Back to school is never easy and if you are a new student, it gets more complicated. This can be a very hard test for your child. Most of the stress is linked to having to face something unknown. That’s why they will need a lot of support at this stage. Their adaptation will not only depend on their abilities to adapt to different situations and socialize with people they don’t know: it will also depend on the effort we make as parents. It is essential to be empathetic and try to understand their fears and concerns about this change. Psychologist Antonella Galli, from Clínica Ricardo Palma, gives us some guidance for your little one to succeed in this process that has already begun

• Talk about the change of school. Tell them the reasons why you decided to transfer them from school. In this way, you will not feel that it was an arbitrary decision or a punishment for something that they could have done
• Get in touch with the new teachers and explain some characteristics of your child’s personality
• Explain that changes are also opportunities to meet new friends, to make new activities, etc.
• Encourage them to enroll in extracurricular activities such as practicing a sport or an art workshop
• Make a list with the names of the classmates
• Create a network with the parents of their new peers. Add activities between parents and children. Activities such as meeting at the park, outside the classroom. Taking into account my child’s character. If they are quiet, it’s always going to be a little more difficult to socialize. You have to support them at all times
• Keep constant communication with your child. Encourage their social skills. Practice at home how to start a conversation with a person you do not know with the help of fun games

Every day, take some time to talk with your child, so they can tell you how things are in their new school. Listen carefully, watch them, let them speak, do not interrupt them or make value judgments impulsively because then they will not feel confident to tell you what is happening. This is a very important moment for them and they should feel all your support. Good luck!

Lic. Antonella Galli
Psychologist at Clínica Ricardo Palma