School is starting, and many families are preparing for the change in schedules and routines for the school year. As your child familiarizes themselves with the many changes and begins their year, here are some tips for navigating the first few weeks:
Use visuals, like pictures or simple drawings, to accompany your explanation of a new school routine, situation, or event. Visuals can improve your child’s comprehension and reduce their mental load as they are anticipating something new and different. Some ideas of using visuals could include:
In her most recent article, Is Your Child Experiencing Tough Transitions Between Activities? Elise Dirkse, OT, highlights other ways to incorporate visuals into your everyday routines
"Visuals can improve your child’s comprehension and reduce their mental load as they are anticipating something new and different."
It’s very natural to want to know what happened at school and ask your child a lot of questions when they come home from school. However, your child might need time to rest and recharge after being in a busy classroom environment. Try to provide a simple greeting to your child. This could sound something like:
Find another time to ask specific questions about their school day. Offer simple choices for snacks and after-school activities (For example, “Do you want a cheese stick or some crackers?” or “Do you want to play a game or go outside?).
"…your child might need time to rest and recharge after being in a busy classroom…"
When you feel like your child is ready for questions, ask questions targeting specific moments of their day. This could be questions like:
This allows your child the opportunity to make a picture in their mind about that specific part of their day and reduces the mental load of recalling all the events that occurred.
You could also try to prompt them to describe their day by making a silly guess about their day (for example, you could say, “I’m picturing you sitting next to a walrus during lunch”).
Simple tips to help kids ease into new routines and start the year strong.
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