White
Account Manager
Sam Watt Marketing Communications
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