So your child is starting school. It’s a time filled with mixed emotions not only for you but for them as well. In this article we’ll share our top tips for making the transition to school as smooth as possible.
“Starting school can be an overwhelming time for both children and parents. It’s a massive life change that needs preparation and ongoing attention and effort to make sure it goes smoothly for everyone”
Without preparation and putting the right strategies in place your child can easily become overwhelmed by the experience of starting school. This overwhelm is often expressed through behaviour. Your child may become upset and cry frequently, they may get angry and act out or they withdraw into themselves. Needless to say you want to avoid your child becoming overwhelmed.
When you prepare well and put strategies in place that work you can do just that. Your child will feel more confident, have less emotional outbursts (still expect some though!) and the transition will be much smoother for both them and you.
So, read on to find out how you can help not only your child but yourself get through the transition with minimal overwhelm and upset.
#1 Stick to a routine
Routines are super important. When children have consistency in their life and know what to expect they will be less anxious. And when they’re less anxious they’re more calm and confident. Set up a morning, afternoon
and evening routine for every day of the week and stick to it. A visual schedule is a great way for school starters to be remember their routine. Get your child involved by having them check off the steps in their schedule as they go through each of them. You can find out more about visual schedules here https://teachingmama.org/visual-schedule-for-toddlers/. Routines can also help you get out the door on time without the stress and hustle! And lastly, we can’t emphasise enough the importance of a consistent bedtime that allows your child to get enough sleep.
#2 Give them downtime
There are so many before and after school activities on offer these days. It can seem like booking your child into a bunch of these would be good. You may have a case of FOMO for your child however you need to avoid overscheduling them. School is incredibly tiring when they’re just starting out on their schooling journey and all those extra activities adds to the drain. If they’re tired they’ll have trouble maintaining their attention and learning new things at school. What’s more important is to book some down time into their calendar every day. They will need time to relax and play quietly and recharge their battery ready for the next day.
#3 Talk to them about school
Start conversations about school right from the start. Avoid general questions like “how was your day?” or “how are you?” and replace these with specific questions about their day such as “who did you play with at recess?” or “what was the favourite thing in your lunchbox today?”. Also, talk about how they’re feeling with questions like “how did you feel when…?”. They may not be able to describe this to you just yet so teach them how by telling them about your feelings in different situations. And if they do get upset, act out or withdraw, talk to them about it after you’ve helped them calm down and reconnect with you.
#4 Arrange a play date or two
This can be a fantastic way to foster friendships and make your child feel more comfortable at school. You can always ask their teacher who they seem to be getting along with if you’re not sure. Just check how the school wants you to communicate with the classroom teacher beforehand. Play dates are also a nice way for you to connect with other parents at school. No doubt you’ll need someone to remind you about an excursion permission slip or listen to you talk through your guilt at forgetting about sports uniform day at some stage in your child’s schooling journey!
Put these tips in place and you’ll find your child’s transition to school will be so much smoother and you’ll feel calmer. Found this article useful? Click the button below to share it with your friends.
