It is that emotional time of year again. A time filled with excitement, stress, anticipation, and for some who are new to the game, a time for tears and frustration. Back to school is a time that parents and children both dread and look forward to. Change can be good, but it can also be scary and hard to initiate. Below are some suggestions for making the switch from “summer fun mode” to “back to school
mode” a little easier.
According to Eileen Kennedy-Moore, a clinical psychologist and coauthor of Smart Parenting for Smart Kids: Nurturing Your Child’s True Potential, it is normal for a child to have a little flutter of anxiety about going back to school because they are getting themselves ready for a lot of newness: a teacher, classmates, tasks, and challenges. She goes on to state that students may have trouble sleeping at the start of the school year, but that is nothing to worry about. More uncomfortable symptoms that indicate trouble might include continued trouble sleeping, decreased appetite, or irritability. Severe cases can involve tears, tantrums, and even refusing to go to school.
To help avoid these potential problems or at least decrease their intensity, Kennedy-Moore suggests the following strategies: stay positive, create routines, and establish fun traditions. A parent’s attitude has a strong influence on how children view the beginning of school. Children pick up on their parents’ feelings, react to them, and often magnify them. “You have to have faith that they’ll be able to get through changes, even if it’s hard. It’s a powerful message to give kids,”she says. “We don’t want to dismiss their feelings, but we do want to normalize them and say, ‘Everyone feels a little nervous going into the classroom, but I really think you’re going to be fine.” She urges parents to emphasize to your children that anxiety doesn’t have to be a stop signal. She states, “It’s really just our body getting us pumped so we’re ready to handle a new or challenging situation.”
Creating routines at the beginning of the school year or even before, can offer stability and a feeling of safety for those students needing routine. Establishing daily routines at home directly benefits their work in the classroom, where their day is full of routines, says Traci Matturro, a reading specialist at Luxmanor Elementary in Rockville, Md. “Routines need to be modeled to kids no matter what age. They need to be shown what to do, not told what to do,” she says. “And parents need to let their kids know their expectations daily.” She suggested creating a checklist or flowchart to help get children organized and stay on schedule. “It helps ease anxiety with rushing to get out the door, especially,” Matturro stated.
Kennedy-Moore urges parents to establish fun traditions for the start of school. If parents show they are excited about school starting, children will follow their lead. Having an annual ritual can help ring in the new school year and can be a treasured tradition for years to come. For instance,Kennedy-Moore said the DeRocco family sits around the backyard fire pit, roasts marshmallows, and talks about their joys and concern for the upcoming year.
Help children have a successful year by following these suggestions. Positivity, routines, and fun family traditions can help make the school year exciting.
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