The start of a new school year can be challenging for some students, and experts say preparing for it now can help.
Putting away the bathing suits and packing the bookbags may feel different for each student.
“It’s normal for them to have all kinds of emotions,” said Jody Baumstein, a licensed therapist with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Strong4Life program.
Baumstein said as students head back to the classroom, parents should gauge how they’re feeling by asking open-ended questions and then simply listening.
“We think we need to swoop in and save them from the feeling, but when we say things like, ‘Don’t worry, it’s gonna be fine,’ it doesn’t make anybody feel better,” Baumstein said. “It actually makes them feel worse because now they feel like there’s something wrong with them, (that) they shouldn’t feel that way and you don’t get it.”
Baumstein said returning to school can be nerve-wracking for some because of the unknowns, so help by filling in the blanks.
“So thinking about things like going to Meet the Teacher Night or going and taking a tour of the school. If it’s a new space, this is really important because a lot of kids have anxiety about the physical space,” Baumstein said.
Routines are important for children, so Baumstein said to start getting back into one. If summer bedtimes are different, inch back to where they should be before the first day of school.
If there are new school supplies, practice using them so students are comfortable.
And she said to keep the conversation going throughout the school year.
Baumstein said if parents are asking children about their day and only getting one-word answers, try using games at dinner time for conversation starters.
For example, play the “high and low” game, where the child has to tell you the high and low points of their day.
Or a game called “rose-bud-thorn” where the child acknowledges something that went well, something they’re looking forward to and something that was hard. She said that’s giving them a consistent space to open up.