Back to School Prep
After so much time away from in-person learning, what’s the best way to prep your kids for heading back to school?
We have been through many changes over the past year including quarantine, distance learning, masks, sanitizing, isolation, and more. Now that California is slowly opening up and in-person learning is set to resume this fall, what’s next? Here are our top four tips for success.
1.PLAN AHEAD:
It’s important to prepare your children to head back to school every year, but this year is even more crucial. The more you plan ahead as a family, the more it alleviates any worries your child may have and equip your little one with the tools needed to feel confident through the transition forward.
If you're aware of the school's safety precautions, review them together so there aren't surprises when your child first goes back to school. If you have high-risk family members you are concerned about, explain what that means to your child and the extra precautions they may have to take compared to what their friends might need to do.
Start getting them ready for their new routine. Start waking up earlier two weeks before school starts to help gradually adjust their sleep schedule and have a breakfast routine in place. In the afternoons, set aside reading time to prepare them for quiet homework time.
2. OPEN LINES OF COMMUNICATION:
Some children may not have the vocabulary to express how they feel. Look for behaviors that indicate they’re feeling anxious, for example crying, irritability, stomachaches or clinginess. Plan a family meeting to talk to your children about their worries, fears, and/or excitement. Ask them what they are and are not looking forward to. Give them a safe space to process what going back to school means.
3. ANTICIPATE ANXIETY:
Being around a bigger group of people again may come with anxiety or nerves for kids who have been worried about getting sick. If you're able to anticipate these nerves, you can come up with some ways to cope with them. Keep in mind, kids process things differently than adults. If you forget your mask or don’t sanitize your hands after touching something, you are more likely to forgive your mistakes and move on. Children, on the other hand, might worry they have done something wrong and freeze in a way that's unhelpful. Prepping in advance to ease this new found anxiety is key so make sure to pack extra masks and wipes in backpacks!
4. MAKE IT FUN:
Back to school shopping is a great way to get your kids excited about the first week of school. Nothing builds excitement quite like a new pair of shoes, a bright colored trapper-keeper, and some markers. Try to get your kids excited to see and meet new friends, interact in-person with their teacher, and learn! Make sure to talk about all the positives that school has to offer. Let them help pack their lunches the night before so they’re excited about it the next day and make coming home after their time away a reward. Give them a break from their day before tackling homework.