Supporting the First Day and Week of School

​The big day is upon us, the return of back of school! With this comes an array of emotions for parents and children alike. Find some strategies below to support the first day and week of school:

1.  Minimize the schedule. The transition back is already a lot in itself, so the best is to air on the lighter side when it comes to planning and scheduling.
2. Integrate downtime. Where possible allow a chunk of 20 minutes to an hour of free time or downtime for each child afterschool. Free play allows them to trust what they need and externalize it.
3. Allow space for feelings. Every child is different and has different needs, but even the most easy-going child can benefit from space to talk about how they are feeling after the first day and first week of school. Here is a previous blog post about helping your child express their feelings.
4. Supporting yourself. It is important at times of transition and higher levels of stress to take care of yourself. Here is a previous blog post about ways to support yourself in easing back to school

If you need additional support reach out to me, I am Nicole Levy and I would be happy to help [email protected].