HOW CAN WE SUPPORT OUR KIDS AS THEY RETURN TO SCHOOL OVER THE COMING WEEKS?

We are all hoping to see our kids get back to school over the coming weeks. This may be a challenging time for many parents and kids as we have all changed our daily routines to fit in with Covid guidelines. But there are many ways to alleviate any stress and anxiety and make this a positive transition for all of us - the parents and the kids.

1. Get into a school routine as soon as possible. Bed time needs to go back to normal as every child needs to get enough sleep so they can deal with their

emotions in a more positive way. Remove any iPads, iPhones, gaming etc from the bedroom, take that choice away from your kids and make sure they are getting enough sleep

2. Be prepared the night before; encourage your kids to get their uniform ready the night before, get their school bag ready, lunch prepared (with a little help from you, depending on the age of your child). The early morning chaos is something every house could do without, especially at the moment.

3. Be prepared, get onto your child’s school or website and find out what changes they may expect in relation to drop off/pick up, social distancing in the classroom and in the yard. The more you can prepare your child for these changes, the more confident your child will be and this will really help them to have a more positive start.

4. Share your feelings (age appropriately) but do try to focus on the positives here. Kids will pick up on your fears and anxieties, this will not help. Talk about the good things, meeting their friends, their teachers, the subjects they enjoy etc.

5. Keep an eye on your kids behaviour over the first few days/weeks, are they happy? Are they sad? Do they seem quiet in themselves? Are they angry?

Kids behaviours are usually a sign that all may not be ok. Take time to sit and talk with them, let them know it is ok not to be ok, once they can talk it though with you. They need to understand if things are not going well, you are always there to listen to them. Try to practice active listening here, by this I mean, let you child talk, do not interrupt them until they have finished speaking. I think our natural response as parents is to jump in with our advice as soon as they start talking. In my experience however, if we actually let them finish speaking, they can very often come up with the answers themselves. When we are talking, we are not listening!

5. Friendship issues may pose a problem here for some as many kids have not socialised for many months. What you may think is a ‘little problem’ could well be a really big problem for your child. Talk to your kids about this and help them to navigate any struggles they may be experiencing. Talk to them about issues around friendships that you may have had when you were their age, as this can help to normalise things for them.

6. For the younger ones, maybe put a little note in their lunch box to keep them connected to you. Many of them will not have been apart from you for a long time and they might find this difficult.

7. After school, allow them to chill out. A day at school can be exhausting for many of them and they may need to take some time to relax. This is to be

expected as there are many little challenges they will be facing for the first time in months. Emotions can be exhausting, give them a hug and maybe a treat and let them know you are there for them. Try not to rush in with homework straight away, give them a little down time when necessary.

8. Keep negative talk about Covid to a minimum, little ears do tend to hear a lot! They cannot be expected to understand adult issues so do try to keep these conversations out of their ear shot. Be aware of what they might be listening to on the radio/tv, they do not need to hear the constant fear and negativity on media.

9. School is so important for all of our kids, for education, socialisation, independence and fun, try to make this a positive transition for all of them.

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