Helping Your Children Navigate the Back to School Season

Returning to school can bring out a mixture of emotions. Your child can experience a lot of excitement around reuniting with friends after a long summer, while at the same time feeling uneasy or nervous about transitioning to a new environment, a new teacher, and a new routine. The challenges that children may face during the back to school season can be overwhelming both for them and for their caregivers. As you adjust to this new time, it’s important to provide the space for your child to communicate their feelings, while also being a reassuring source of support. While many kids will adapt over time to feel comfortable in their new environment, there are tools that parents and caregivers can use to help navigate this season. 

Here are two of our tips:

Help your child feel prepared

As we’ve navigated living with COVID, many children have struggled with separation anxiety as they transition from being mostly at home to navigating social environments. Take a moment to prepare your child for the changes that are coming their way. Allow them to reflect on the return to school by asking questions about the transition a couple weeks before. How do they feel about returning to school? What are they most excited about? Most nervous about? Listen actively to their responses, and communicate the logistics ahead of time so they know what to expect before the first day arrives.

Lean into mindfulness 

These last couple of years have been difficult for school-age children who are truly living in unprecedented times. Bring in mindfulness, the process of being conscious or aware of something, and try dedicating daily time and space to help them process during the first few weeks. To guide this practice, you can try incorporating

• Breathwork
• Nature Walks
• Journaling 

The key here is to encourage your child to be aware of the present moment as well as their feelings and thoughts. With practice, mindfulness can allow children to navigate complex emotions and accept themselves for who they are. 

Our Mindful Kids Cards are a great option here. Our set for Daytime leads children through mindful exercises like awareness, breathing, gratitude, and stretching. Our set for Bedtime helps little ones reduce worry and racing thoughts so they can fall asleep with ease. 

With a little bit of preparation, your little ones will be adjusted to the school season and excited about the year to come! Looking for other wellness essentials? You can find everything from child-friendly first aid to more tools for mindfulness and development here.