These pasts months have been challenging to say the least, and the upcoming school year will be filled with many new challenges. The first challenge of them, preparing your child to go back.
What do you say?
How do you keep them safe if they are going to school?
How do you support them through distance learning?
1. Share with them what you know and what you don’t
For example, what will it be like? How will it be different?
If your child is going back to school, desks will likely be spaced six feet apart, both students and teachers will be required to wear masks, and interactions between each person will be limited. Along with limited interactions also comes the loss of play and hands-on-work, which will be absent.
Face-to-face interaction is an important part of learning so being able to see their teacher and classmates face-to-face will make learning easier than doing so over Zoom. Remind your children that you and the school are doing everything possible to keep them safe and help them learn the best way they can.
If your child is distance learning, explain to them what that will look like and how you will accommodate their needs, whether it’s for space or quiet or anything else. They may wish they could see their friends and be in school, but over time they will accept that this is what is best for them right now.
2. Allow them to have their feelings
Whatever their reaction may be, let those feelings freely flow. It may be fear, anger, sadness, or anxiety. Each of those feelings is normal and should be freely expressed. Let them know their feelings are normal and understandable. However, over time they will get more comfortable and these feelings will adjust.
They may not love it, but they can come to accept it.
3. Let them ask as many questions as they need
You may not have all the answers, but it’s important for your child to ask as many questions as they need. If you don’t have the answer, tell them and try to find it.
4. Give your child time to process
Don’t wait to have this talk the day before school. Start preparing your child as early as you can so they can emotionally process and mentally prepare for the school situation ahead of them. Even without COVID over our heads, kids slowly prepare for the upcoming school year as summer begins to close. This year is no different in that way. However, it does come with other frustrations and challenges that may take more time to process.
5. Establish a support system
This goes for both you and the child. Perhaps your child could use a virtual movie night with their friends or a study group. Maybe you could use the same. We are all going through this together and it’s important for your child to know that too. Just because you have to distance, in some way, does not mean that we have to be alone.
We are all in this together. Learn how we can help.