A Parent’s Guide to Back to School
photo via pickledimages2011 on flickr
Here’s some advice I gave the parents of my students for getting into a school routine.
- Minimize exposure to TV. This is a no brainer.
- Establish routines that can easily transition into school-day routines. If you need to wake up an hour earlier for school, start waking your children up early now. If you are going to have to eat breakfast on the go, start eating breakfast on the go now.
- Encourage your child to be more independent (making choices, preparing food, dressing himself, etc.) This will not only help your child prepare for more independence at home, he’ll also be able to function without you at school.
- Count down to the first day of school. We always used to make paper chains to count down until special days. This helps your child get an idea of when the first day of school is happening. That way he’ll be ready for it.
- Prepare your child (and yourself) for separation. Make sure your children know that school is a special place just for them. Confidence and insecurity about the first day of school are contagious! Parents must instill confidence in their children. Tearful goodbyes, never-ending hugs, or any sort of clingyness will make your child think that school is scary and he won’t want to go there! Smile, be excited, and talk about how much your child will love school.
Do you have any other tips or tricks?
I have found that if parents tell the child what to expect, the child feels more secure during the school day. So for example, if the mom can get the routine from the teacher, she can tell the child: “First you will choose materials, then you will eat lunch, then you will play outside, and then mommy will be back to get you.” This has worked really well for me with the 2.5 year olds!
That’s a great idea. Sometimes all it takes is a little explaining! Thanks for sharing!