{"id":65,"date":"2017-12-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/5-tips-to-support-students-when-they-come-home-for-break\/"},"modified":"2020-11-18T23:11:34","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T23:11:34","slug":"5-tips-to-support-students-when-they-come-home-for-break","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.northcentral.edu\/blog\/5-tips-to-support-students-when-they-come-home-for-break\/","title":{"rendered":"5 tips to support students when they come home for break"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Karen Hagan<\/em><\/p>\n

There is nothing more exciting than Christmas break for college students! They have been working hard day and night to \u201cmake the grade\u201d and keep up with the schedule of university life. There have been late nights of study for papers and tests, as well as some fun (which may not have been the smartest choice, but was fun nonetheless). There have also been early morning classes, and a lot of homework.<\/p>\n

As Christmas break commences, I thought I would give you a few ideas as to how to make Christmas break with your college student the best it can be.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t pretend to be an expert, but I have had three of my four children go through college, and have had lots of experience both good and challenging as we met up with expectations that didn\u2019t quite mesh for the short time they are back home.<\/p>\n

Here are 5 tips for enjoying\u00a0your Christmas holiday with your college student!<\/h2>\n

Don’t make your schedule too full<\/h3>\n

Try not to make a ton of plans! Especially in those first few days. Trust me, your student is at least 30 hours shy of sleep so they will probably want to sleep, sleep, and sleep some more. Then there\u2019s the joy of \u2018vegging out\u2019 on the couch, watching movies, sports, or catching up on their favorite shows on Netflix. Your student has worked hard, and they need to recover!<\/p>\n

Be at home<\/h3>\n

If you can, try to be home as much as possible. We all know that it often takes strategic planning in this busy world to find space and margin in your work week\u2014even in the holiday season. Christmas should be a time when we slow down and enjoy life a little. I know that my kids just wanted to spend some \u201chang out\u201d time, especially with their siblings, playing games, and catching up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"5<\/span><\/h3>\n

Make their favorite foods<\/span><\/h3>\n

They have been enjoying the delicacies of cafeteria food for the past 3 months or so and have missed all the tastes that only mom can make. Ask them what they would like to have for dinners or breakfasts. Those are my family\u2019s favorite meals.<\/p>\n

Whenever we have special family time, they always want to have breakfast around the table, or dinner all together. I absolutely love those times and remember so many of the fun conversations that we have had over the years. So many laughs and so many pancakes, French toast, bacon\u2026.just all the yummies! And no counting calories!!!<\/p>\n

Anticipate time with friends<\/h3>\n

After all the great beginning moments of family time, don\u2019t be offended if your child wants to hang out with friends. They have created a lot of new friends at NCU, but there is nothing like spending time with old friends that know you from way back, catching up on what has gone on in each other\u2019s lives, and probably reminiscing about the past fun they have all had together. Hanging out with old friends is like letting the air out, they are able to just be themselves! It\u2019s good for the soul to be with people who know you well, and where you do not have to deal with the extra energy it takes getting to know new people. They have had plenty of all that in the past few months.<\/p>\n

Don’t forget your traditions<\/h3>\n

Make sure you plan for all the fun family Christmas traditions. They will be excited to feel all the feels of Christmas. We used to go out for pizza downtown, and then walk to the outside ice-skating rink. Maybe your family goes to see all the beautiful Christmas lights, or a concert, or watches your favorite Christmas movie together. It is always so much fun doing the things that we considered traditions for our family. Really, the best part of Christmas break is just spending time together.<\/p>\n

Enjoy time with your student<\/span><\/p>\n

Lastly, I would encourage you not to press them for information. Once your son or daughter is relaxed and back in the flow of their family environment they will probably begin sharing about all their experiences.<\/p>\n

Don’t underestimate the value of breaks with your student. Even though they might not acknowledge it for years, they value time and traditions with family. In fact, my son brought up our pizza and ice-skating tradition the other day and all of my children are now out of college and married with kids. So focus on having restful time with your family and building lasting traditions\u00a0together.<\/p>\n

Support your student while they finish their semester<\/h2>\n

Treat them to a care package<\/h3>\n

Want to surprise your student with a special treat? You can order all kinds of treats through our dining services provider,\u00a0Pioneer College Caterers<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Want more encouragement for NCU parents?<\/h3>\n

Subscribe to our parent newsletter<\/a> for more helpful tips and encouragement, especially for parents of college students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not sure what to do when your student comes home for break? Here are a few tips for parents to make Christmas break with college student the best it can be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college-life","category-ncu-news"],"yoast_head":"\n5 Ways to Support Students on Break - Table Salt | NCU Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Not sure what to do when your student comes home for break? 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