How To Help Your Kids Adjust To a New School
Starting a new school is tough at any age. Kids can be tough on new students and it can take awhile for the new kid to settle in and find his spot in the already existing social food chain. Parents can help their child adjust more quickly in many ways.
Find a group:
The hardest part of starting a new school is not having a place to belong. Help your child find his element by locating the ideal group for him to join. Sports, music, art and other extracurricular can give a new student an immediate sense of belonging and bring him close to others with the same interests. It gives him an identity in a large body of students which takes out much of the social stigma of being new. It also provides your child with a safe activity complete with a monitored peer group.
Dress correctly:
At silly as it seems to most parents, children as young as elementary school immediately judge others based on wardrobe and appearance. As much as physical appearance doesn’t matter to you, it may matter a great deal to your child. Take your child to the mall to see what others his age are wearing. Is there a particular brand of shoe that most have? Are shirts in or out?
These small things can help him blend in from the first day. Don’t worry about his individuality. He has plenty that will show itself in time. The last thing he needs now is to be teased about having the wrong kind of haircut – unless he thrives on being different.
Pack a lunch:
The worst time of day for new students is lunch time. Not only is the cafeteria set up differently on every campus, there are new lunch rules to learn and follow. The worst part of any lunch room is the seating arrangement. Everyone already has a place to sit, and the new kid often has to sit alone. There isn’t much a parent can do to help this scenario unless you can introduce your child to others before he starts the new school.
One thing that can help is to throw some lunch items in his backpack. That way he has something to eat without having to experiment with lunch lines and procedures and has the option of snacking in places other than the cafeteria. Many schools allow students to eat in the library or outside which may make his solo status less evident until he finds his own crowd.
Make a test run:
Take your child up to school before his first day to scope out his classes and locker. Make a test run through the building so he knows how to get from one place to another without being late or having to ask directions. Make sure his locker works and possibly stash school supplies before he starts classes. The less he has to deal with the first day, the better.
Meet the teachers:
There is hope that if he meets his teachers before starting class, he won’t have to make an embarrassing speech the first day. Take a tour through the building right after classes let out and let him speak briefly to each of his teachers. This is also a good time to see what extra supplies he might need the following day when he first comes to class.
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Posted in Education, High School
