September Skills: How to ensure a smooth transition into a new school year

Every year, the end of summer looms over each family as they prepare to head back into routine and leave the humid days of summer behind them. For some households, this is an exciting time filled with getting new school supplies and gearing up for a new grade but for others it can be a difficult and confusing time. 

Many parents might be asking themselves 

“How are we going to get through a morning without a tantrum?” 

“How I am going to do this all over again, I feel like summer just started” or 

“what if my child refuses to go?”. 

All of these questions are valid and have to do with ensuring a healthy transition back into routine, schedule and longer days. For almost any child, September can be an exhausting month. We are back to waking up earlier, focusing on learning new routines, participating in after school activities and forming new connections along the way. So the real question is, how can we ensure a smoother transition this September?

Here are 3 tips for having a smoother transition this September:

Practice! It may sound simple but its really vital to practice getting back into a routine before we embark on a new school year, this means setting an alarm the week or two prior to school starting to get used to waking up. Practicing a routine will help when the first day of school rolls around and we have already gotten use to waking up to our alarm again 

Prepare! When we prepare for a transition, we are less likely to feel anxious and overwhelmed by the change. This means, having our supplies ready to go, knowing where our classroom is and what to expect on those first few weeks of returning back.

Support! It’s important for children to know they have support at home and at school of people they can go to if they forget where they’re supposed to be or if they’re having a particularly hard day. Support in all environments can make or break a smooth transition !

With these tips, parents can gain the right tools to take September on with confidence rather than dread ! For more information on how to gain skills for September, check back next week for the next part of our September Skills series focused on school related anxiety !