The school year is starting and adapting our routine to the arrival of September is quite a challenge, both for parents and children. However, we must take advantage of this moment to teach our children those values that are learned over the years, such as effort in new projects, commitment and teamwork, a task that will become more difficult as the school year progresses! Will you stay with us to find out some tips on how to facilitate this adaptation process?

Adapting to the start of the new school year in a new school depends on many factors such as the child's character, their environment, how difficult or demanding the school is, how easy it is for them to socialise, the availability of extracurricular activities at the school... But there are a series of tips to give that push to make this process a very positive one for everyone.

Communication is the most important thing

Our son or daughter must know that we will be there, but be careful! Let's not err on the side of being "cool and groovy parents" either, because that will generate rejection and distance. We must know how to mark the distances of their personal space and even more so in the case of adolescence, a period that demands it due to that sudden need for independence.

Therefore, find the right balance to know about their day-to-day life but without wanting to monopolise their attention. Tell them what worries you as a parent and let them understand that you consider them mature enough to engage in a conversation in which you share joys, anecdotes or worries.

This point is especially key because it will help us to detect sudden mood changes, unexpected asocial attitudes... a series of behavioural patterns that can be an alarm bell for bullying at school. Remember that these phenomena can cause after-effects and traumas that have repercussions on the child's security, happiness and even their future employment.

In the event of any abnormal behaviour, there are schools with psychological services or emotional support, in our school search form you can find them!

Your child should also decide where to go to school

When looking for a school (at open days) you should make your child feel involved in the decision. Not only because of the feeling of responsibility you are giving them, but also for the practical reason that the more they like it, the more motivated they will be to go to school. Many schools also invite parents and children to a snack or group event at the end of the open house. These are great contexts for children to socialise and lay the foundations for those first potential friendships at the new school.

Don't make too many demands from the start, but don't let them lose their way either!

Remember that the simple fact of changing school already generates some mental stress for the child, especially in the case of introverted children who find it difficult to make new friends. You should also bear in mind that there are schools with different levels of demands and homework requirements, and it is possible that your child may notice this change and find it difficult to adapt to a new teaching methodology at first.

If you are too hard at the beginning, it can be counterproductive, generate excessive stress and lead them to get worse marks than they would have done progressively. However, don't be too understanding, you know that at this age some children play tug-of-war and we can't play at losing the respect they should have for us as parents.

If you manage to reach that point of equilibrium, remember to reward their efforts. Small rewards are also motivations, or don't you like to receive a bonus at work if you do a job well done? It doesn't have to be something material, sometimes something symbolic or spending the day together doing an activity that you share will help them notice that you value their effort and, in addition, that you strengthen bonds.

Encourage your child to take part in an extracurricular activity

As we said before, many children find it difficult to take that first step in socialising, so what better way is there than to find the easiest and most effective way for them to do so? Undoubtedly, after-school activities will help them find friends with, probably, similar interests and hobbies. Not to mention the many positive repercussions that sport has for children:

• It is proven that it helps to have a better organisation of the study (it seems unbelievable but yes! by having some busy afternoons, they are more productive in the afternoons off by noticing that little positive stress). 
• If the extracurricular activity is a sport, you will be pleased to know that those who practice them regularly, secrete multiple hormones that, after the sporting activity will feel relaxed, which helps their rest, and happier and happier. Of course, looking for a school will be a much less stressful and more agile process for everyone, if it offers the necessary facilities and structures to carry out the activity they want to do so much.
• It has also been shown that sport, as well as improving the physical condition of those who do sport, also increases their defences against illness. 
• If the extracurricular activity is not sporting but cultural, what can we say about the benefits they will have. Whether it's English, chess to improve their logic and mental training, maths to be more advanced in class... Everything is beneficial! 

We hope the advice and recommendations have helped you! Remember to contact us, use our contact form if you are looking for the best institution for your children, or keep an eye on our blog! where we regularly upload content that may be of interest to you.