10 Ways to Ease Your Child's Transition Back to School

10 Ways to Ease Your Child's Transition Back to School

For most young children, going back to school is both an exciting and anxiety-provoking transition. Whether your child is going to school for the first time, relocating to a new school, or returning to the same school, these tips will help you prepare your child for a smooth transition!
1. Visit the school. Take your child to the school a few times to build a sense of familiarity. Point out the places or things that might be of interest to your child, such as the playground, auditorium, and cafeteria.

2. Have play dates with new classmates. This will help your child feel comfortable with other kids in the class.


3. Don’t overemphasize the positive. Highlighting the positive aspects of school is helpful, but try not to overemphasize them because this may create unrealistic expectations for your child.

4. Prepare your child for the first day. Tell your child about the daily routine and help them make a mental movie of the day.

5. Don’t try to fix their fears. If your child feels nervous about going to school, don’t minimize or try to fix their feelings. This may cause them to think their feelings aren’t acceptable. Instead, acknowledge your child’s feelings and let them know they are normal.

6. Make goodbye easy. When you drop off your child, don’t draw it out. Try to keep your goodbye short and simple. Also, don’t talk about how much you will miss your child.

7. Start getting into a routine. Sometimes structure falls out of place during the summertime, so you can prepare your child for school by implementing a regular bedtime and other routine habits.

8. Give your child choices. Not going to school isn’t an option, but you can still give them a sense of control with other choices. For example, you can let them choose some of the foods in their lunch box.

9. Play it out. Use dolls and toys to tell a story about going to school. This can be done in a few minutes before bed for a week or two before school starts, and it will help your child know what to anticipate and establish predictability.

10. Ask the teacher for help. If your child has trouble adjusting to school, don’t hesitate to talk to your child’s teacher for extra support and assistance.

Most children will weather the transition of going back to school just fine, but some may have prolonged difficulties. If your child continues to struggle after the first few weeks of school, consider talking with a professional about it!

Warmly,

Amy Wickstrom, PhD, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor



For all you parents out there with children headed back to school this week. Yes that is right some schools in Oklahoma start tomorrow August 1st!

What Did You Do at School Today?

Every day parents ask their children what they did at school. Every day students answer, "Oh, nothing." Try asking these specific questions to get real answers.

What was something nice you said to a friend today?

What did you do in math?

What good book did your teacher read to you today?

Who did you play with today?

What was your favorite part of the day?

How are you going to make tomorrow even better?

What centers did you go to?

Who did you sit beside at lunch?

What was the "special" class you had today? (PE,Art,Computers, etc)

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Many things come to mind when I hear the word recess. I remember my elementary school days at Sunset elementary school. I looked forward to recess both before school and after lunch. This was a time to socialize and play with my friends. The recess time I had was spent playing in the dirt, on the swings, slide, and monkey bars creating a world of fun with my friends. Children today are rarely given the opportunity to participate in this type of “free spontaneous play”. The recess time when I was a child has been replaced with a structured play time or has diminished so much that one would not recognize the time as recess. Children are not given the chance to explore their world in their own way.