Heading back to school brings on such a mixed bag of emotions. Families are winding down from carefree summer vacation-mode, where plenty of down-time is the norm. Weeks of laid-back summer living can be fun, but many families also admit to needing a break from the 24/7 togetherness. Kids are looking forward to seeing their school friends once again and beginning their new classroom adventures. But transitioning from the non-structured lazy days of summer into the rigidity of the new school year can be tough.
Some anxiety about returning to school is typical in kids. Will they like their new teacher, have friends to play with at recess or sit with at lunch, and be able to handle their new grade's workload? For most kids, new-school-year worries will gradually disappear as they get acclimated to their routines and environment. But the weeks leading up to and beginning the new year can be a stressful time for the whole family.
Here are five tips to help lessen the anxieties of transitioning back-to-school.
#1 - Prepare Ahead
One reason kids feel anxious about the start of a new school year is that they get thrust into a rigid routine without any warning. Keeping late-night hours, sleeping in, and grabbing something crumpled to wear will not make the grade once school starts.
Although you may want to soak up every last bit of your current summer lifestyle, gradually switching gears from those late-night movie binges to a bedtime routine similar to what you’ll be practicing when school starts will have huge benefits for you and your kids.
Plan to initiate your school routines two to three weeks before the first day of school.
Plan to initiate your school routines two to three weeks before the first day of school. This can be as simple as getting them to bed 15 minutes earlier for a few nights, gradually increasing the time to half an hour, and eventually landing at your child’s typical school bedtime. Once school starts, your child won’t feel such a dramatic shift in their sleep schedule.
This applies to wake-up time as well. Just like with bedtime, begin gradually moving wakeup time earlier.
The weeks leading up to the start of school are a great time to re-establish the ritual of choosing outfits the night before. Anything you can do to get your family back into their fall routine—like meal planning, re-adjusting to school lunch items, and re-establishing regular laundry days—before vacation ends will take the edge off of those back-to-school jitters.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar