The idea of sitting in a classroom and watching theories and concepts thrown at you can be unnerving for adults. So imagine how a child feels when she has to go back to school at the end of the long holidays. Granted, some children are fearless and will enter the new school year without even a backward glance. But there are others more uncertain about the experience.

Beyond paying school fees and buying books, there are many ways parents can empower their children for the new school year. Below are a few of them.

Affirmation
Affirm your children. And empower them to affirm themselves. Affirmations aren’t for only when you’re a grown-up. The earlier you start affirmations with your children the better. If they are being bullied or feeling ridiculed or facing peer pressure at school, they will remember the words of affirmation.

Facilitate a meet up with other classmates
Try to have your child meet a classmate before the first day of school. This way, she will already have a friend or a familiar face in the new school year. Your child may be the life of the party and may not necessarily need this but either way, it will help put any child at ease if they see someone they know. Find out from the school if they are willing to introduce you to other families. Then your child can connect with other new and even old students before school starts. You can also do this with your child’s teacher. Arrange for them to meet and connect briefly before school starts officially.

Take advantage of orientation sessions
Most schools have orientation day/s, so it’s important to take advantage of this. It gives your child the opportunity to familiarise themselves with their new environment. Even if its the same school, they will most likely be in a different class and they may now be doing extra-curricular activities they weren’t doing before or even in a bigger playground for the ‘big’ kids. Whatever the scenario, allowing them to have a feel of the adjustments and differences in this new year will do them a world of good.

Get your kids back on a schedule
Get your kids back on a schedule well before the new session starts, especially with going to bed early. Over the summer most children are allowed the freedom of staying up late and waking up late and if this continues till night or two before school starts, it will be a shock to their system. So start your early to bed(latest 9 pm) and early to rise routine a week or two before they head back to school.

What other strategies do you use to transition your kids into the school year? Please share in the comment section.

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