10 Back To School Tips For Smooth Transition Of Children After The Lockdown

It’s been more than a year since the covid pandemic hit and slowly reached every subcontinent of the planet. Even with its end in no sight, and things getting more uncertain everyday, life must go on for us to adjust to it.

But in this ‘new normal’ as it is described over the world media, being alive, and safe, was understandably given more importance over anything else. Everyone has suffered some kind of change in their lifestyle and human connections.

Often ignored in this demographic are kids, your children who have gone through the same things yet are still oblivious of the situation to quite some extent. So, after their year-long hiatus from schools and amidst discontinuous studying through online methods for so long, as the schools and coaching classes open again, your children would be going back to school, someday. As most of us adults have struggled to adjust in our workplaces after working from home, the same would be their reaction to this new situation.

So, here are 10 quick tips to help your children make as smooth a transition as possible when they go back to school after this summer:

Prepare Your Kids Mentally –

After spending several hours in front of smartphones and laptops for e-learning and other internet-based studying techniques, your kids might be out of touch with in-person teaching. There are rules and regulations to be followed in a school with discipline, unlike at home. So it’s your prime duty before they go back to their old life that they are prepared to face with little to no hiccups. Encourage them to be patient and give themselves time to settle in. Interact with them more often when the school’s first day is nearer. This will enable their minds to be confident in the social environment that they were missing for quite some time.

Listen, Reassure and Nurture the habit of being Open –

Let them know the changes in simple terms and instead of filling them with fear, just explain the consequences of them not being safe. Talk to them about their mental health. Listen to their worries, and reassure them about any difficulties. Answer their questions without any judgments. Facilitate an open conversation where they feel heard. The procedure for handling differs with age and mental maturity, but at core they all want to be supported to have an opinion on things happening around them.

Practice Safety Procedures –

Once they are mentally ready to go back to school happily, it’s time to practice every safety procedure being told by WHO, Health Ministry, and the school itself. The proper way of wearing masks at all times, maintaining social distancing, sanitizing when necessary, and washing hands properly and periodically. Practicing these tasks at home will make them used to them. Ask them not to share food and things with their friends. You can find more safety procedures at listed sources.

Get Ready with the new daily schedule –

Even though every family has a rigid daily routine six days a week, it must be updated to match the situation. Hence, it’s apt to follow a daily routine early, giving the children time to adjust and not panic at the last moment. The plan should include the list of priorities of every family member and their roles. It should be efficient and made on the basis of everyone’s needs with collaboration of efforts.

Prepare in Advance for any unforeseen shortcomings or happenings –

By now, everyone knows that this pandemic has been a rollercoaster ride, where everything is uncertain, so your plans and arrangement should be flexible enough to accommodate any sudden changes in scenarios. And manage your expectations that since they are children, everything will not go perfectly and it’s ok. But your utmost priority is to prepare in advance for any unpleasant situations.

Reduce their Anxiety with positive, proactive conversations –

As an adult, one must have understood the importance of mental health during this lockdown. But your little ones are also susceptible to being unknown of their feelings about the current situation. So, as a parent, you should make them feel supported and cared for. Tell them to reach out if they feel unhappy or negative and respond with positive reinforcement statements. There are a lot of resources by experts in child psychology which can help you pinpoint areas of improvement in understanding their mental space.

Notice their Moods, Emotions, and Sleep Patterns –

Before they go from a social setting to a physical school regularly, it’s important to check their overall mood and reaction to stuff to help them in any way. Keep an eye on their sleep patterns and slowly modify them as per the school’s schedule. Watch their diet too. Another thing is that children often tend to pick up anxieties from parents, so it’s important to keep yourself calm, happy, and display confidence which instills the same in your children. Try and keep them away from negative news related to family loss, and struggles, as it’ll lead to long-term effects on their thoughts.

Limit their On-screen time –

After a year of constantly sitting in front of electronic gadgets, be it for studies or entertainment, which was a necessity courtesy of the lockdown. But now that the situation is getting a little better, it’s time your kids lower their screen time and engage in outdoor activities and be around nature. Try doing it yourself with them, and they will reciprocate. Even help them study more than you usually do, read to them, play with them, to keep them company in absence of human contact.

Be in contact with Teachers at the school –

Once they are back at school, the staff and management will do their best to keep your kids safe, but it’s logical to keep in touch with the health staff, parents’ co-ordinators, and class teachers to be aware of your child’s well-being. Also, ask them about any behavioral changes to improve things at home.

Be Alert of the situation –

Even with all the plans, you should be vigilant about what is happening around you in your area. Be aware of the rules and regulations regarding lockdowns and curfews by the health ministry or the government, especially those which concern your children. Engage with the community for any updates. It will make you ahead of the problem, so you’re ready to deal with it.

Thanks for reading! We hope that these tips will be helpful for you and your child, whether they’re going back to school soon or not for a while.

If you’d like help finding an online tutor or coaching classes to fill in any learning gaps while they’re still at home, give us a call on 8668527581 or email us at patilsclassesdm@gmail.com and one of our Experts at Patil’s Classes will help you find with whatever you need. We are an institution with Nagpur’s best and most qualified faculty serving students both online and offline with optimum ease.

Also, check our Instagram and visit our website www.patilsclasses.com regularly for educational blogs, interesting assignments and get your own work published on our website.

*Helpful Resources In This Blog –

https://www.who.int/pmnch/covid-19/toolkits/child/child-protection/en/