Helping your child make the transition back to school

Transitions

We know that returning to school after a major event may be both exciting and worrying for children and parents.  The current situation means that it is likely that the school day will be different from what children experienced prior to Covid-19.  The staff are working hard to make the transition back to school as smooth as possible and there are also things that parents can do at home too.

How you can help

It is important that children and young people feel safe upon their return to school.  Sometimes picturing and role playing situations helps to make them feel less distant and worrying.  The need for this is likely to be heightened for children who are starting school, or moving to a new school, as being able to picture the environment may be more tricky.  For example you could look at the school building on their website, look through any transition materials sent from the school and perhaps practise the walk to school as part of your daily exercise. Further suggestions can be found by using the links below:-

Starting primary school

Starting high school

Changing school

Managing emotions

Children and young people cope with transitions more easily with a sense of calm.  They are likely to experience a range of big feelings including both pleasant and unpleasant emotions. It is important that they are helped to feel that these emotions are normal and that support is provided to help them manage them.  Talk to your child about any concerns they have and acknowledge that these are normal feelings given the situation. Simply repeating back, “so you feel __________ because of _________” can help them to feel heard and understood.  It can also be useful to find ways to help them to manage the emotions and return to a calm state.  Relaxation can help with this.

Empowering your child

Children and young people tend to feel more in control of situations when they are clear about what they can and can’t do. Helping to prepare for the return to school might give them a sense of control and make it seem more manageable.  For example, let them pick out school uniform. Perhaps make a plan of the morning and what will happen when and what their part is in making it run smoothly. Why not play the game My first day at school with your child on the BBC website.

Reassuring your child

Whilst life may be difficult at the moment, it is important that adults, children and young people feel the situation will improve in the future. Children and young people need to be provided with reassurance and understand that in the longer term things will feel more manageable. For younger children stories can help them to see how things change and get better.  For older children and young people having a goal or special time to look forward to can help. You could talk to them about this and plan what it might be.

Information to help your child feel included

Connecting

A sense of belonging is fundamental to our psychological wellbeing. Children need to feel connected to family, friends, school and the wider community to feel included.  Social media, video chats and Glow learning opportunities provide valuable opportunities to keep in touch. Parents/carers can play an important role in supporting this process and ensuring it is a positive experience.

Engaging

In addition to considering online safety it is important to explore children’s feelings about online communication, understand their preferred ways to engage, think about opportunities to build on their interests and skills, support connections with wider groups, as well as prioritising opportunities to support their most valued relationships.

Encouraging

Including children and young people appropriately in discussions and decisions relating to the process of change can have a positive impact on their self-esteem and wellbeing. Being included in a conversation and being asked our view or opinion on something, can help us feel valued and worthy of taking part. When we’re encouraged to be part of a discussion we are being provided an opportunity to learn how other people cope and problem-solve a situation – often helping us feel less alone or worried as we see that there are others who will include us.

Listening

Spending time with your child, playing and talking to them about day to day things while having fun, opens the doors for deeper discussion later. Chatting about next steps and what this means for them will be really important.  For example, watching Newsround with them, watching their reactions closely, and giving space for them to ask questions will help you to understand what they are really thinking and feeling.  It will be important to calmly reassure children that their feelings are understandable and to work together to share ideas of how these feelings can be managed, worries reduced and problems resolved. Try to put your own thoughts and feelings aside while chatting with your children so you can clearly hear and pick up on what they are saying.

Options

It is important to involve children in conversation about what they would like to do. For younger children, if they find this difficult, offer them choices of a few things to do and help then make a plan for the day. For older young people, discuss with them what they think is important for them just now and what they’d like to do in the near future. If what they wish to do can’t happen at the moment, plan with them when it might be possible.

Kindness

The current situation has encouraged numerous acts of kindness within communities. Helping others has been shown to be an effective way of combating feelings of isolation. Involving children in activities where they feel they are helping others, supports children to have a sense that they are making a valuable contribution.

Contributing

The COVID-19 situation has sparked a period of anxiety for us all. Having a sense of being able to influence plans will encourage children to express their worries and fears in the knowledge that these will be heard and supported. Involving children in day to day planning will help children feel included and that their views are valued and make a difference. In the long term, this will help children feel more comfortable to contribute to discussion about changes yet to come. It’s important for us all to nurture our capacity to believe the future holds something better and can be achieved through our own actions.