Whether your family is opting to have your student/s return to school with a hybrid schedule or remain 100% remote, change is coming. Today I wanted to share some quick tips for how you can support your children through these changes.
Remember, too, that North Beach teachers and staff are intentionally preparing students for the changes through lessons, conversations and activities. We’ll do this together as a community.
Tips to Help:
· Give a heads up: let your child know that changes are coming and share what you know. If you have a younger child, you might want to wait until you have more details about what things will look like for your child. This will give kids time to mentally adjust to the idea of the changes.
· Answer questions: encourage your child to ask any questions they may have about the changes. It’s okay to say, “I don’t know the answer to that yet, but we’ll hopefully find out soon.” Giving as many details as possible will help your child know what to expect and calm their anxiety about a new situation.
· Allow kids to express feelings: do a Mood Meter check in about their feelings about the changes. Likely kids will have mixed feelings – excited to see friends again but worried that school will feel different or, if they’re staying remote – comfortable that they’ll still be at home or daycare but feeling left out that they won’t be going back to school yet and some of their friends may be. For less verbal kids, invite them to draw a picture of how they’re feeling. Validate their feelings – all feelings are okay. “This is a big change for all of us. I understand why you might be feeling that way.”
· Listen: take time to actively listen with undivided attention to your child’s feelings and questions about the changes.
· Keep to routines: some things will be changing, but kids will find comfort in the things that remain constant. Stick to household routines and rituals (such as bedtime, playtime, family time, mealtime) as much as possible. Let kids know which things will be staying constant.
· Maintain healthy habits as much as possible: sticking to healthy habits will allow children and families to better tolerate stress and change. (9-11 hours of sleep per night, exercise, limits on screen time, balanced meals, etc.)
· Encourage positive thinking and the use of healthy coping strategies: students have been learning about resiliency and perseverance this month and have been practicing positive self-talk. Focusing on the positives of these changes will help everyone adjust faster. Let your child know that you believe in them and that the changes may take some getting used to, but they can do it. Other coping strategies: taking deep breaths, talking to a caring adult, imagining your safe/comfy place, counting to ten, taking a break.
· Manage your own anxiety: we adults also have big feelings about the upcoming changes, and while it’s okay to let kids know that we’re having mixed feelings, too, it won’t help them to see us fall apart. If you need to vent, do that with another adult when kids aren’t around, and use your own healthy coping strategies to manage your own anxiety.
· Remind kids of the support they’ll have: they won’t have to do this alone. Our whole school community will be going through this transition together, and we’ll support one another through it. We can do this!