Children who areย going to school for the first time or starting a new year group may find the transition overwhelming and need a little more support when experiencing new things.
This is sometimes the case for adopted or fostered children.
With this in mind, we thought we would shareย a few tips and ideas which may help your children get ready for term time!
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Whilst going to school can be an exciting time for you and your children, it can also be overwhelming and stressful so be sure to talk about school with your children.
Discuss what fun topics they may learn about in class, what their day may be made up of, sound out what their lunch preferences may be.
Talking about it with them will help them mentally prepare for the huge transition to come and help them tell you what they may feel anxious about so you can address these concerns before the big day arrives.
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Contact your school or nursery for a breakdown of the school day/lesson plans and ask them about how your child will get to the lunch hall, where they go for break time, how far the toilets are from their classroom. Having this plan in mind beforehand could really help alleviate any stress your child may be feeling about the unknown.
You could also ask the school for names and photos of your child’s teachers so they know who to expect when they arrive and who to go to should they need help during the day.
Also prepare them for when and where you will be collecting them from after school. Make sure you are on time and bring a snack! Kids are always hungry and it will let them know you were thinking about them while they were apart from you.
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Take your child on a practice school run. This will familiarise them with the route to and from school, show them where you will be picking them up and reassure them that you are making the effort to understand your way there for collecting them at the end of their day.
Let your child wear their uniform and shoes to get used to how they feel. If there are any scratchy labels or anything irritating them these can be removed in advance.
Also washing them may help provide some comfort during their day as they will smell of home.
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Becoming stressed at school can be common for some children. Here are a few things to remember which may help;
- Do they know who they can go to for help?
- Do the school have a dedicated staff member who children can go to for help? A photo of this person and where to find them may be a good idea if you think your child may need them.
- Is there a safe space for your child to go to should the playground at break time become too much?
- Can you get a copy of their timetable?
Some schools have quiet rooms for children who may need some time alone. You could tell your child where this is beforehand so they can go there if they need to.
Running through the day to come, the night before and packing up such things as their PE Kit could help leaving for school the next day much easier.
If you find it challenging to leave the house for school in the mornings, try changing up your routine and always try your best to keep calm!
Lunchtime
Food for children is a real comfort so when they become stressed they may try to eat more.
Unfortunately, this his could trigger certain behaviours in children who have experienced neglect and cause them to go into a survival mode.
If you think your child is at risk of this, please inform the school in order for them to plan for this behaviour and let you know should any matters arise.
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Help your child remember that they are loved and that you can’t wait to see them after school to find out about their day!ย Here are a few ideas as to how to achieve this;
- Leave a note in your child’s lunchbox
- Give them a keyring with your family photo in
- Spray your perfume/aftershave onto an item of their clothing, for example; tie, jumper. The chest area is recommended as it will be warm most of the day to provide the scent
- Pocket hugs can be placed in your child’s pockets or perhaps sew in a button or toggle for them to touch throughout the day
- Invisible String is a great book about how to help your child cope with separation anxiety. (see the link below)
We hope these were useful! Please let us know if you managed to try any of our tips and if they were a success or if you found other techniques more helpful.
Check out the book in the below link.