Written by Ikedah Alston, Kids Mindset Coach
The core philosophy of what I do is to “be who you needed when you were younger”. As a kid, I struggled with negative self image, emotional outbursts and lack of self awareness which followed me through adulthood.
Summer is a time that most kids look forward to. Free from the burden of school, kids love the free time and fun activities of summer. When it's all over and it's time to return to school, however, you can ease the transition by taking an active role in helping your children cope with the life change that's about to take place. Keep reading to get 8 tips to help your children transition from the leisurely days of summer to the challenges of an upcoming school year:
1. Talk about it
Keep an open dialogue with your children. If they have certain anxieties or reservations about attending school, help them ease their fears by allowing them to talk about it. Help your children adopt a different perspective by pointing out the positives about school. School allows them to discover and develop new strengths. And they'll be able to see their friends every day!
2. Establish a school routine early
If you've lost your routine over the summer, try to get back on track as early as possible. If you go into the school year with a routine, you can avoid many difficult days and stressful situations.
3. Throw a party with children
The end of summer can be a happy time. Celebrate the beginning of the school year by throwing a party or barbeque. This way, your children won't dread school. Instead, they might look forward to the party and the school year.
4. Continue with hobbies
It's important to remind your children that they'll still have free time after school and on weekends. If they played most of the day during the summer, they'd still have plenty of playtimes after school lets out. The hobbies that they enjoyed during the summer can continue throughout the school year.
5. Continue learning over the summer
One way to make the new beginning easier on your children is to limit their completely free time over the summer months. You can continue their education by providing educational activities and outings.
6. Pick out first-day outfits
Your children will be nervous and excited on the first day of school. They may even want to spend more time on their appearance. You can help them look forward to the first day of school by picking out special outfits to wear. Help them dress for success by helping them choose the perfect outfit.
7. Shop for school supplies
Another activity that may get your kids excited about school is shopping for school supplies. Children sometimes have a specific list of items they'll need. Let your child choose their own pens, paper and folders in their favorite colors.
8. Take a trip to school
Often, fear of the new experiences to come can swallow a child's enthusiasm for the new school year. If your child is attending a new school, bring him to school a day before the first official day of class. That way, he'll know what to expect and feel more relaxed on the big day.
The new school year can be an exciting time for all. Stress always goes along with new situations. But if you put these tips into practice, your kids will be better prepared and may even look forward to the first day of school.
The core philosophy of what I do is to “be who you needed when you were younger”. As a kid, I struggled with negative self image, emotional outbursts and lack of self awareness which followed me through adulthood. Over the past 11 years I have worked with children directly through volunteering in my community as a mentor, scout troop leader and as a mom, so I have seen first hand the struggles that kids go through including not knowing how to handle their emotions. And having gone through it myself, I felt that there is a gap that needs to be filled. That is why I started KIMA Kids Life Coach. I want to give our youth, the future of our world, the essential life skills through emotional intelligence to begin their journey of self awareness, effective communication and better decision making.
