Preparing Your Child for the New School Year

With summer winding down many are preparing to return to class or preparing their children for return to school. This can be a stressful time for both children and adults. Children are often fearful of the changes that the new school year brings. Adult students can have some of those very same first days of school jitters. Adults handling change impacts the ability of their children to adapt to change. If a child watches as a parent gets panicked about the upcoming school year, they will pick up on the anxiety. Handling change is a life long endeavor. It just isn't feasible to think things will stay the same forever. By coping with change in a positive way, you foster that same ability in your children.

There are some ways to handle the change brought on by school starting. Prepare, make arrangements, and talk to your child.

Prepare for the new schedule. Children thrive in structure; begin having your child get up and getting ready as if for school. Prepare yourself for the starting of school, too. Plan ahead, for breakfasts and lunches. Does your morning schedule allow time for making those school lunches? Alternatively, will you need to make them the evening before and refrigerate them?

Do you need to make new arrangements for after school care or do you already have that arranged? With so many families having two working parents, many more people are finding themselves looking for childcare after school. Who can you or who will you entrust your children's care to for those hours after school. Many newspapers have listings for babysitters. The catch there is you are at the mercy of either having a stranger in your home, or having your child in a stranger's home.

Talk to your children about their feelings. If they are feeling uneasy about school find out why. Sometimes children worry about the change in teachers, or being in a different classroom than their friends. While these changes are real, they are not the end of the world. Remind your child that being around other children is an opportunity to make new friends.

Here is a special note for parents of children starting a new school. If the child's new school offers orientation be sure that your child is there. This is especially important if their friends aren't going to the same school. Orientation allows for at least two things, acclamation and interaction. Your child can become acquainted with their new school setting. In addition, they can interact with their new classmates, so on their first day they will at least know somebody. Many adults don't relish the thought of entering a room full of strangers, so it's understandable that a child or pre-teen would be even more uneasy.

Making a smooth transition to the new school year should help your child start out on the right foot.