The start of a new school year

The return to school after a long summer break, can feel very different for one child than for another – even for siblings in the same family. This is all perfectly understandable. When we encourage children to feel that they have some control and agency over how to deal with new situations or change, as well as believing that the emotions they are feeling are normal,  it can help to decrease feelings of anxiety whilst allowing them to reframe how they view and deal with new scenarios.

Here are a few ways to introduce and normalise some of the emotions that may come up in the run up to the beginning of a new school year.

·      Open up general conversations about school and then lead on to what the new school day may look like. Talk about what may be changing and may be different from the previous year and how this may affect the daily routine.  A visual calendar can often help young children with this.

·      Look to normalise and validate feelings that come up. When children know that feeling a whole range of emotions is both normal and totally ok, it can help them to feel that they are not on their own with these feelings and that others may be feeling as they are. When children know that they will be listened to, they can also start to reframe concerns and look to problem solve.

·      Look to increase a child’s feelings of understanding, certainty and predictability about the return to school. Involve them in activities such as looking at the school website, walking/driving past the school (making a map of the walk to school can be a fun activity for young children whilst encouraging responsibility for safety), or discussing what the school ethos/rules may look like. If it’s possible – look at a child’s timetable with them.

·      Get in touch with the school, if this helps, with things such as names/photos of new teachers/classrooms/a layout of the school.

·      Look to connect with other children and other parents towards the end of the holidays. It can sometimes help to have names of other children who may also be walking the same route to school, or who are going to be starting school or moving up classes.

·      Talk about some of the things that our children can control themselves – such as packing/unpacking their school bag, how they can look after their things at school, how they can manage extra-curricular activities. It can also help to discuss how you as a family are going to manage homework.

·      Encourage children to make lists, so that they can see what needs to be done and can see what has already been sorted.

·      Try to put back some structure and daily routine into a child’s week before the end of the holidays. It can help to include a more structured bedtime routine.

·      Model a positive and calm viewpoint about the new school year. Our children will often pick up on our own feelings and emotions – if they see us being excited about new learning opportunities, they will pick up on this. If they see that we are calm about the changes that are happening, it can help them to likewise have a calmer approach.