How is it back to school already?! Or a better question- how is it a new year already?
With the new year been and gone some time ago now, the school term is only in its 3rd week. For some this might be a welcome relief. For others, it can be an overwhelming time, and a period of adjustment for both parents, and kids.
While school holidays can feel very long for some parents, boy I bet it goes quick for those teachers! And I really take my hat off to my daughters teacher, because one 5 year old can seem a lot to handle at times, and she has 20 of them in a class!
I remember my girls first term last year. She had been at daycare at least 3 days a week since she was 6 months old, she was very confident, happy and social. We knew she was ready for school, and would thrive in an academic environment.
But despite all this I worried for weeks leading up to her first day. I worried that she'd get upset at drop off and do the dreaded hanging onto me and scream and cry when I tried to get her to let go. I worried that she would think too much was expected of her. I worried that she wouldn't understand the different dynamic compared to daycare where they can offer a lot of nurturing and emotional support. I was worried about the teacher to kid ratio!
Anyway the first day came and went, and she was absolutely amazing. She was eager, excited, and buzzing to tell me about her teacher, friends, and learning at the end of the day.
If it is your childs first time at school, here are some tips on how to make the transition as easy, and stress-free as possible.
- Talk about it! Talk to your child about what the day will look like. What you will do in the morning to get ready, what things they can expect at school- like lunch breaks, toilet breaks, pick up and drop off, what to do if they need help and anything else you can think of! Talking about it in a positive way will reassure and empower your child.
- Adjust your childs sleeping schedule to suit the school routine. Your child should be sleeping 9-10 hours a night. So count back 10 hours from the time they need to get up for school. Start implementing this new sleep schedule a week or even 2 weeks before school starts.
- Don't overschedule your child (or yourself). Kids need downtime. The transition to school is a big one, and the days spent actively learning and playing takes lots of energy. Don't sign up for afterschool activities too soon, Let your child adjust first.
- Get to know your school community. Lots of schools utilize apps like "Class Dojo", to communicate important messages to parents about school assembly's, activities, events, and even reports on your childs learning journey. You can message teachers, other kids parents in your childs class, and keep up to date with communications about when there might be no school etc. Getting involved in school events can help you meet other parents for potential play dates, and help your child make friends too.
I hope you find these helpful, and hope you and your family have a great term at school!