What Can Parents Do to Prepare Their Child for School
When your child starts school for the first time, the need to prepare them and get them ready for what’s ahead cannot be overlooked. However, many parents are never sure of the effective ways to prepare their child for school. Most are torn between reading their books with them and talking to them about the new life they are about to start.
Since this is going to be a difficult time for your child, there is a need that you strive to understand them and give them what befits their needs. Children will react differently to the idea of leaving people they are used to and start a new life with new people. That’s why you should understand your child and pick ideas that can help you counter this problem.
What to Do to Prepare Your Child for School
There are numerous ways you can prepare your child for school and give them an easy time transitioning from home to school. Here are some of the viable ways you can help your child join a school with minimal difficulties.
-
Go with Your Child to the School Orientation
When your child is getting registered for school, you should get them through the process. Help your child get acquainted with the staff and a few teachers that will be taking care of him/her while in school. Ask for the basic rules such as the location your child will be playing and the routines they will be following at school.
When your child sees you handing them over to their teachers and the staff, they develop trust and can easily transition. Also, you get the chance to acquaint yourself with the meeting dates and everything that happens at school to plan for everything effectively.
-
Follow Up on How Your Child Responds to Conversations about School
How your child responds to school talks can tell you a lot about how they like it in school. If they react enthusiastically anytime you talk about school, they are mostly loving it at school and are free to engage in any talk concerning school and school work. However, you should be concerned if they express confusion or anxiety anytime you raise the topic.
You need to seek help or further information from teachers if you notice your child is worried or overwhelmed with the idea of school. You can ask and answer their questions as effectively as possible and avoid going ahead of them thinking as children can’t think far ahead in weeks, months, etc.
-
Help Your Child with Homework
Talk to your child concerning the importance of homework and how important it is to do homework each day. Ask them to feel free to ask you any questions they may find challenging so that you can help them solve the difficult tasks.
Set aside a special study place where you can be helping your child with their daily homework. Also, set a time to handle homework specifically, so they get used to the routine. Televisions and phones should not be featuring anywhere near the study room or place. Setting these standards early in their lives gives them a foundation to stick to for the rest of their lives.
If the homework or school project is difficult, you can find homework help for your child at platforms like do my paper to give them the correct guidance. You can also seek help from someone else from the church, school tutoring groups, libraries, and older students.
-
Have Positive and Cheerful Talks with Your Child
The best way of having a one-on-one convo with your child is by reading them a story occasionally. Children love the idea of listening to their parents read them stories loud and explaining to them.
Books can make your child familiar with the school much easier. You can customize the books with your child’s photos or photos of their school to make the book more relatable to them.
When you spend time reading these types of books to your child, it accords them of asking you questions and opening for short conversations in between the reading. Use the chance to enlighten and encourage your child on the importance of studies and reading.
-
Be Your Child’s Advocate
You are in the right position to understand a change of behavior in your child. A few days after joining the school, you can tell if they are having a problem at school or not. If you feel something is troubling your child, you are the right person to go and seek answers from the school.
Visit the teachers or principal and talk to them about it. Ask for their advice. Seek to know if there are any observations they have made concerning your child that you need to know about. Also, ask if there is anything you can do to help with the situation at hand, etc.
It is also vital that you understand what your rights are before you go advocating for your child. Get to know what special services, immigration rules, etc., are offered by the school for learners and parents. Check if these rights are violated against your child in any way and raise the concerns.
-
Motivate Your Child to Embrace Active Learning
Active learning is the process where your child is involved in everything going on around them. They will ask questions and participate practically in this kind of learning. It also involves solving problems and exploring the interests of your child.
You can allow your child to participate in sports actively, spend time with friends, play musical instruments, and act in school, and visit museums to keep them engaged with their environment as they learn.
The best way to promote your child’s active learning is to listen to them when they talk and respond to their needs. This will allow them to fully enjoy the activities you set for them in response to their desires.
-
Create Routines
Since your child was used to irregular sleeping patterns when at home, the new school routine will demand that you create new schedules for them. Also, the early days of learning will be highly exhaustive to your child and demand that you set a schedule that allows them to sleep early. Enough sleep will be important to your child’s concentration in class.
You should start practicing this routine early enough before the school going days to help your child get used to the routine.
Conclusion
The journey of transitioning your child from home-life to the new school-life can be a daunting one. However, with the above tips’ help, you can always have a seamless and successful process through this journey. Remember always to seek to understand your child’s progress in school in the first few days, weeks, or months to help you develop a solid routine and program for managing their school life.
You need to develop your child even before school. Some pre-school courses are ideal, in my opinion. Because of the pandemic, I think you should work on the option of online learning, check how diligent your child is and how long he can be focused.