7 Tips to Help your Children Transition from Summertime to School Time

​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.

​Try these seven 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 giving them the opportunity to talk about it or in some cases overcome them. 

* Help your children adopt a different perspective by pointing out the positives about school, getting up early or whatever they might find reason to moan about. School can allow them to share their new skills and hobbies or simply share what they did in the holidays. Maybe they learnt to ride a bike, played football and have some new tricks, got even better at drawing, made a new friend!  And of course they'll be able to see their friends every day!

2. Establish a school routine again. If you've lost your routine over the summer, do get back on track a week or two prior to school returning. If you go into the school year with a routine, you can avoid many difficult days and stressful situations. See this blog about back to school sleep tips 

3. Throw a party. 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 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'll still have plenty of playtimes after school gets out. The hobbies that they enjoyed during the summer can continue on through the school year. 

5. Arrange to go to school with a friend. Your children will be nervous and excited on the first day of school. Arranging to walk to school or at least into school with a friend or two can help with that first day back butterflies. 

6. 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 and if possible you allow them to pick out their uniform, shoes, new school bag or hair style. 

7. 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, in my area the School grounds are open and children can play on their bikes or scooters.  

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.