Preparing Your Kids for Back to School

Children all across the US are getting ready for going back to school!  Many of those children will be feeling anxiety about getting back to a new school year.  They’re busy wondering:

- Will my teacher be nice?
- Will the other kids like me?
- Will I make friends with the other kids?

There are a few ways parents can help their children ease into the transition from summer to going back to school.  Here are some tips for making your child’s transition a smooth one.

Get Back to Family Routines
During the summer months, bedtimes are relaxed, children may sleep late, they might be used to a diet of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and wearing clothes has replaced by swimsuits, for some examples.  Jumping back into the normal family routine during the school year is very hard for children, which is why getting back to family routines before going back to school can help ease the transition for some children.  Start getting children back to normal sleep patterns no more than one week prior to when school begins, emphasize healthy eating, and re-introduce them to wearing normal clothes. 

Go Shopping For School Supplies
Some kids will get excited about going back to school by getting new school supplies!  For small budgets or younger kids, a backpack, a pack of notebooks, some pencils, and a box of crayons will give the child a boost in their excitement level, especially if they get to help pick them out.  For older kids, a great way to get them excited about going back to school may be to allow them to splurge on one or two trendy items of clothing, shoes, or a backpack, especially if they’ve earned a little of their own money over the summer.

Give Your Child’s Self Esteem a Little Boost
Especially if your child has done a lot of changing over the summer, they might be self conscious about his or her new body.  Children might also be worrying about how other kids will perceive them.  To help ease their minds and build their self esteem, there are a few things parents can do before they go back to school. 

Unlock children’s awareness of a personal asset or talent.
Does your child have beautiful blue eyes, is exceptionally good at a sport, draws very well, etc.?
Find the a special asset or talent that your child possesses and emphasize it by telling him
or her about it.  You can boost the effectiveness of this technique by encouraging siblings,
grandparents, or adult family friends to recognize that same personal asset or talent.  This
takes only a few minutes a day to increase their self confidence!

Encourage Positive Risk Taking
Children that are self-confident have a natural desire to try new things, even when there is a
possibility of failure.  Make sure you appropriately cheer on your kids when they are
engaging in a new activity or skill.  Also, parents can encourage an adventurous spirit by
doing something simple like trying a new food at dinnertime or taking children on a
hike down a new trail at the park.


Let Children Solve Problems
Instead of rushing to help your children solve a problem, allow time for creative thinking!
Children develop self-confidence by solving problems appropriate to their abilities.  As a parent,
offer support and encouragement, but don’t step in to solve the problem before the child
has a chance to explore their own abilities, find a solution, and revel in their own
accomplishment!

By getting back to the family routine, buying a few new school supplies, and engaging in a few self-confidence boosting techniques, you’ll be well on your way to making sure that your children start off the school year on the right foot!  Going back to school will not cause as much anxiety for your kids!  Get started today!

How BoostKids Can Help:
BoostKids is a program that can help increase a child’s confidence by teaching social skills to children and building their character.  BoostKids has been and is currently being taught in schools, non-profit organizations, and after-school programs.  The program is now available as an at-home training program for children and their parents.  The key training tool of the BoostKids program is an interactive CD-ROM that shows kids the right-way and the wrong-way to handle social situations.  They learn from real kid actors in real-life scenerios! 

For more information about what’s included in BoostKids, click here. 

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