Back to school - parents toolkit

How are you feeling about the start of a new school year? Are you counting down the days until you can drop your little ones off at the school gate? Are you frantically trying to get together all the uniform and kit needed? Are you more nervous than they are, bracing yourself for a mix of emotions? Navigating that tricky part of the year when your child returns to school after the summer break can be difficult. Here are some tips to help you prepare.

HAVE A SLEEP ROUTINE

After a summer of late nights and lie ins it can be hard to get your children back into good sleep habits. Imposing bed times can be difficult. Start off with a chill out hour before bed, no screens, just stories, reading, brushing teeth and relaxing. This will condition their bodies to start relaxing at specific cues. It also helps the transition from being awake and lively to being quiet and getting sleepy.

IF YOU THINK IT’S OK TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL, THEY WILL

Going back to school is often an anxious time for children and parents. If your child is nervous about returning, communicate with calm words. This will significantly increase their chances of a smooth transition.

Children can often find it hard to talk about their worries. You could do a “walk and talk” where they rate how big their worries are on a scale of one to ten - where ten is excited about going to school and one is not excited at all. Try and listen to their response without interrupting or trying to find a solution. As parents we have a tendency to try and cheer up our kids or make everything.

PLAN AND PREPARE WITH THEM

Get your child involved in planning for the new school routine:

  • Get them to pack their school bag or clear pencil case if COVID restrictions still in place!

  • They can get their uniform out ready

  • Plan what they will eat for lunch whether that’s school dinners or packed lunch

  • Set the alarm clock together for waking up time

  • Speak to friends prior to returning to school

CREATE AN ANXIETY TOOLKIT

Children have had more than their fair share of worries and anxieties to deal with over the past pandemic year. Do you know what your child does to cope with stress?

You can help your child cope with challenging situations by creating an emotional first aid box of things that help make them feel better. You can keep it in the car for them to dip into on the way to school. Things inside might be -lavender oil, fiddle toys, affirmation cards to remind them that they have got this, one of my favourite affirmations is “I can do this”

Look at doing a breathing or mindful technique such as “5-4-3-2-1" (5 things they can see, 4 things they can hear, 3 things that can touch, 2 things they can smell, 1 thing they can taste).

How about creating a worry jar or a worry teddy - your child can put their worries here each day and not have to carry them around

These are the sorts of emotional preparations that can really help young people mentally prepare for the school year.

REMEMBER THINGS HAVE CHANGED!

How the curriculum is delivered, teaching methods, homework expectations and the depth of knowledge expected have all changed in the last year, let alone past few decades. If your child is working through something and you have an alterative way of working it out…. try and restrain yourself and learn the new way instead. Don’t be afraid to ask. I did a phonics workshop when my child started primary school so I could compliment what the school were doing at home.

ONGOING DIALOGUE

Emotional preparations should not just be done before the school year starts, it can really help to touch base with your child on a regular basis about how things are going. It can be like pulling teeth asking a child how their school day was.  Parent Co. put together a list of creative queries that are more likely to elicit a response:

  • What was the funniest thing that happened today?

  • What made you smile today?

  • How would you rate your day on a scale of 1 to 10? Why?

  • What is your teacher’s most important rule?

  • Tell me something you learned about a friend today.

  • If aliens came to school and beamed up 3 kids who do you wish they would take and why?

  • When did you feel most proud of yourself today?

  • If you had the chance to be the teacher tomorrow what would you teach?

September brings the start of a new season and a change of energy, take a moment to reflect on the promise of new beginnings. As a parent you have the opportunity to equip your child with a resilient and growth mindset to cope with all the things that the upcoming school year holds.

Sending love and courage to all school returners whatever age.

Nicola Strudley