Smoothing Out the Summer to School Shake Up

Are you feeling the warning tremors of the back-to-school quake? 

If your thoughts and activities are consumed with finding the perfect backpack, organizing the calendar around up-coming events, and getting shoes, clothes, and supplies lined up for a new school year, you are not alone.  

This is a quake-worthy transition!  Returning to school is a disruption of routines and patterns that developed over the summer for both you and your child.  That has an impact even if both of you are looking forward to the return to school.  There are ways to make this transition smoother, safer, and more peaceful.  Here are a few!  

If your child is entering school for the first time or flying up to middle school, high school, or college, the transition is even more momentous.  There are big unknowns, and these are “first times”, both of which add a sharper edge.  Keep that in mind as you prepare. 

Be aware of it in your own body.  I recall having a physiological response when my daughter left the intimacy of elementary school for middle school.  The building itself felt like a fortress, and I knew that changing classes with the crowding of bodies and cacophony of voices echoing in the hallways would be a big deal for her.  Being aware of what you are feeling in your body and in your heart will support you. 

Conversations about the things that will shift and change with the coming school year are meaningful and comforting. 

Leave space for your child to discuss any concerns, likes and dislikes, preferences, feelings, and thoughts that might be coming up for them.  What are they looking forward to?  What are they dreading?  How would they like the new school year to be and feel?  How do they want to show up as a student?  Make them “open door conversations” for both of you to talk about anything and everything with a lot of listening and little to no fixing. 

Having a dedicated study space with few or no distractions is important.  Make it a special space devoted to studying rather than a shared space like the kitchen table or the living room couch. 

Instead of designing the space for your child, involve them in setting up their area.  Ask your child what they need to be able to study and focus.  Design the space together with those needs in mind, making sure that they have good lighting and that their chair supports their body properly. 

Visit the school prior to the first day.  This is particularly important if your child is having a “first time” experience.  

Have your visit mirror how they will be getting to school throughout the year.  Will they be walking to school?  If so, walk to the school together for your visit.  Drive them to school if you will be transporting them.  Find the bus stop if they will be taking the bus.  When you arrive, walk around the school even if you can’t go inside.  Hopefully, your school will have some sort of “meet and greet” prior to day one. 

Reconnect with friends before school starts.  Having time to hang out means that they will have reconnected before the first day of school so seeing each other again will feel familiar.  Consider a gathering at your house possibly with the purpose of sharing what they did over the summer.  They can show pictures, bring souvenirs, and talk about their adventures.

Your children are going to follow your lead during the transition back to school.  If you feel anxious, they will pick up on that.  If you feel stressed, they will, too.  If you are comfortable, exploring any issues that come up for you, and handling any stress that you notice, they will follow your lead! 

I hope that your summer was full of fun adventures and that the return to school will be smooth!