The new school year can be a stressful time both for kids and parents, but a few useful tips can reduce some of those anxieties.
Kim Hemmert, grants manager and strategic planner with Idaho Children’s Trust Fund, declared one piece of advice most important for helping kids transition back to the school mentality.
“Establishing routines and structure, especially around bedtime,” she said. “So having a set bedtime, having a set routine for the bedtime is really good for kids to be able to transition to school.”
Hemmert added parents should establish routines elsewhere as well, such as in the morning and families can lay out clothes and prepare children’s lunches the night before, for instance.
Parents can reduce the stress of bringing their kids to school every day by establishing a carpool. But especially in the early days of the school year, Hemmert said parents could also offer advice on the way there.
“If parents are taking kiddos to school, it’s a great opportunity to talk through some of those anxieties that the kiddos might be feeling,” she explained.
Hemmert added it is easy for both parents and kids to feel overwhelmed.
“Having patience with yourself as a parent and with your kiddo is really important when it comes to building that relationship with your kid as a parent,” she said.