Preparing your child for going back to school
After the long summer holidays it can feel like quite a shock to the system for children (and adults!) when they return to school. If you want to help your child readjust to the different routines and expectations it’s important for a lot of children and young people to prepare themselves. These tips should help to make the transition back into school life feel a little less overwhelming.
Sort out sleep
During the summer, normal sleeping and waking schedules can go completely out of the window. This can lead to some very tired faces in the first week back. It can be tempting to let the kids stay up late and let them sleep in in the morning right until the last weekend of the holidays. To make it a little easier it can be helpful to start preparing children by getting back into their normal sleep schedule a little ahead of their return to school. Try to get them to go to bed a little earlier and to get up at the time they would need to if they were getting up for school at least 3 or 4 days beforehand. This way the transition will be a little less harsh when it does happen as hopefully their body clocks will have “reset” allowing them to feel well rested and at their best.
Plan for the uniform
To avoid a last minute stressful shopping trip, it’s useful to get all the things your child will need a little early. Get them to try on their uniform, school shoes and PE kits at least a week before they return to school. Nobody wants to do that last minute dash to the shoe shop the day before school starts because the school shoes don’t fit!
Also, check what equipment they will need – this information should have been given to you by the school. Give yourself a little breathing space by planning ahead. It can be a very expensive time, especially if your child is starting a new school. If you’re struggling to afford all the new kit, it can be worth approaching you child’s school or the PTA to see if they have any good quality used uniform that you can buy for a discounted price. If your child is eligible for free school meals, you should be entitled to a voucher (£100 for year 7 or £50 for years 8, 9 and 10) to help with the cost of uniform. These should have already been issued but contact your child’s school if you feel you are eligible but have missed out.
Help them to feel prepared
For some children, the return to school can be welcome – they are excited to see their friends and teachers. For others, it can be a very anxious time. It’s really important to give children a chance to talk about how they’re feeling and why they feel that way.
If your child is feeling particularly anxious – can you find out exactly what it is that’s causing the anxiety? Often children feel anxious around change and children all over the country have had to cope with a lot of change in the last 18 months or so. It can be helpful to talk over issues they are worried about and help them feel in more control. You could look at the school’s website to find out what will be happening or plan a “school rehearsal morning” where you do all the things you would do before school - get up at the right time, have breakfast, pack the bag and travel to school – so they know what they need to do. Whatever you choose to do to prepare, try to talk to (and listen to) your child to unpick what it is that’s causing them to be worried.
We hope you have found this tips useful, if your child is making the transition from primary to secondary school, then you may find our recent blog post on how to prepare them useful. To read the blog post, click here.
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