With the summer holiday coming to an end and the new academic year quickly approaching, parents are being urged to play an active role in the smooth transition of their children for back to school.
Starting a new school or new grade can be a challenging period for some students, which may result in them feeling stressed or anxious.
With the right parental support, children can smoothly transition into the new school year and Our Today has some helpful tips for parents:
Speak to your child about possible concerns
Parents are encouraged to engage their children in conversations about possible fears or concerns to assist them in navigating those challenges.
Dr Peta gaye Waugh, a behaviour change management specialist who was speaking at a recent Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) Primary Exit Profile (PEP) workshop and award ceremony, urged parents to get to know their children who are transitioning to high school to assist them with their challenges.
“We need to get to know them, know the difference with our children, we need to talk to them about skin colour, it’s the reality, bleaching is going on, they are facing that at school. We need to talk to them about their abilities but we need to talk to them about disability, too, as we find that children are going to school with disabilities and so that compassion in high school they need to have and so we need to teach them to be helpers. We need to also talk to them about friends and how they choose their friends and let them know that it is ok to come and talk to you about the friends that they have,” she said.
She also encouraged parents to seek the necessary advice if the need arises and then speak to their children about their concerns.
Help your child to find strategies to manage stress
Stress is a common feeling that both adults and children experience, however, children may experience challenges dealing with their stress.
Children may experience stress with their school and social life, which may become overwhelming for them. Children who are experiencing stress are generally moody and irritable and may show little to no interest in social activities.
Parents are encouraged to pay keen attention to these signs and encourage their children to communicate openly when they are experiencing difficulties.
Help your child to develop a routine
A great way for parents to help their children transition smoothly with back to school is to help them create a routine to keep track of their daily activities.
Providing children with a structured routine that designates time for homework, sleep and leisure can help them to stay motivated and productive.
Encourage your child to practice a healthy lifestyle
For many people, including children, it can be challenging to maintain a healthy lifestyle due to the many demands of personal and school life.
As the popular saying goes, “health is wealth”; it is essential for children to find time during a busy day to promote the overall well-being of the body for a longer and healthy life.
A part of this healthy lifestyle journey is exercise regularly, getting adequate sleep, hydration and eating a balanced diet.
Help your child set goals
Helping children to set goals at the beginning of the new academic year is also a great way for them to think about what they want to achieve and also work towards them.
Parents should encourage their children to set goals before the start of the school year, whether it is to achieve good grades or learn to play a sport.
It is not only important to help children set goals but also help them to remain focused on the goals.
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