5 Tips to Help Your Young Child Adjust to School

By: Jan Lashbrook
Concerned about your child’s first days at school? Jan Lashbrook, CCA Fort Lauderdale’s Early Childhood Director, shares advice on easing the adjustment period for young students, ensuring they start school with a smile. Read her article for five tips to support your child’s transition and boost their confidence.

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Starting school can be a momentous occasion for young children, filled with a mix of excitement and trepidation. As parents and caregivers, our role is to support and reassure our children so they can assimilate to their new routines with confidence and joy.

Below are five practical ways you can help your young child adjust to school with grace and ease.

  1. Talk to your child about their fears and anxieties.
    Let your child know that his/her nervous or apprehensive feelings about the start of school are normal. All kids (and adults!) have a hard time getting back into the routine of the school year. Knowing that he/she is not alone in this experience will help your child feel heard and understood.

  2. Give your child a way to hold on to you during the day.
    Saying good-bye in the morning is the hardest part for children. Some parents have a parting ritual when they drop off, like a silly poem or a funny good-bye hand gesture. That daily ritual helps children be able to say good-bye and be at ease, laughing as you part. You may want to send in a pocket token with them, so they can hold it whenever they want to during the day – a little heart to carry in their pocket, or a note in their lunchbox that brings joy to their day.

  3. Have a consistent routine.
    Children thrive with consistent schedules. As much as possible, try to have the same nightly and morning routines. Put your child to bed with a Bible story each night, so they go to sleep with a prayer on their lips. Have a morning routine that they can depend on. As they get used to the new schedule, they will fall into a happy routine of enjoying school and making new friends.

  4. Talk with his/her teacher.
    If you notice that your child is having a hard time adjusting to school, contact the teacher immediately. Explain that your child doesn’t seem to have settled in yet, and you hope a special effort can be made so he/she feels at home. Any experienced teacher will understand and pay extra attention to that child as needed.

  5. Have positive conversations.
    Engage your child in positive conversations about their day. When they get in the car after school, have a snack ready and ask open-ended questions like:

    • “What was the most fun thing you did at school today?”
    • “Can you tell me about someone who made you smile today?”
    • “What’s one thing you learned today that you didn’t know before?”
    • “How did you feel when you did [specific activity] at school today?”
    • “How did you show Jesus’ love today?” 

It’s perfectly understandable that this change can be difficult for both children and parents. But sooner or later, your family will adjust to these new routines, and school will become a highlight of your child’s day! I’m praying that your child(ren) will grow this school year the same way Jesus did when He was a child – in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people (Luke 2:52).

 
 
Jan Lashbrook is the director of Calvary Christian Academy Fort Lauderdale’s Early Childhood program, overseeing our Pre-K and Preschool programs. Jan holds a Masters in Early Childhood Education from Liberty University. She and her husband are “empty-nesters,” having raised three children who are all grown and married. Their youngest, Shawn, attended CCA for 12 years, graduating in 2012.
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