Top Tips to Reduce Back to School Stress
It’s that time in September when young people are preparing to start school again, and parents are panicking that the uniform stockist has run out of PE tops (for the 5th year in a row!), and the uncertainty of the new school year is dawning. It’s inevitable that the first few days or weeks are going to be a period of transition as your family get back into the term time routine, but it doesn’t need to be chaos.
Here are some of the things that you can do to reduce stress:
Be prepared
You’ve probably thought about the school uniform, shoes, backpacks, pens. But what might you have missed? Go through all their supplies today so you have the weekend to review what might be missing. Then, you’ll have time to quickly dash to the shops for the bits that aren’t there.
Make sure they have all the correct equipment. Does their scientific calculator need a new battery? Are their compasses tight? I’ve prepared some videos you might find helpful.
Are you prepared for their lunches? Why not create an online shopping list with all the bits you need regularly so you can just ‘add to cart’? If they have lunch at school, have you topped up their lunch account? When your child is starting a new school this is usually in place before term starts. Be prepared to send packed lunches for a few days while this gets sorted out, if you have not yet been asked to set this up.
Get plenty of sleep
The changes to routine will be tiring. If you’ve let the schedule slip during the summer months (who doesn’t?!), start getting them back to into bed and out of bed at the expected time a few days before they are due to return.
Expect a few rough days as their body clocks recalibrate, and clear the calendar so that your young person can get much needed relaxation and downtime as possible. After all, life is not all about school. Use a relaxing evening routine to help with sleep, reducing screen time a couple of hours before bed.
It’s not just your child who needs this, you do too!
Talk positively about the return
Our children pick up on what we say. You might be stressed about the school run, and all the things that you need to do, but positivity grows positivity. Encourage them to see the great things about going back to school, such as getting back into a nice routine, seeing friends they may not have seen for a while, and doing their favourite subjects.
If they had a bad year last year, then reinforce that this is a fresh start. The added stresses of COVID-19 were enough to tip even the best behaved, well adjusted kids over the edge, but they get a do-over with new classes, new staff, and maybe even new subjects if they are starting year 10!
Talk about their worries
If your young person is anxious about the return to school then it is important that you allow time to talk this through, and help them process and reframe them. Worries are natural, and so you shouldn’t dismiss them, but look to see if you can see where they have come from and give your child plenty of quality time as you listen to them.
Some great resources to help with this are those from pursuit of wisdom coaching.
If they are going up to Secondary school then read this helpful blog from Skills4Parents Partner Sarah.
Remember it will take a few days to settle, and sometimes problems occur the first weekend. I recommend allowing that weekend to be an ‘anything goes’ weekend. Whether they want to hide under the duvet or chill with friends, roll with it!
Please share your ‘first week back’ stories in our safe, private Facebook community.