September lurks around the corner while the kids are trying to squeeze every last drop out of summer fun.
With September comes back to school and for most kids that means getting up early to attend class, doing homework assignments and projects, maybe hitting the library for the really ambitious, and of course no more late nights on the computer-at least we parents hope.
Yet going back to school does not have to be dreaded.
Aside from being a month characterized by beautiful days, September augurs fall: the harvest, Halloween, and then segues into the holidays.
This should be a time that is looked upon with joyful expectancy, not dread.
Summer has had its time and now fall and winter must get their rightful turns at the wheel.
Most importantly, fall should see your kids getting off to great starts in school, and in order to do that some preparation is needed.
As parents, you should be mentally gearing up your children for school.
Speak positively about the coming year and all the great things you expect them to accomplish.
There is no replacement for the instillation of positive expectancy in your kids.
If they know you expect great things from them, they are more likely to rise to the occasion.
Start suggesting that they read a little bit each night, that they start a great book.
There are so many out there from some hot bestsellers even to the old-standby classics.
Great literature not only makes your kids educated but also gives them a new perspective on the world, and deeper insights into nature in general.
Make your kids curious about things.
Watch the science or discovery channel with them and discuss some of the ideas mentioned during the program.
On a show about our solar system, for example, ask questions such as, "Do you think there are any other suns in the universe very similar to ours?" or after a show on new discoveries in science, ask, "Do you think time travel will ever be possible?" Get their brains thinking.
Discuss the distances between stars by looking up this topic on an online encyclopedia (Wikipedia is very good).
Relate galactic distances to numbers and mathematics, such as how big is big; or how small is small when discussing things like the size of the atom.
Humans are naturally curious and children as a subset of Homo sapiens are therefore curious too.
You need to prod them to bring this curiosity into the forefront so that they start to ask their own questions.
Once this process starts, learning never stops.
And that's a good thing because then you never have to worry about motivating your kids again.