From Shanna
Dear Families,
With the end of the year here and as we all prepare to slow down over the holiday break, our lives inevitably speed up in the lead up to slowing down!
The same is true in our services where our service managers, assistant managers, service support staff and educators turn their attention to 2025 enrolments and supporting children to transition into their new spaces for 2025.
As the end of the year approaches, children can become tired and experience end of year fatigue. As a family you have made your way through over 300 days of drop offs, pick-ups, bag packing, juggling the busyness of work and home. As the year winds up, there are often extra activities, social events and errands on top of changes happening in the service, and this can quickly take a toll on mood and energy levels.
As the festive season approaches, here are some tips to help your children make it through this time of the year in good health and good spirits:
- Simplify your Schedule: Where possible, reduce activities to avoid overwhelm. Lots of activities back to back can quickly drain the battery of our little people.
- Prioritise Sleep: This time of the year often means more time out at late and less routine. It is a great idea to try and keep sleep time consistent for children to ensure they have a chance to recharge before the next big day.
- Relaxation Time: Schedule quiet moments for reading, drawing, or outdoor play. A chance to be unscheduled and to be in nature always helps children to feel more centred and ready to tackle new challenges.
- Energising Breaks: Incorporating physical activity into the day is a good way for children and adults to tackle stress and fatigue and leave your body and mind feeling refreshed.
- Acknowledge Feelings: Talking about children’s emotions and displaying empathy is vital to ensuring children get through to the end of the festive season. It’s important to recognise any stress or worries they may have and let them know it’s okay to feel tired or overwhelmed. Show empathy and remind them they’re not alone in feeling fatigued.
- Lead by Example: Model self-care by taking care of yourself and showing your children how to manage stress and fatigue with healthy self-care practices. Kids pick up on your energy, so when you are balanced, they are more likely to feel grounded too.
This newsletter will be my last with Lady Gowrie Tasmania. I have had an amazing time supporting the Education and Care team and have loved seeing happy, engaged children in services across the state. I am incredibly proud to have been a part of an organisation with such an amazing footprint whose history has contributed to shaping education and care in Tasmania over the last 85 years. Thank you for allowing me to be a small part in your child’s education and care journey.
I wish you and your family all the best for a happy holiday season and a safe and peaceful New Year.
Shanna Hughes
GENERAL MANAGER EDUCATION AND CARE
