Simple Tips Can Make Summer To School Transition Easier
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The start of a new school year is here.
Today is the first day of classes for students in the Bethel Park and North Hills school districts. Others returned earlier this week.
The transition from summertime to school days can be tough. However, there are things you can do to help make the transition a little easier.
"Summer is a time for thinking more about 'What do I want to do?' And, school feels like a time of thinking about 'What do we have to do?'" parenting expert Dr. Deborah Gilboa said.
The transition from shorts and flip-flops to a school uniform can be challenging for parents and children.
Many experience feelings of anxiety and uncertainly.
Dr. Gilboa says communication is key.
"One is to sit down with your kids and ask them, 'What do you want this school year to be like? 'What are some possible stress points and how can we make them easier?'" she said.
Something else to discuss is responsibility.
"Kids should think about what they're ready to take on this year, what responsibilities they are ready to have for themselves. Is your middle schooler ready to wake themselves up in the morning and be in charge of their own routine?" Dr. Gilboa said.
Perhaps most important is that it's critical parents don't minimize their child's feelings.
"We can't fix our kids' worry or nerves or stress or fear by telling them not to feel that way," Dr. Gilboa said. "We help them most by being able to accept that they do feel that way and then saying, 'Great, what strategies have you tried before when you felt like that and what worked and what didn't work?'"
Something else people make New Year's resolutions.
Well, the experts say look at the new school year as a new beginning and make some new school year resolutions.