The beginning of a school year is an exciting time that can bring a few challenges to some families.  The anticipation of a new school year may bring anxiety to some of our young children which will result in tears and refusal to go to school instead of smiles and an eager attitude.  For these children there are ways to help them ease into the new school year.  Parents should begin now speaking positively about school.  Be aware of your own attitudes as your attitude may inadvertently become your child’s attitude.  Your child will know if you are anxious and sad about them leaving home! Children need to know that going to school is not an option.  Be firm and matter of fact regarding their attendance at school.    If you have a child who is having difficulty separating you may want to wait at least 1-2 weeks before eating lunch with them at school.  Most of the time children will stop crying once they have settled into the classroom and parents have left the room.  Often the tears will start up again when the parent leaves lunch.  As the school year progresses your child will gain confidence and self esteem as they realize they are able to go to class on their own!!  Please feel free to contact me if you are having difficulty at home with separation anxiety.  We want your child’s school experience to be positive!!  

Whew! We made it through the first day of school….Now what?  I don’t know about you but I love my “no time, no calendar” schedules in the summer.  Staying up late, eating fun foods, sleeping in, and hanging out by the water is what summer is all about! Getting back into a routine and alarm clock can be a difficult adjustment.   However, kids need and want a routine and schedule even though they may never request that from you as a parent.  Here are a few tips to help you:

• Establish a bed time and stick with it during the school week.  Studies indicate that young elementary kids need about 11 hours of sleep!
• Set up an afternoon routine that works best for your child.  Examples may include:
  • 3:00- play and a snack
  • 3:30- any homework, review or going through folders
  • 4:00-play ,exercise and chores
  •  6:00-dinner
  • 7:00-begin getting ready for bed-pick out clothes for the next day
  • 8:00-bed time
  • (Did you notice no screen time was included in this schedule during the week???!!)
• Establish a morning routine to help your child have a positive start to the day.  Be creative with your wake up calls ~
  • Breakfast is an important part of this routine.  If your child does not eat breakfast at school make sure they eat a healthy breakfast at home.  Try choosing eggs, bacon , fruit or other protein choices.  Lots of sugar interferes with their ability to concentrate (and grow healthy!)
  • Brush teeth
  • Have backpacks and clothes (including shoes and socks) ready the night before.  Those little things can cause lots of tears and stress in the morning!
  • Always send your child away with positive words.  Maybe you have a saying around your house or maybe it’s just I love you.  But be sure to send them off with a positive-even on those hectic mornings.

Our school day gets started earlier now (7:50 late bell) and we want to establish good habits at a young age by helping our children to be on time!!