A collective sigh of relief from parents can be heard, the 2011-2012 school year has arrived! However, from the kids it may be more of a collective gasp brought on by the start of school jitters. Perhaps your child is just starting school for the first time or will be “the new kid” and may be nervous about fitting in. Maybe he found out his best friend was assigned to a different class, or that he didn’t get the teacher he hoped for. Start of the school year jitters can be overwhelming for children, but also for their parents who want to help. Over the past couple of months, we have talked with parents and teachers to gather suggestions on how to help kids be at their best this year.
Here are their suggestions:
- Be involved! Go to school sponsored events, such as beginning of the year “Meet and Greets,” orientations and parent nights. Take these opportunities to help your child feel comfortable. If your child worries about how to approach classmates or teachers, do some role-playing where you help to work through some situations that she might experience at school, such as asking to sit next to someone at the lunch table. Give her the tools she’ll need to build new relationships.
- Get Organized!Create a system to stay organized that works for you and your family. Model this organization for your child, and you will both be less stressed as the year progresses. Identify a place where backpacks should be stored and where papers that need to be signed or homework that needs to be checked should be placed each day. This will help eliminate morning searches for backpacks and the paper that “I put on the table last night.” Indentify key dates as early as possible and post them on a calendar where everyone can view. Set a time and place for homework that you follow every day. Everyone will have a different system – the goal is to create a system that works with your family’s schedule and stick to it!
- Show Encouragement! No matter how successful your child is in school or on the playground, encouragement will be needed to work through the more challenging moments. Let him know that everyone struggles at times, and help give him tools to work through it.
- Talk to your child about his day. Try to avoid the “nothing” or “I don’t know” answers by asking specific questions about what they learned in Math or English class, who they sat next to at lunch or the games played at recess. Find a time when your child is likely to want to talk, maybe in the car after school or during dinner.
- Get into a routine and stick with it.A few weeks before school starts, start easing your child into the school bedtime/wake-up routine. Gradually start having your child go to bed and wake up at the times they would have to for school. Once school starts, it is easy to let the routine slip due to schedules and commitments, but keeping to the routine will ensure your child is rested and ready for each day.
Have a wonderful 2011-2012 school year!