Is your child dealing with the back to school blues already? Even children who love going to school can have a hard time with the transition from summer vacation to going back to school. We’ve written out eight ideas to help your child with the transition back to school, including ideas for the weeks leading up to the first day to the weeks following the first day of school. Whether you’ve got a preschooler starting school for the first time or an older child who’s having a hard time going back, we have some ideas for you!
Re-Decorate Their Homework Space
Even if your child is younger and doesn’t have homework yet, you can still create a special learning space for them! For younger ones, create a book nook area where you can read with them. As your child gets older you can evolve the space to include different things like letters, numbers, shapes, etc. For older children that have regular homework that takes more than a few minutes a day to do, help your child create a comfortable and fun homework space that they can decorate how they like. If you have the room, create a dedicated homework space! Creating a physical homework space helps create a homework mindset. Similar to having an office or desk at work, if your child has a specific place where they do just homework, the process of doing homework can be less distracting. If they do their homework in the same place they watch TV, play video games, or have family time, trying to do their homework without being distracted by those activities can be more difficult.
Share Your Love for Learning
A great way to get your children excited about school is to instill a love of learning in them1 Share your own passion for learning and your positive experiences in school. You can talk to them about what subjects you liked, teachers you remember, your favorite books, and what you loved most about school.
For older children, take an active role in getting them excited about classes, homework, reading, etc. Don’t treat these activities like an obligation that you have to help with. If you’re encouraging and positive in your approach to their schoolwork, it will be easier for your children to see the positivity and excitement in these activities
Have Conversations
It’s important to remember that your children are little people with big feelings! This may seem obvious, but sometimes it’s easy to forget that our little ones are feeling just as many emotions as we are, but they often lack the tools they need to process those emotions. That is why having conversations about your child’s fears and stress is so important. Sometimes your child may need guidance and sometimes they just need you to listen and give them a hug! Either way, having conversations with your child, big or small, is an important way to help them feel more at ease with transitioning back to school!
Get Them Involved In Back To School Shopping
The older your child is, the more likely they will already be involved in the back to school shopping process, but even your preschool-aged children can get in on the fun! Shopping with young ones, especially if you’re in a hurry, can be overwhelming! So if you can, set out a chunk of time well in advance to take your little ones back to school shopping. Allow them to have a say in their new clothes, lunch bags and backpacks, and supplies!
Spread Positivity
As your child is headed back to school, try your best to keep the conversations surrounding school and school work positive! You can and should still let your child express their feelings, even if they’re negative, and validate them! But try to provide positive feedback as much as you can! Whether it’s a school assignment they feel wasn’t good enough or a classroom experience they wish went better, offer positive encouragement and motivation!
Pick A First Day Outfit
This one may seem obvious, especially if your child is older, but letting your child pick their first day of school outfit is a great way to get them excited for school! Let them be a part of school clothes shopping and make sure they pick out something they’ll be excited to wear or use on the first day. Whether it’s a new outfit, new shoes, or a piece of jewelry, find something that’s special for their first day that fits what your child gets excited about!
Do A Countdown
Create a countdown with your child to get them excited about counting down the days until they go back to school! In our latest blog, we mentioned a countdown craft that is a great activity to do with your preschool-aged child to get them excited for school!
If you want to take the countdown a step further, you can get small gifts for your child during the countdown to school! Include books, toys, their favorite treats, special activities, or whatever else you think will get your child excited for school!
Make The First Day Memorable
Start traditions that make the first day of school memorable and exciting! Think of things that your kids will enjoy like:
- Making a special breakfast
- Packing their favorite lunch
- Planning something fun after school for them to look forward to
- Celebrate back to school eve the night before
Not only is this a great way to ease the stress of the first day, but it can be the start of a fun family tradition!
