Starting routines early can help your child get off on the right foot
Sure, mid-August might seem a little early to start thinking about school, but getting started now can help kids ease into the new routine.
Going back to school can be a lot of fun—catching up with old friends, making new ones, meeting new teachers—but it can also be a big source of anxiety for kids. Liliana Lengua, UW psychology professor, and Clayton Cook, UW assistant professor of educational psychology, have some tips for helping your kids succeed at the first day of school.
Prof. Lengua runs the Center for Child and Family Well-Being, which is now offering a certificate program in Early Childhood Leadership for early childhood care professionals. She recommends arranging a few get-togethers with school friends before classes start, and maybe a classroom tour, if your child is feeling nervous. “Sometimes it’s the unfamiliarity or unknown that worries kids,” says Lengua, so giving your child some exposure to the people and places she’ll be interacting with ahead of time can be a help.
Is someone in your household heading for classes this fall? Are you? What are you doing to get prepared?
