Full article from the Term 1 No 1 2007 Newsletter

Starting Something New

During first term, children entering school and preschool for the first time will experience a wide range of new, exciting but often tiring experiences.
We need to remember that any change process, anything new, even for an adult, takes time to adjust, to check it out, to become familiar with new routines and to build trust and security.

Most children will adjust quickly to settling into their new program. Some children will take a little longer. Separation anxiety for some preschoolers and prep children is normal so as parents, don't feel embarrassed or worried that there is something wrong with your child as opposed to everyone else's. If your child does experience some settling in issues and anxiety, trust the teacher's experience and suggestions. One suggestion that often helps is not to prolong the goodbye too long or it can make things worse and certainly don't sneak off when your child is not looking. This might avoid some stress at the point of leaving, but builds mistrust in the environment if the child thinks this is a place where the parent leaves without saying goodbye.

Most children will settle reasonably quickly and be quite excited about the new and different experiences they are having.

However, they may also become extra tired, especially during the hot first term as getting used to new things can be exhausting.

Whilst their teachers may report they are doing fine and everything is going well, you may witness the tiredness on the home front.

Children often save their acting out and worst behaviours for home. Believe it or not, this is often a compliment in disguise. It means that your child feels emotionally safe enough to let it all hang out. During first term it is a good idea to take things as easy as you can on the home front.

Avoid swimming lessons after school or other extra curricula activities. Children actually need some down time to daydream, rest, play and relax after school without structure and further demands and without having to concentrate further on learning another set of new skills. You can save these things for weekends or the second half of the year. Remember, we want children to be well rested and as relaxed as possible so they can make the most of all the experiences they are having at school or preschool.

Some children often regress a little as they commence school. You may find your confident preschooler of last year, loses a little confidence for a short time. It might be that they need you to help them settle more at bedtime than you had to before school commenced.

These are all normal things and we need to be patient with children and understand that starting school and preschool is pretty huge in the life and experience of a young child.

Often as parents, we try to show an interest and share in our children's day by asking what they did or what happened. Often we end up feeling like we are badgering them, because their response is often, "I did nothing", or "just played". The best way to find out what is going on, is for you to talk about your day and give children time to talk and chat about their experiences when they are ready.

During the first weeks, try to make contact with the teacher and introduce yourself. Ensuring a positive and open communication and relationship with your child's teacher is very important and helpful to your child. This helps you to keep up to date with how things are going and helps you to feel comfortable to raise any issues that may surface.

Remember to give your child and the whole family time to settle into this new experience. Patience and time are key ingredients in a change process.