🤗Emotionally Preparing Your Child To Go Back to School - Summer Holiday Support🤗

Mary_Scope

Part One - Summer Holiday Support Series Introduction
Part Two - Accessible Days Out for Parents and & Carers of Disabled Children
Part Three - Keep Routine At Home in the Summer Holidays
Part Four - Sensory Friendly and Accessible School Uniforms (Where To Buy)
Part Five - Parent & Carer Wellbeing and Mental Health in the Summer
Part Seven - Back to School Tips

The week before back to school can be a mix of excitement and anxiety for children, as well as parents! Whether your child is starting a new school or returning after the summer holiday, it’s normal for children to feel a range of emotions.

I’ve put together this post with some practical tips and strategies to help support your child’s emotional well-being during the back to school transition. I hope you find it helpful!

• Talk Openly About Going Back to School

Begin talking about school a week to a couple of days (depending on what is most suitable for your child) in advance. Open-ended questions like “what are you looking forward to?” or “is there anything you’re feeling nervous about?” can be a great way to check in with your child. They help create a safe space for your child to express themselves and give you an opportunity to offer reassurance and validation.

• Let Them Know That How They Feel About the Transition is Okay

It is really important your child knows that it's okay to feel nervous, excited or sad in the run up to returning school. It can also be really helpful to share stories from your own school days that may mirror theirs to show that these feelings are normal and temporary.

• Find and Practice Coping Strategies Together

Exploring, talking and practising coping strategies with your child can be a really helpful way for them to regulate their emotions and feel more in control in stressful situations. There are some really good coping strategies here and here. Finding the right coping strategy can take some trial and error so it’s worth sticking with one for a few weeks before deciding whether to try something new!

• Focus on the Fun Stuff!

As school approaches, it’s helpful to keep things positive by chatting about the bits your child might enjoy like seeing friends, meeting a new teacher, learning something cool or even using their new pencil case! It can also be useful to remind your child of past successes and times they’ve overcome worries. This helps children see that they’ve faced challenges before and found a way through so they can do it again! This will boost their confidence and self esteem.

Do you have any tips or experiences on supporting children’s emotional wellbeing during the return to school? Please let us know below as they can be really helpful to other parents on the community! 🤗😊