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Achieving a Successful Start to the School Year
Brought to you by the American School Counselor Association
For some kids, a new year in school is old hat. For others, the idea of a new teacher, a new classroom, and new classmates can cause tremendous anxiety. Help your child make a smooth reentry to school with these tips from school counselors and teachers.
1. Review the Route Some of us are better at change than others, so a new school can present a real challenge. One way to help your kids overcome their fear of the unknown is to rehearse for the first day of school. 2. Visit the Classroom Don't hesitate to call the school and ask if you may bring your child in before school starts. This will give you a chance to meet the teacher and see the classroom. For younger ones, point out the closet space, the nearest bathroom, and the offices of the school nurse and school secretary. Some children don't need this rehearsal. But for others, tracing their steps, quietly and at their own pace, helps to create a sense of security which will ease the transition to a new year. 3. Supply the Supplies As parents, we want to buy everything that's on sale ahead of time. It usually pays to wait until the afternoon of the first day, when teachers have told students what they will need. Keep these things in mind as you get supplies for your kids. 4. Label it All Write your child's name on everything! You can bet that if Star Wars is all the rage, oodles of kids will be toting the same Star Wars lunchbox. Every school has a lost and found box, so this tip applies to all kids. Kids of any age achieve a sense of self-sufficiency when they can go to the closet or lunch cart and know that they're reaching for their own things. This also cuts down on unnecessary conflicts that arise when two kids reach for the same jacket, convinced that it belongs to them both. 5. Make Clothes Kid-Friendly Young children learn to tie their shoes, operate zippers, and undress quickly enough to prevent accidents during this period of their development. Here are some things to think about before you buy anything new. 6. Adjust Your Clock Summer has its own pace and flow, while school demands something slightly different. It will be easier for your kids to ease into their new school year bedtime, wake-up time, and breakfast time if they start to adjust their schedule before the end of summer. That way, opening week won't be such a different experience in your home. After all, practicing expected routines and behaviors until they become a habit is a lot of what school is about. 7. Set the Scene for Homework Help your child to be organized by creating routines. If she always does her homework in the same spot at the same time, it will become a part of how she does things throughout her school career. Create a useful homework kit for your elementary school child. Lee Canter first suggested this kit in his book, "Homework Without Tears: A Parent's Guide for Motivating Children to Do Homework and to Succeed in School" (HarperCollins). All the school supplies that you couldn't resist from the sale circular have a place here. Take a box or small suitcase and put filler paper, file cards, extra pencils and pens, scissors, tape, portfolio, and a ruler - anything that your child needs to do her homework. She can complete her work in one place with a minimum of interruptions. 8. Sign up for a Library Card Go to the local library before school starts to get your kids their own library card. All teachers, including early childhood educators, encourage parents to do whatever they can to foster early literacy and a love of reading. Spend fifteen minutes reading each day with your young child. This is a wonderful way to share special time together, and create an association for him between reading and something that feels great -- time with Mom or Dad! For older children, start a "family reading time." Turn the TV off, and have your whole family read together -- either the same book, or each with his or her own.
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