It’s almost back-to-school time for kids around the country. For many
students starting school for the first time or attending a new school, the
transition isn’t always an easy one. How can you make it easier on your kids?
Vinay Saranga M.D. is a child psychiatrist and founder of Saranga
Comprehensive Psychiatry (www.sarangapsychiatry.com)
Dr. Saranga offers these tips:
- Ask
your young kids how they are feeling: For children going to school for
the first time or those starting at a new school, the transition can be
difficult and filled with anxiety. Sometimes kids won’t express their
emotions so as parents, you need to ask them what they are feeling. Help
them feel reassured and know that having mixed emotions of happiness, fear
and even confusion are all normal and that many of the other kids are
feeling that way too.
- Help
your kids get excited about school: Kids will model the behavior of
their parents. When you talk about school, be upbeat and excited about it.
Share some of the better memories you have from your school days or funny
stories that portray school as a positive experience. Be real with your
kids and let them know you were nervous in the beginning, but talk about
all the good things like making new friends, learning to read and more.
- Attend your school’s open house: Going to
your classroom a few days before school starts is about much more than
just meeting your teacher. It’s a chance to help eliminate the unknown for
your children. When they can see the classroom, meet their classmates and
see where they are spending their days, it will help reduce their anxiety
on the first day because it will already be a little bit familiar.
- Start learning before school starts:
Parents should sit with their kids and encourage them to get back into
reading, writing and math studies before the first day. You can even
pullout some of their work from last year and review it or download
learning apps to make it more fun for your kids. This helps ready the mind
for learning and begins to transition your children from summer play mode
to learning mode so it’s not a big shock on day one.
- Start adjusting schedules early on:
Chances are, your kids probably stayed up a little later and slept in over
the summer. Don’t wait until the first day of school to wake them up
early. Start having them go to bed a little earlier now and waking up a
little earlier in the morning so it’s not so difficult come the first day
of school. In addition, most kids do better with structure, so map out the
before and after school schedules so your kids know what to expect.
- Get school shopping done early: Rushing
around at the last minute to get all those school supplies just adds to
your children’s stress and anxiety. Start back-to-school shopping now. In
fact, involve your kids and let them pick out their own backpacks,
lunchboxes and notebooks in their favorite colors and patterns. Let them
pick a new outfit for the first day of school that makes them feel confident
and comfortable.
- Find the right balance of goals for the new
school year: Parents should work with their kids to set goals for the
new school year. Make sure you help your kids set realistic goals that are
on their learning level. Straight A’s, for example, is a great goal to
have, but it might be unrealistic for some kids. If the goal is too far
out of reach, your child will feel overwhelmed and defeated. If it’s too
easy, he or she will become bored.
- Teach your kids age appropriate realities:
As your children get a little older and further along in school, they’re
going to have to learn some lessons about life. As parents, you can help
make the transition easier for your children by sharing advice around some
of these topics such as bullying and being teased, life not always being
fair, the importance of sharing, saying no to drugs, learning from their
failures, helping others, inclusion and equality, how to get along with
difficult people, letting their voice be heard and more.
- Give
your kids something to look forward to: Like adults, children need
something to look forward to. It helps keep them motivated. Plan a trip or
something fun for Winter break, Spring break or next Summer. When they are
feeling down, remind them that this next big great adventure is right
around the corner.
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