Making Back to School a Smoother Transition

Making the move to a new school is a big step and for some children this can also be quite an unsettling time. The My Growing Up Reward Chart has been developed by The Victoria Chart Company for children from 4 years. It is ideal to help smooth the transition from pre-school to elementary school and help to build a child’s self esteem.

It is a available to purchase from www.VictoriaChartCompany.com and they are offering 15% OFF their whole range of children’s reward charts when you use the discount code ‘VCHART15' at checkout.
Putting this chart into practice ahead of the return to school will help to create good structure and routine in the family home. Here are some more suggestions to help through this time:

• Things for children to practice (you may like to add these to your chart):

- taking coat/shoes on and off and put in a suitable place.

- pulling clothes through the right way once taken off and folded neatly.

- being able to carry their own backpack and lunchbox.

- being able to find and recognize their name tag on their clothes (if you need to label clothes). Tip: Write these using upper and lower case letters and putting both first and last names in full, for ease of recognition.

• Talk to your child regularly about their new school and the positive exciting things they will experience there, i.e. making new friends, learning lots of interesting things, having packed lunch or school lunches.

• Don’t leave it too late to get your school supplies, make the most of coupons to keep the cost down - find out when the sales tax weekend is in your state.

• Once they have started school, take time to hear about new friends and show interest in what they have learned.

• During this time, you may experience some unsettled behavior. They may also be tired when they come home and could benefit from a rest and a little something to eat. Be patient and sympathetic, this time will pass once they have got used to their new routine.

• It is normal for a parent to feel anxious at this time, try not to let your anxiety feed through to your children.

• And finally, start a new sleep routine - having a lie-in is one of the best parts of summer, but can be a shock to your child’s system when they suddenly have to wake up early again. Help them by getting them to bed earlier in the weeks leading up to the start of school, so they have an easier transition.