Back to School

Finding Comfort in the Tradition of the Transition

Back to school should be a celebration. In my view, just like a graduation or wedding, the first day of school, every year, should be a significant life transition we celebrate. This celebration reassures that we, as parents, trust our child’s teacher and model positive interactions between home and school before stepping into the classroom. It helps reinforce to our child that school is a safe place, and we trust their teacher to care for them.

However, with all big events, this celebration is not always bliss — the transition from lazy summer days to the classroom is riddled with jitters (for students and adults alike!).

My mom, Holly McGinnis, and I on the first day of Kindergarten — September 1999.

I can remember distinctly remember my first days of school. Every year they were the same: pack the backpack the night before, talk about the new school year before going to bed, have breakfast which rechecking everything was packed, go outside and take a back to school photo on the front porch (always with my younger brother to the left), then walk down the street to the bus stop. By the time I reached the bus stop, I was ready; a new year had begun.

The “tradition of the transition” helps switch from a summer mindset to student mode. Like hitting the reset button, the back to school morning ritual reminded me of what to expect in the year to come. I believe these back to school traditions also help parents calm their anxieties about the first day.

Here are a handful of traditions you could consider starting with your family this year:

1. Find a back to school book.
2. Have a special first day of school breakfast.
3. Talk with your kids about what to expect.
4. Try a dry run with role-playing of what the first day will look like.

My colleague Thia Thissen, South Side Early Learning’s Assistant Director of Family and Student Services, spoke with me about calming back to school nerves in last Friday’s episode of SSEL’s podcast Circle Time.

Listen to the 4th Episode of Circle Time with guest co-host Thia Thissen, Assistant Director of Family and Student Services at South Side Early Learning.

The most important thing to remember is that the start of the school will be rough on some children. Sometimes those anxieties can build up into tears, losing sleep, outbursts, and other classic signs of anxiety. If you see that in your child, don’t panic, this is typical developmentally, and there are several things you can do as a parent to smooth the transition.

To start, talk with your child and let them lead the conversation. Listen to their concerns, and address them with respect. Remember, your child is the expert of their experiences. Part of healthy development is building the skills needed to identify and solve problems independently. Instead of jumping in, which I know we want to do as parents, let your child generate solutions and ask them how you can support those solutions.

Note, if after time anxiety doesn’t reduce, or even develops into a patter where kids flat out refuse to go to school, definitely the time to contact a professional.

I hope during this time of back to school celebration, you implement a few new traditions with your family. What do you do around back to school at your house? Share those traditions with me on Twitter; I’d love to hear.