Of course, the new term will often bring changes to the family routine; this also comes with it excitements, nerves and then occasional doubts. As a parent, this will most definitely be expected, and more than likely than not, you’ll be thinking about your young ones constantly throughout the day.
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However, it is natural for children to feel slightly anxious about starting school. Even the most confident of children will feel some nerves and anticipation; it will be a big change to the routine they are used to. Every child is different and what may worry one child won’t worry another.
While most kids have resumed school and settling in this first week, these tips will further help:
Ensure to instil independence in your child. This will be measured by how well your child carry out tasks given at home. This could be making sure they’re going to be able to open their lunchboxes, put their clothes on or know what’s in their pencil case. These small things make a big difference. It may be worth asking questions about what they are most looking forward to doing at school, it will help you weigh up the best preparation for them.
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Organisation is key; hence ensure that your child makes it a part of his routine especially on school days. If your child is organised he will feel positive and ready. Helping your child understand simple tasks like putting the school uniform in the wash, laying it out together at night ready for the morning, going to the holiday task together and doing a checklist the night before school helps with forwarding thinking.
You may notice over time that he will begin to do these things naturally, when this happens it would be a good time to introduce other areas of organisation allowing your child to act on independent tasks.
Always reassur your child that everything will be fine. It is key to know they can talk about anything worrying them at school, not just to parents, but teachers too. You could also choose to relive memories of your school days with your child, your experiences will help ease him into the school term and put some confidence. He could finish school that day with completely the same experience and wish to talk to you about it. This will get the ball rolling for other areas of conversation that will flow naturally.
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When it comes to friends, it’s advisable to let your child make their own choices. Pairing him up with friends doesn’t necessarily work as they feel he is being forced to be friendly. You will find that he feels a lot more comfortable in making his own decisions and find out who they wish to play with.
If you feel like your child is finding it hard to adapt to school life, it’s better to nip it in the bud to start with as it will end up becoming a problem. Nothing is easy on the first few days so bear with your child, you, yourself will notice anything out of the ordinary. However, if you do feel something is wrong, talk to your teacher about it. Most importantly, don’t stop communicating with your child once they are at school. Continue to ask them as many questions as possible and show interest in their day.
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