The new school year has started – a fun time for both parents and children, but it can also be a bit daunting. A new phase is dawning, including the associated changes. To ensure that children go back to school well prepared, private online tutoring company GoStudent has compiled a list of the best tips and tricks to make the start of the new school year as smoothly as possible.
Tip 1: Get to know the school and the way to school
Anything new and unfamiliar can feel a little daunting or intimidating at first. One solution is to familiarize yourself and your child with the new environment beforehand. Visit an open day at the school of your choice. Talk to teachers, students and new classmates and try out a lesson. You can also attend public events in the school, such as concerts or theater performances. This way your child gets to know the school and it won’t feel so strange on the first day of school. Many schools now also offer digital tours. This way you can easily explore the school from your own home. The same goes for the way to school. It pays to explore the best route beforehand, so that you don’t have to rush on the first day of school. If your child does not go to school on foot or by bike, but takes public transport, practice the journey. At first, the way to school can feel like a trip around the world. But the more you practice, the more familiar and shorter it feels. Practicing the journey also helps determine at what time your child needs to leave home to get to school on time.
Tip 2: Make contact with new classmates
If your child sees a familiar face in their new environment on the first day, it will make them feel less stressed and more confident. Therefore, find out in advance who else is going to this new school or class. Perhaps you can already get in touch during the summer holidays – maybe there is a class Whatsapp group. That way your child will see familiar faces on this first, exciting day of school and it will be easier to get used to it.
Tip 3: Make sure you have the right school supplies
There is a lot to organize and buy before the new school year starts! Pencils, erasers, notebooks, a backpack, sportswear, a pencil tray, a lunch box… When you get books from the school, you will have to supply protective covers. Make sure your child starts the new school year well equipped with the right stuff. Make a list of supplies together and find out where you can buy or possibly rent them. And when you go out together to buy everything, make it a day out. Invite friends to help with covering the books. This makes preparing for that first day of school even more fun!
Tip 4: Set up a study corner or room
If your child does not yet have their own study space at home, this might be the time to set it up. Children need a quiet place where they can concentrate on their studies and homework. If you have the space at home, install a desk and an office chair, or set up a study corner in your child’s bedroom, or perhaps part of the dining table. Make sure there will be as few distractions as possible in the room when your child will study. This also means that the space or corner is neat and tidy and that all study supplies are within reach.
Tip 5: Enjoy the anticipation!
You can’t start early enough to enjoy the experience! For example, try to enthuse your child with your school stories from the past. How did you experience that first day in a new school or class? Do you remember your teacher? What did you do? Did you ever get detention? Did you perhaps fall in love? Funny anecdotes from your own school days will help your child relax and gain confidence. We all experienced that first day and guess what? We were all nervous, but we all survived!
Tip 6: Keep calm!
Excitement and nervousness are part of the start of the new school year. However, try to stay as calm as possible and don’t show your own nerves and insecurities to your child. The more relaxed you are about the new situation, the more relaxed your child will be. Also, don’t worry about your child’s knowledge and skills. Reading, writing, math – your child will learn all this and more at school. That’s what schools are for! As a parent, you don’t have to teach your child their ABCs before they go to school. It is enough to read a story to your child in the evening and thus arouse an interest in reading and books. Everything else they will learn sooner or later in school!
For more info:
www.gostudent.org