As the new school year approaches, many parents wonder how to prepare their children for returning to school, especially after the long summer vacation season, when children often stay up late, making it even more difficult to get them back to their regular bedtimes and wake-up times.
Studies have shown that children who get adequate, regular sleep have improved attention spans, which positively impacts behavior, memory, and mental and physical health. Therefore, it's important to regulate your child's sleep schedule as they return to school.
Experts also stress the importance of preparing children psychologically by speaking positively about school and motivating them with phrases that relieve stress and anxiety and make them feel comfortable for their first day of school after the holidays. So, what are the best ways to help children start their school day comfortably?
Time to adjust to the school routine
Hamsa Younis, a mother, family counselor, and community leader, says, "It's essential to prepare children psychologically for the idea of returning to school. But in a positive way, avoiding the impression that it's an opportunity to relieve the burden of having children at home, which leaves them with a negative impression that returning to school is simply a punishment."
Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Counselor Younis points out that many teenagers refuse to adhere to a specific bedtime, and may even rebel against their studies and homework later on. This requires parents to strengthen communication and engage in effective dialogue with their children so they can establish flexible rules and regulations that facilitate their school life and reduce the possibility of conflict. They should also establish a bedtime schedule so they can get enough sleep.
Younes advises parents to "be patient during the first month of returning to school, as it is important to give children enough time to adjust to the school routine and get out of the holiday mood, whether that's in terms of their daily routine or their level of motivation to study."
Gradual training for the child
Younis points out the importance of gradual training for the child before school, and during school hours, and added, “This is what I do with my young son Omar (8 years old), firmly and without shouting. I do not deprive him of playing, but gradually I set agreements with him and I was patient with him until he trained and his maturity and awareness increased day by day. I explained to him calmly and in a tone that varied according to the situation until he reached a sufficient level of awareness and understanding to comprehend and be convinced that these agreements are for his benefit and not for the purpose of control and issuing orders.”
The family counselor emphasizes the importance of shaping this conviction in children so that they can respond flexibly to necessary instructions and agreements without feeling compelled to be stubborn or defiant, as they see it as protecting their right to play and enjoy themselves.
Tips to help your child get rid of summer habits
In an article published in the American magazine "Women's Fitness Magazine," writer Christine Savage offered some advice for mothers and fathers to help their children break their summer habits and adjust to the school environment:
- Gradually change your morning wake-up time.
- Go to bed earlier and earlier.
- Take 10 minutes to write fun things.
- Buy some books that suit the child's interests.
- Let your child spend some time playing educational games.
- Reducing the time your child spends in front of screens.
- Playing with classmates at home.
Buy new school supplies. Children love buying cute notebooks, colorful pens, and attractive bags. Although these items may not seem like anything more than necessary school supplies to you, they bring your child a great deal of joy and encourage them to study with enthusiasm.
Communicate with the school from day one
Counselor Hamsa Younis emphasizes that parents at all educational levels should maintain contact with the school from day one, as regular monitoring of students is a key factor in preventing the development of any problems they may encounter. Communication also allows for the prevention and resolution of any academic or psychological difficulties a student may encounter at school.
For young children in primary school, the counselor explained that it is very important to plan the study mechanism from the first day of first grade, so that parents adopt teaching methods that help the child achieve complete independence in the study process. She said that parents are supposed to begin a gradual withdrawal from third grade, and the timing of complete withdrawal varies from one child to another depending on individual differences, but the time should not exceed the age of 12 except in specific exceptional cases. She indicated that parents are required to talk with the child to express their confidence in his abilities and boost his self-confidence by assigning him tasks of varying difficulty.
As for middle school students, who are entering adolescence, parents need greater patience, wisdom, and intelligence when dealing with their children. At this stage, children need a great deal of flexibility combined with intelligent firmness, she said.
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