I’ve been the new kid on the block many times. From city to city, and country to country, I’ve gone through being the new girl/woman in town. It’s an exciting time, but it’s also daunting — and even more so for children.
They depend greatly on their parents for enrollment in schools, introductions, and spending the time to join them in activities that will help them make friends and get used to a new environment. Kids want to fit in and feel accepted.
Here are a few ways to make that happen.
1) Make Friends in the New Neighborhood
Introduce youself and your children to your neighbors and encourage get-togethers with children of similar ages who will be attending the same school. Enroll your children in local summer camps and, better still, camps organized by the school your child will be attending.
Invite kids over after camp. Take your children to the local parks. Doing this can lay the groundwork to help ease the transition into school.
2) Attend Orientation with Your Children
It’s important that your children don’t enter the school building blindly, with no idea where to go. Going back to school is daunting for even the most seasoned kids, but when you feel like a stranger, it can be terrifying for a child.
Education.com has some great advice, based on an interview with the founder of NewsforParents.org: “Include your kids in the process,” suggests Debbie Glasser, Ph.D and founder of NewsForParents.org, who moved three children to a new state.
“Attend the school orientation together and/or arrange for a tour. Older children might appreciate the opportunity to follow their schedule -- walking from the bus loop to the locker to each class. Also, be sure to point out the bathrooms, cafeteria and auditorium.
“Younger children might benefit from a few visits to the new school. Most schools will assign a ‘buddy’ to assist your child during the first few days or weeks. If you think this is something your child would benefit from, talk with the guidance counselor. Knowing where things are should alleviate some of your child’s fears.”
3) Start Extracurricular Activities Early
Many schools start their sports teams, music groups and other clubs early — weeks before school starts. If your child has an interest in any extracurricular activity (and if they don’t, encourage it) then this is the time to start.
Whether it’s football, cheer, music, theatre, arts or sciences, there is a group for your child. If they don’t start before school, then have them join as soon as school starts. Not only is this a great way to make friends, it's also a way for your child to keep physically fit and be enriched with more than just academics.
4) Be Prepared for Anxiety
Some children are extroverted, lucky beings, who can adapt to new situations like a duck to water. They attract friends and fit in easily. But many kids don’t have this ability.
Be prepared if your child has troubles. SchoolMentalHealth.org recommends that you acknowledge your child’s fears, and work with her to help her through a difficult time.
The website agrees that “it is perfectly normal for a child to feel anxious, scared, or irritable during times of transition. Let your child know that you understand that this is difficult; take the time to listen to his or her concerns, and spend time together while your child develops new school connections and friendships; encourage your child to feel good during this stressful time: encourage (or enforce) a schedule including a regular bedtime and a healthy breakfast; if your child had a negative experience at his or her last school, speak positively about the fresh opportunity that the new school presents. Help your child develop new goals for school success.”
Children can’t adapt on their own and shouldn’t feel pressure to do so. The decision or necessity to move is hard on the whole family, but it’s the children who have no control over where they move or, in most cases, what school they join. Parents need to remember what it was like to be young, and acknowledge the changes their child faces.
Achieving a smooth transition to a new school with new friends isn’t always easy. But with open communication and working together as a family, big life swaps like these can be a very exciting time for a child, opening their minds to new experiences, challenges and adventures.
Sources:
Education.com.”10 Ways to Help Your Child Adjust to a New School”. Web. Retrieved August 28th 2015.
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/10-ways-child-adjust-school
Schoolmentalhealth.org. Maryland School Mental Health Alliance* Helping Your Child Adjust to a New School: Suggestions for Parents and Caregivers. Web. Retrieved August 28th 2015.
http://www.schoolmentalhealth.org/Resources/Fam/ParentsHelping%20Your%20...
Reviewed August 31, 2015
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith