ADAPTING TO A NEW SCHOOL

Going to a new school can be a traumatic experience for children. Changing from familiar surroundings, leaving their friends and feeling like a ‘new kid’ where they don’t know anyone can make them feel very isolated.

Moving home, or even moving to a new country is a fully life-consuming process and it can be hard to stop and really appreciate how these changes can affect your child. Moving to a new school is part of the upheaval that will bring its own challenges to a child. To help your child to transition from one school to the next, check out the following tips, which we hope will inspire some approaches you can use.

Help your child keep in contact with their old friends

If the family is moving, take pictures of friends and familiar places and offer ways to keep in contact with close friends via phone, email, and letters. Help your child talk about what he or she will miss and about what will be new and different.

Find out more about the new school together

Encourage your child to discuss the future transition by asking questions such as, ‘What have you been thinking about your new school?’ Make a list of your child’s concerns and together try to find answers to the questions. Many schools have websites that describe procedures, show virtual tours, and answer common questions. Ask the school if they have a buddy system, or if there are any other children starting at the school at the same time as your child. If so, ask for the school’s help in connecting your child to them.