The new school term is finally upon us, and regardless of whether your child is excited or not, it’s finally time for them to go back to school.
For hundreds of children up and down the country, this school year will mark a huge milestone in their lifetime. It could be their first time at primary school, their transition to secondary school, or perhaps they have even moved to a new area and are joining a different school.
Whatever your situation is, it can be overwhelming for children to adapt to a brand-new setting. The beginning of term can be a stressful experience for any student, but throw in a new building, new people and a new timetable, and your child could begin to feel out of place.
Hopefully, this year, your little one won’t experience any negative emotions when it comes to schooling. However, it’s still important for parents to prepare themselves for any hiccups that might arrive along the way.
So, that is why we have come up with the ultimate guidebook to use if your child is struggling to settle in at school. Whatever the issue may be, hopefully these tips will help you and your kid to get through it together:
1. First and foremost, it’s crucial to keep an open communication with your child throughout the school year, but especially when they are finding things a bit difficult. Encourage them to open up about aspects of their school life, including their lessons, extracurricular activities, friendship groups and their homework. Let them know that you are always there for them and are more than willing to lend an ear.
2. Naturally, through your conversations with your little one, you will hopefully gain as much information as possible about how they are coping at school. However, there might still be a few worries that they hold back from you. In that case, meeting with their teachers can be vital in learning more about which aspects they are struggling with. Once you have an honest chat with their teachers, the pair of you will be able to come up with some ideas on how you can ease your child’s stresses.
3. If your child’s main concern is that they are struggling to make friends, then there are plenty of brilliant ways to combat this! You can arrange playdates with other children in your local area - once your child encounters their classmates outside of a school setting, then they might find it a bit less stressful to strike up a friendship. You could also sign your kid up for activity clubs linked to the school, or extracurricular activities in your area that are attended by other classmates. Hopefully, your child will enjoy these events, and they won’t think twice about how daunting it can be to make new friends!
4. Sometimes, life is all about celebrating the smallest of wins. Whether that be solving a maths problem that you find particularly difficult, reading a few chapters of a book, or even scoring a football goal during PE class, the smaller wins are just as important as getting exceptional exam grades or being at the top of your class. Let your child know that you are proud of them every single day, and don’t be hesitant to congratulate them on even the smallest of achievements.
5. Nowadays, it’s become more recognised within the education system that we all learn in different ways. Sometimes, school lessons can’t be a ‘one size fits all’ situation - and that’s okay! If your child is struggling with a particular subject, ask them about which parts of it that they find challenging. Let their teacher know that your kid is struggling, and see if you can find a way through with different learning techniques. Alternatively, you could also seek out additional help outside of the classroom, such as tutoring or extra learning at home.
6. When it comes to your child’s education, it is vital that you are engaged as possible with the goings on at their school. So, be sure to keep up to date with school events, attend their parent-teacher conferences, and keep track of any evening meetings. If your little one sees that you are invested in their education, then this might help them to feel more at ease about their place at school.
