AttentiveKids Parent Playbook · Middle (Grades 6–8)
Home checklist
Sleep & screens
- Pick a bedtime and wake time together.
- Choose a time when screens go down for everyone, grown-ups included.
Study space & routine
- Choose one spot together — kitchen table counts.
- Write the order on a card with your child.
- On Sunday, ask your child to list this week's deadlines and tests.
Homework start
- Agree a start cue: "When the snack's done, I open my book."
- Ask your child to break tonight's work into three to five small steps.
- Sit nearby with your own reading or paperwork.
Movement & outdoor play
- Put 15 minutes of movement right after school.
- Choose a weekend slot for an hour outside.
Family games without screens
- Pick one evening this week for a 20-minute game.
- Put 8–12 objects on a tray and look for one minute.
- Choose a strategy game: chess, a card game, or a co-op board game.
Conversations & praise
- Swap "you're so smart" for "you tried a new way".
- Swap "how was school?" for "what was the hardest bit today?"
Phone & device rules
- Agree when screens are fine and when they're off (meals, homework, bedtime).
- Sit together and look at which apps send notifications.
Reading together
- Set 15 minutes where everyone reads their own book or article.
Calm-down routines
- Practise together: breathe in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4.
- Ask your child what helps them reset: music, a walk, a shower, a snack.
Exam weeks
- Help your child turn notes into questions (the Revision Quiz Maker can help teens).
- List the exams and dates with your child.
