With a week or two left before the start of school and the days starting to get shorter, we need no second bidding, to get our kids prepped for the start of school. But how does that feel for your child, going into a new class…. or a new school? Must be quite daunting, leaving him/her full of apprehension.
And most importantly, what can we do as parents to make that move, that much easier for our child?
We have put together a few tips to help:
Have the talk with your child and offer them that reassurance that it’s not going to be as overwhelming or scary as they think. Make them understand that the situation will be new for all of the children in their class/year group.
Also assure them that the teachers are quite experienced in handling such situations as they witness such at the start of every school year, so they will be on hand to ease your child into the swing of things at school and make them feel as comfortable as possible.
Be the ‘spirit uplifter’ and highlight all the positives; let your child know how great it will be going back to school – to a new group/class for ‘bigger’ kids, which means they have grown and are now in the big league!
If they are starting a new school, they’ll be making new friends, which should be fun.
What else can be done to ensure a smooth transition?
Perhaps a gradual return to the routine reserved for school time; ease your child back into the bedtime schedule, so they don’t find it too difficult to get up on their first day back at school.
Have all the school ‘gear’ (uniform, bag, lunch box etc.) sorted and ready to go, come the first day.
Double-check the drop-off and pick up schedule to make sure there’ll be no hitches.
Have a quick peek into some of the work done at the previous level, to refresh your child’s memory. This will boost their confidence ahead of the start of the new term, so they don’t feel they’ll be walking into something way beyond them – especially if they over-indulged in the free-time over the break.
Get your child involved in the preparations e.g. plan the lunch menu with them.
Remind them of how it was the previous year when they were transitioning to a new class and how it all worked out in the end.
The most important thing is to be there for your child, listen to their concerns and reassure them as much as you can – it’ll be fine!
Have a great first day back to school kids!
