Back To School

2. Role play:

Some children may want to practise what school will look like for them prior to starting. For young children this can be a way to explore and try new experiences in a safe and supported environment. Set a ‘school’ up at home and allow your children to play all roles in the school environment. This may open up opportunities for your child to express their concerns and excitements about this new chapter of their lives and for you to help them prepare for how things may play out.

3. Do a dry run:

If there is a new morning routine to go along with the change of year level or school, do a dry run with your child in the lead up to the school term commencing. Have your family try a test run of how a school day would look for you in 2023 to iron out any kinks in the plan for the mornings. This will help your child understand what is expected of them in the mornings and will help remind them of the routine the family needs to follow for everyone to get to where they need to be on time and their role in this. If your young person needs to catch a bus or walk to school, this may be a great opportunity to help them navigate these new processes too. By walking to school with them or riding their bus route with them to ensure they know where they need to jump off can assist in this transition.

4. Make sure they know how to get help:

For most kids there will come a time in their schooling life where they need help and support and you as their parent can’t be or aren’t there to support them. This may be a huge point for concern or worry for your child, and they may benefit from knowing who to go to in the circumstance that you aren’t there. To alleviate these concerns for your child (and perhaps yourself) get in contact with your child’s school and ask who their head of year is or their pastoral care coordinator is and ensure your child knows their name. Make sure your child knows where the administration office of their school is and the support structures and processes in place for the school. Jump on the schools website and check out their policy on bullying and harassment and how to seek support, emotionally and academically. Schools aim to provide environments to get the best out of young people and help them grow, and as such are equipped with personnel who’s primary role is to provide support for your child.

5. Finally remind them what school is all about:

Assisting your young person to reframe the school experience for what its core intention is may help alleviate the stress and pressure they put on themselves. Reminding your child that school is about developing themselves to become the best them they can be and not a measure of their worth based on a letter or number they receive for an assessment task, can support them to be confident to try new things without the fear of failure. This can help them see each challenge as a learning opportunity rather than another chance for them to fail or further evidence that they aren’t ‘good’ at school. Encouraging your child to engage in extracurricular opportunities that schools provide, can help them have a sense of belonging and achievement away from traditional academics and support them to have a positive sense of self.

It’s important to remember that everyone feels some level of apprehension towards changes and new experiences, so normalise these feelings with your child. If you’ve tried the strategies suggested and your young person is still struggling with significant feelings of worry about school, it can be helpful to reach out for some professional support for yourself and your child.