Great ideas for preparing kids for a new school
by Jesse Prentiss
One of the most stressful things about moving is getting your kids adjusted to their new school. You can’t be with them once they get on that bright yellow school bus, but you can equip them.
Equip your children emotionally and psychologically as they start over at a new school.
- Spirit Wear. It might feel corny depending on where you moved from, but state and school pride is in vogue. Spirit Wear is sold by most of the schools and extracurricular organizations so helping with fundraising efforts gives you and your kids a sense of belonging to the school and community.
2. Notebooks & Pencils. Write your kids an encouraging note or a joke to find in their backpack. In a school where no one knows their name yet, it will give them comfort that you are thinking of them and love them.
3. Lunch Box. Visit your kids at lunch. Just be there. You don’t need to bring them Chic-fil-A or Mooyah milkshakes every time, they just want to spend time with you. It’s also a good time to make a lunch date with another parent and kid your child might become friends with. But don’t overeat, lunch is an important time for friendships to form. I had to stop visiting for a while because my daughter would get so sad after I left and she wasn’t getting time to socialize with classmates.
4. Highlighters. Be positive and highlight the good things about the new school and people. Challenge your child to compliment 3 different people each day. Also remember that even a bad circumstance can have a good outcome. The hard stuff makes us stronger.
5. Fine Point Pen. It is easy to assure our kids that everything is going to be fine. But things don’t always go the way we hope. Prepare them to know what to do if things aren’t fine.
Bullies, no one to play with on the playground, or getting lost are better managed if you have talked through how to react in those situations before they happen. My daughter became angry at me for a time, feeling betrayed that I had lied when I said everything would be fine and it wasn’t. Make it a point not to promise everything will be fine, instead promote trusting in God’s plan with prayer, patience, and persistence.
6. Snacks. Find an opportune time to lay out a snack and get a pulse on their day. By feeding their physical needs they may be more willing to trust you with some of their emotional needs. Serving them love and time is nourishing but a cookie can help too.
7. Headphones. Be intentional about listening and being in-tune with your kids. Unplug the noise from other sources like music, tv, and phone and be available for your kids to talk and show them they matter by giving them pockets of undivided attention in your day.
8. Scissors. Cut down on complaining and destructive comparing. It is natural to compare the new school with your old school but give teachers and administrators the benefit of the doubt by giving them a chance to explain why they do things differently than your old school.
9. Crayons. Help create a colorful life for them. Support school functions even if your kids don’t participate in them. Check out a home game under the Friday night lights, attend a school play, or join the homecoming parade crowd. The more you do, the more familiar places and people will start to feel.
10. Glue. Some days will be great, so you’ll want to paste a gold star on for your decision to move here. But some days you may feel like you are falling to pieces. Jesus is the glue to help hold you together. Before you become unglued remember the promise found in 2 Corinthians 9:8a “God will generously SUPPLY all you need.”
A ruler can’t even begin to measure His generosity to supply for you and your kid’s needs this school year. Just ask.