Help prepare your child to go back to school

Going back to school is an exciting time. There might also be a few nerves about going back after the long summer break.

To give your child the best possible start for the new school year, we caught up with Sophie Whitehouse Sparks, CEO and founder of TutorTime Tutors to find out how parents can help their kids before school goes back.

Why do kids feel a bit anxious about starting back to school?

The summer break is a long one. School gives children routine. While they love the summer holidays, they do miss the structure of school – even if it’s on a subconscious level.

Being away from school routines can create mixed feelings. It’s a combination of excitement and a bit of nervousness about the unknown. All sorts of things might be twirling in your child’s mind. “Who’ll be my new teacher?” or “Will I be late for the bus?”.

Older students can be understandably anxious about what lies ahead for the HSC or International Baccalaureate (IB).

What can parents do to ease their kids back into school?

It comes back to routine. So, through the holidays parents can help to keep some sense of routine going. Of course, it’ll be different to a school routine but as kids needs structure it’s important to plan their days even on their break.

Students certainly need time off, but their minds still need stimulation. While they need the downtime it’s important to keep their minds active and engaged.

To be honest, a bit of structure is probably the best possible preparation for the new school year. So that when they return to the structured environment of school you’ve minimise their re-entry shock which can take some time to settle.

How can parents keep kids occupied and on the rails over the long summer break?

It just takes a bit of thought and planning. Remember children love routine, so keep that sense of routine going even during the break. You could plan the day using regular school times as a guide.

For example, for kids under 12, start the day at same time as school with some screen time with an educational game or app. During the morning or afternoon, go out to the park or the beach have some fun but also engage them in educational play like writing timetables on the sand or counting sandcastles. Make lunch together. Then in the mid-afternoon possibly some more screen time and regular bedtime.

Some parents may find it hard to get kids to get off games when it’s such a large part of their recreation and social time. What would you advise them to do?

That’s true, some children love to be online and to game. But online time should be monitored by parents in both term time and over the holidays. Parents need to remember they are the parents and not friends to their kids. Don’t be afraid to stand your ground and say “No”. Remember they hear it all the time in school and they know how to behave in a structured environment.

Many parents underappreciate that at home, kids depend on their parents to set the rules and create structure in their lives – even if they tell you otherwise. Remember, you’re the adult in the room!

So how can parents keep their kids’ minds active over the summer and yet give them the break they need?

The summer break is a wonderful time to connect with your child. It’s a chance to engage kids in learning in a creative way that’s different to school but still exercises their minds.

It’s also important that children continue to read through the summer. It doesn’t mean that they should read book after book. You can mix it up – comics, novel or listen to an audiobook on road trip.

Plus, there’s lots of educational apps and programmes on streaming services that kids can use over the break.

Reading a book and then watching it as film is a lovely thing to do as a family. Don’t forget that having a connection with your child is really important, right through their school life.

Here are some ideas:

• Maths - draw times tables in the sand and watch the waves wash them away or draw them on the road with old fashioned chalk on the road.
• Cooking - is another mathematical activity as it involves measurement. It also builds literacy skills as kids need to read and interpret the recipe.
• How to tell the time – make a clock out of sticks you find in the bush or the beach, or out of cardboard – lots of kids can’t read an analogue clock so help them learn by being creative.
• Crafts – cover the tables with newspaper and let the kids get creative with cardboard (even toilet paper rolls), scissor paints and glue. You’d be surprised how entertained they’ll be and all the while they’ll be developing their creativity, fine motor skills and spatial awareness through discovery learning.

What about when parents are working?

Even if parents are working and just have a have a week or two off, they still have the weekends.

I’ve always been a working mum and raised two children although I do have a leg up by being a teacher. When parents are working it’s even more important to have structure in the way the family operates. For example, I created a weekly timetable with my kids. We’d sit down at Sunday dinner and work out who’s doing what during the week. Then we’d work out what we wanted to do together - before I went to work and when I got home so we could maximise the time we had together.

On holidays, we made a morning and afternoon timetable. We’d cook in the morning or do another activity like make lunch. In the afternoon we’d do craft or painting, so we always made sure we had time together and I felt that I was being a parent too.

The summer holidays are such as a special time for families to connect – enjoy! 

Find out about the Optus Digital Thumbprint workshops that have been approved by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner to help your child stay safe online and new interactive workshops that educate your child on how to game online safely.

You can help your child to take a break from being connected with Optus Pause that allows you to pause both your mobile and home connectivity across your devices, all from My Optus app. How about a digital pause at dinnertime? 

You can also check out our Digital Thumbprint vlog for signs of too much time online and what to do to support your child.