It’s that time of the year for our kiddos to go back to school. Let’s face it a lot of them are anxious about going. Don’t worry. This is so normal. They have many thoughts running through their minds. Maybe you’ve move recently to another state or another county, and they’ll be going to a new school. You might have kids going from elementary school to middle, or from middle to high school. This can hit even kids going off to college.
I thought I’d share some tips to help you to help your children to make the start of school go smoothly.
- Make sure they eat healthy meal before going and that the night before they got enough sleep. When we’re nervous we may forget these things. Both of these will help and make it a little easier for them.
- Talk with your child. Ask them how they’re feeling about the new school year? Do they have any concerns? Encourage them to come to you with any fears or concerns they might have.
- Get them into a routine. It will help to make them feel secure. You can start it as early as a month ahead to get use to a new bed time and wake up time. An evening routine can help as well. If the child is in elementary school a drop off schedule will be very useful. Talk to them about these changes.
- Role Play. You can act out scenarios that might happen to help them feel more at ease. Act out their fears, so if it happens they know how to respond. It will help them feel confidant. Acting out what if I need to go to the bathroom during class, so they know what to except.
- Countdown Calendar. Make one with your child before school starts. Help to build excitement about starting for the first time or for going back. Make it exciting for them.
- Visit school before school starts. Call and find out if you can meet with the teacher beforehand. A lot of school’s have a night where you can go before hand.
- Give them time to adjust. It takes a few weeks to get a new routine down.
- Don’t be afraid to reach out for help if your child needs it. Talk with their teacher, the principal and or a counselor.
Allyson is a published author, blogger, wife and mom to 4 kids. Three of her children are on the autism spectrum. She suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. On her blog you can find her writing about being an author, her faith and family. She resides in Missouri with her loving husband and four wonderful children, and three cats. She’s addicted to knitting and coffee.
You can follow Allyson on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
Defying Shadows 