Education,

Parent Checklist: 5 Things To Keep In Mind If Schools Reopen

Dec 30, 2021 | Education | 0 Comments | 266

With schools reopening, life slowly transitioning back to normal, it is not wrong to be hesitant about school in full swing. In fact, it is quite normal for parents and kids to feel anxious and overwhelmed as they switch back to their old life after a massive gap of almost 2 years. Yes, going back to school is a great sign that things are back to normal, but the pandemic has taught us to take everything with a grain of salt. Vaccination may be rampant, but the pandemic is very much still out there, and more than that, you should also take into consideration mental health implications on your child as they switch back to 7 am school time after years of Zoom schooling from the comfort of their own home. As a parent., here are 5 things to keep in mind as schools re-open. 

Do Not Rush The Transition: As parents, we often expect that our kids will immediately switch back to their old routine without any fuss. This is far away from the actual truth. Any sort of routine takes time to build up, and sitting at home for school for 2 years is a long enough time to be comfortable with flexible school timings. The best way forward is to ease your kids back to their routine again. Try to pre-pone bedtime by an hour every day a week before school re-opens. Get them in the habit of eating their breakfast, getting ready, etc before the actual day so that there is no discomfort on the day they get back to school. 

Mental Health Matters: As parents, we need to start acknowledging the mental health implications of huge changes. This is especially true for pre-school kids and primary school kids whose entire school life has mostly been online. Separation anxiety kicks in when they are sent to in-person school where they might not feel comfortable with the new normal. What works in such delicate situations is a sit-down discussion where you explain to your kids what entails in-person schooling. Maybe a week before school re-opens, try arranging a play-date for your kids and leave them be and see how they react to your absence. This is a healthy way of training your young children for in-person schooling and preventing any sort of negative association with the school. 

Work On Social Anxiety: As we mentioned, 1.5-2 years is a long time for habits to consolidate. For school-going kids, this can deeply affect their social skills. Parents who want to ease their child’s transition back to school need to be working on their social anxiety as well. Having a screen replace prime years of socializing and forming everlasting bonds with schoolmates can have a significant change on your child’s socializing skills. Have a conversation with your child about their comfort level in social settings. Are they feeling overwhelmed? Are they worried about socializing in a big group after so many months? Are they having reservations about switching to classroom teaching? Have these discussions with your child, and help them overcome these issues by encouraging meet-ups with classmates, enrolling them in extra-curricular activities or sports to help improve their social skills. 

Take Precautions: Parents should definitely check with the school regarding safety measures. Your children going back to school warrants extra safety checks and dialogue with the school about their current infrastructure. Some schools are starting with alternate day schools. This is where they have a full-length school day for only 3-4 days a week. Enquire about their classroom strength, teacher and staff vaccination status, sanitization and safety protocol, hygiene, and awareness measures.

Make A Checklist Of Necessities: The last thing to keep in mind- Does your child have all the necessary things to go back to school? Do they have the required textbooks, stationery, lab gear, bottles, safety equipment, masks, and uniform? Since they haven’t been to school in years, it is best to re-check the fit of their uniform, consider buying a new bag, updating their textbooks, and getting fresh notebooks for the school year. Besides, who doesn’t like going shopping for stationery? This can be your excuse, we won’t tell!