TIME FOR BACK TO SCHOOL
Here are a few ideas of what you can do to help your kids get back to school:
1) Don’t wait until the night before Labour Day to put a plan in place - start in mid-August, latest.
2) Help kids re-establish a routine, if you have let it go over the summer. Bedtime, wake up time, reading time, diminishing screen time - will all help to contain anxiety and a sense of a new start.
3) If your child is starting school for the first time, or changing schools, for some kids changing classes can be a big transition, - make sure to talk about it. Help your child to imagine what it will be like in the schoolyard, with new peers, maybe spend some time reading about the first day of school. Some suggested picture books are noted at drlisasheinin.blogspot.com
4) It sometimes helps to think about the first day in more detail, you can plan the first day outfit (maybe new clothes/maybe not), and involve your child in getting their backpack/lunch bag ready. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money, a small item can be purchased at the Dollar Store - just to make that first day ‘special’.
5) Involve your child in planning and then making their lunch - at an age appropriate level. This is best done the night before. The more involved your child is, the more it will feel like a shared/fun activity, and the more likely they are to eat their lunch and snacks!
6) Make sure to focus on the purpose of school - learning, and help your child to think about where their strengths and weaknesses lie. Establish, as much as possible, a consistent place and time to do homework.
7) If your child will worry about where you are during the day - try to help them visualize where you will be, your office, running errands, and be clear at drop off when you or someone else will be picking up. Make sure your child is familiar with the flow of their day.
8) You can think of putting a short message/drawing of encouragement in their lunch box. Make sure your goodbye is intentional so you and they can get a clean break at drop-off.
9)It is often helpful to develop some rituals for the first day of school. A special breakfast, a family hug, taking a picture in first day of school clothes with backpack in the same place every year. Rituals help memorialize special events, but also offer some predictability and a way of containing anxiety about taking that next step!
10) Develop a ‘transportation plan’, whether that is walking as a family, with a friend or taking transit. Take time for training as Jane Nelsen says, go over the plan, the route, rehearse as necessary to help your child to feel competent and excited for the increasing independence.
HAPPY FIRST DAY BACK/BONNE RENTRÉE!
P.S. I actually had the opportunity to participate last week in a blog post for CTV news about going back to school. They only used a few of the suggestions above - but if you like- have a read.
