 Going
back to school means getting into a new schedule and routine. Although
your child may have attended summer camp or kept busy over the summer,
starting the school year can be tough. Even if your child has attended
school before, she may be anxious about starting the new school year
because it may mean being in a new building, having new teachers, or
making new friends. However, if you take some steps to prepare yourself
and your child for this new experience, you can ease some of the
anxiety and get the school year off to a great start!
Start
talking early. Begin reminding your child that school is starting a few
weeks before it actually does. Try to assess his emotions. These can
range from concern to excitement to disappointment that summer vacation
is ending. Let your child know that it is ok for him to be nervous. Try
to get him excited by going shopping for school supplies. If possible,
try to visit your child’s class before the first day, and meet the
teacher. This will help him become familiar with his surroundings and
it will also give him the opportunity to ask questions and express any
fears so you can talk about them before the first day. If your child
will no longer be with the same group of friends, see if you can get
the names of a few children in his class and set up play dates
beforehand.
Get bedtime back on schedule. A week or two before
school begins, start adjusting your child’s bedtime to what it will be
on school nights. There is no right bedtime for any specific age group
of children because each child's routine, metabolism, and need for
sleep is different. A normal range of bedtimes for 7-12 year olds is
about 7:30-10PM, and children of this age usually need about 10-11
hours of sleep a day. However, some children need to nap, and so may go
to sleep later and still wake up in time for school.
Plan out a
school day routine. Have your child wake at the appropriate time for
school in the morning, and do the things she will do on school days
such as get dressed, have breakfast, and put her lunch in her backpack.
If your child will be taking lunch or snack, involve her in planning
and packing these. Make sure that any containers and packages are
user-friendly. Go over the route to school, whether it involves going
to the bus stop, taking public transportation, or driving.
Adjust
to the academics. Even if your child is in a lower grade and will not
have homework, he will still need to be prepared to learn. Try to
refresh his memory and go over some of the things he learned during the
previous school year. With younger children, set aside some time every
day for the few weeks leading up to school to read with him, practice
writing his name, or even coloring. With older children, have them
practice homework time by setting aside time for them to read every day
in the weeks leading up to school, and talk to him about what he has
read.
Give it time. The first few weeks of the school year can
be an adjustment for everyone. As prepared as you and your child are,
there may be ups and downs as you both get used to the routine and
develop a new schedule for homework and other activities. Be sure to
check in with your child’s teacher to see how things are going.
This article appears courtesy of OneToughJob.org, a parenting website owned and operated by the Massachusetts Children's Trust Fund.
| top of page | back | home |
