Whether your child is starting kindy or a new grade, school can be a time of anxiety – for parents and kids.

Here’s our guide to making the return as pain-free as possible with Psychologist Andrew Fuller, a father-of-two and author of Tricky Kids tells us how.

Think ahead
To help ease the transition back to the classroom, Andrew suggests parents bring back the routine a week before school starts.

He advises setting the alarm clock for the time they’ll need to get up for school, and going to bed earlier. Going on outings at the same time as they’ll go to school will help bring back a sense of order. 

He adds that many children feel worried or apprehensive about returning to school. “Catch up with a few school friends in the days before you go back. Even wander up to the school yard,” he suggests.

Andrew stresses the need to talk with your children about any fears they may have. “Don’t be dismissive,” he says. “Instead of saying it’ll be fine, ask about what’s going on. Kids have intricate thoughts and their logic is not always your logic.”

Parents should watch out for bad behaviour or grumpiness, though. “If kids do act up, then it’s almost always about their anxiety levels, and this requires gentle, caring parenting,” he says.

Talk about it
Ruth Erby, single mother of four – Holly, 13, Emma, 11, and six- year-old twins Neve and Jess – believes communication is the key to dealing with issues.“I talk with the girls a lot,” Ruth says. “I give them reassurance and try to organise a playdate before they go back to school.”

If your child’s anxiety continues, speak to their teacher who may refer you to the school counsellor or pastoral carer. And if your child is starting school for the first time, make sure they know where everything is. Ruth says: “Before they started, I made sure the twins knew where the toilets, bubblers, canteen and office were.” And once school has returned, you’ll need military-style time-keeping and organisation, so take advantage of those extra January days…

Food for thought
Make sure you get up early enough to eat a healthy breakfast, so your child keeps their energy levels up throughout the day. Coles nutritionist Corinne Renshaw advises planning daily meals and snacks while you create your shopping list.

Another timesaver is to freeze lunches and snacks. “Most fruit and veg freeze well and maintain their nutrients, so having some prepared frozen vegies in zip-lock bags, or fruit for smoothies, can save time for after-school snacks,” she says.

And raw, cut-up vegetables with a low-fat dairy-based dip is a great after-school treat that’ll boost your child’s daily vegetable intake and calcium levels, leaving them with enough energy for homework.

 
When school starts
When you do return to school, Andrew Fuller advises keeping at least one afternoon a week free of planned activities so you carry that holiday feeling into the term. This is particularly important for younger children who fatigue very quickly.

 Ruth Erby knows this from experience. “My twins get so tired in that first week, I have to get them to bed early,” she says. So you need to be as ready as your kids to adjust to new routines.

Remember to diligently search through your little cherub’s school bags at the end of the day as notes tend to linger there, and you need to be super-organised to keep track of appointments, excursions and sports arrangements.

Make sure you’re always on time to drop off and pick up the kids. Your child might also like you to walk them to the classroom some days. Children are reassured by routine and knowing they can rely on you helps fuel their resilience.

Ruth, whose four children are in three different schools, stays organised by storing all notes and information about each child in separate folders and keeping the older girls’ and the twins’ routines stuck on the fridge.

“They have separate teachers, so have different news and library days and separate extra-curricular activities. A checklist on the fridge of what to put in the school bag also helps the kids take responsibility in the mornings,” she explains.

For more information, visit Andrew Fuller’s website, which includes free resources, at www.andrewfuller.com.au

Government websites also offer valuable information. Visit www.det.nsw.edu.au or www.education.vic.gov.au