Tips to ensure a smooth transition into the new school year
The start of the autumn term brings with it opportunities for learning and making even more new friends but what happens when excitement turns into anxiety within the first few weeks? Here NI4kids’ outlines some of the issues parents may come up against in the first few weeks of term and how to deal with them.
Overwhelming New Routine
A summer of late nights and lots of fun means a strict new routine can come as a shock to kids. It may get better as the weeks go on but there are ways you can support your child to make the transition easier. Make sure you are rising with plenty of time in the mornings. That extra 10 minutes might feel like the best thing in the world at 6.30am but we promise you leaving the house calmly feels even better! The less stress for everyone the better, and this will go a long way to helping your child regulate their emotions.
To make things even easier, if something can be done the night before, do it! Lay out clothes, pack lunches, and even have the coffee pot set up and ready to go. Try a breakfast that can be premade, such as overnight oats, and get the kids involved. Overnight oats take just minutes to make and by letting the kids choose their own toppings and assemble their breakfast, they feel involved and like they have some control over their morning routine.
Psychologist, Dave Anderson, Vice President of the Child Mind Institute, believes that parents should prioritise what is essential versus what is the “icing on the cake” when it comes to morning routines.
He said: “The reality is often that the child at least has all of his clothes on, has something in his stomach, and has brushed his teeth.
“If we can get those three things done somehow, either before the child leaves or on the way to school, and reinforce the child’s progress, then we can start to build those habits and make it so that mornings are easier in the future.”
Friendship Issues
This is often a very emotive subject as no parent wants to think of their child feeling lonely in the playground. Your first stop should be a conversation with the teacher who will be able to keep an eye on the situation in the coming weeks and place a greater emphasis on inclusion in the classroom. They may even be able to boost any chances of friendship through pairing up like-minded students for activities.
At home, keep lines of communication open and encourage your child to be confident when interacting with other students. Coach them on ways to strike up conversation with their peers and offer pointers on being more direct when asking to join in. It’s important to boost your child’s confidence at this time and ensure they feel supported and loved at home so that they carry that confidence into the classroom. You can do this by spending extra quality time with them in the evenings and weekends, participating in activities they find comforting, and bestowing a little extra praise on them.
Teacher Trouble
As in life, some personalities are just made to clash and it is unfortunate when this occurs between student and teacher. Regardless, a level of professionalism from the teacher, and respect by both parties should always be maintained. Get to the bottom of the incident(s) that have occurred to make your child dislike their new teacher. Every clash is situation dependent but as an adult you might be able to see the incident from an adult’s perspective and be better placed to explain this to your child. Encourage them to look critically at the situation and ask if there is anything they could have done to produce a better outcome. Examine how the teacher’s actions made them feel and how they might process those emotions if a similar incident were to occur in the future.
If things don’t improve or you think your child has been unfairly treated, set up a meeting with the school. Write down clearly everything your child has reported so that you can present the facts (as you have them) clearly and concisely. Don’t approach the meeting with an accusatory tone, the goal isn’t to point fingers but to ensure your child feels safe and happy at school. Instead ask the school how they would suggest working together to resolve the issue and what steps you can both take to facilitate a healthy learning environment for your child.
