Let’s learn about How to Balance School and a Modeling Career.

Dear Readers Welcome to another topic on Parenting from Iconic Fashion Kids! One of the most common questions that arises when thinking about enrolling your child into modeling is: How do child models manage their academic responsibilities while pursuing a modeling career?

Considering enrolling your child in modeling? That’s exciting! It can be a lot of fun and a great experience. But let’s talk about the elephant in the room: School.

It’s no secret that modeling can be demanding. Early mornings, late nights, and travel can easily disrupt a child’s regular school routine.

“FACT YOU CAN’T AVOID” – You might see yourself more on the road and less at home. If you are ready for that, then welcome to the fashion industry!

Hence, Iconic Fashion Kids, surveyed few parents of young models to understand how they manage their children’s academic lives while pursuing a modeling career.

What is meant by a modeling career ?

You might think this is a silly question, but it’s actually not for many people. We do know some folks who genuinely believe that modeling is only about fashion shows and runways. But it’s so much more than that. A modeling career can be pretty diverse. It’s not just about walking the runway. It can involve photo shoots for magazines, advertising campaigns, and even commercials.

You might do fashion shows, catalog work, or models for specific brands. Some models also do print work, like for brochures or online stores (they actually prefer that because they find a balance between school and work from a very young age). Plus, there’s a chance to travel, meet interesting people, and sometimes even get into acting.

Here are few key takeaways from everyday moms who aspires to put their kids into modeling:

Structured Schedules [MOST IMPORTANT and A VERY HELPFUL ADVISE]

One of the key strategies to balance school and modeling is maintaining a structured schedule. Initially, it might be very hard to maintain such schedules, but, child models, along with their parents and guardians, often plan their days meticulously. This includes setting specific times for schoolwork, modeling assignments, and personal time.

As you know, by sticking to a routine, you can ensure that neither school nor modeling is neglected. You can start to plan things by prioritizing tasks. One of the moms advised to set daily goals for their child so they know what to expect and kids love to follow routines/ rules. Make good use of that.

Effective time management is essential for child models. They learn to prioritize tasks and make the most of their time. We find it a very interesting way to balance both as it helps develop excellent organizational skills and a strong work ethic from an early age which we all know that we need in the future for any career that we pursue. Right? This can be a good reason for starting it early!

Flexible Schooling Options when you pursue modeling career

Many child models opt for flexible schooling options such as online classes or homeschooling. These alternatives provide the flexibility needed to accommodate their busy modeling schedules. Online schooling allows them to complete their studies from anywhere, whether they are at home, on set, or traveling for a photoshoot.

Some of the parents suggested that it is important to communicate with teachers and school administrators to understand the school’s policies on flexible schedules at the very beginning during admission if you know your child has a modeling career ahead of her. Many schools are willing to accommodate the unique needs of child models by providing alternative assignments or allowing for make-up work. On the other hand, some traditional schools offer hybrid learning models that combine in-person and online classes. Some moms recommend checking these things with your educational institution.

Prioritizing Education

Most of the parents admitted to the fact that despite their modeling commitments, education remains a top priority for their child models and their families. Parents and guardians work closely with teachers and school administrators to ensure that their child stays on track academically. This might include arranging for extra tutoring sessions or coordinating with teachers to make up for missed classes. This is pretty much similar to the point above but there is a fine line between the two where few parents work really closely with teachers as they don’t want their child to miss any classes for the sake of modeling.

Playtime, Relax and Rest

Child models must essentially have breaks and rest to prevent burnout. As already mentioned, balancing school and modeling can be demanding, so ensuring they have time to relax and engage in leisure activities is vital. These can be anything like pursuing hobbies they love, whether it’s reading, drawing, playing sports, or any other activity, providing a necessary break from their routine and helping in developing other skills.

We highly encourage parents to get them involved in other activities too, hence, you might have noticed a very common question that we often ask all of our selected models is to share what they love outside modeling. As parents, it’s natural to be deeply invested in our children’s careers because we often see our dreams in them. However, it’s important to remember that supporting their own passions and choices is what truly matters.

In addition to the points mentioned above, we highly encourage parents to teach their children relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or even light yoga from a very young age. These practices can be immensely beneficial for reducing stress and promoting relaxation.

As one of the moms highlighted, “Stress can be a significant challenge, especially in the fashion industry, so equipping children with the tools to relax and manage stress independently can be incredibly helpful for their future careers.”

We believe, that teaching these techniques early on will not only support their current well-being but also will prepare them for the demands they may face as they advance in the industry.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article! Since we started sharing articles on parenting, we’ve been receiving lots of messages and contributions from parents eager to share their insights. While we can’t share all of them, we’ll do our best to feature as many as possible. Thank you for being a part of the Iconic Fashion Kids community!
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