Starting school, or transitioning to a new school, is an exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming.
Use these resources if you need support to help your child when starting school or progressing through school.
If your child is feeling anxious, here are some extra tips to help them through the first few days of school.
| For primary students | For secondary students |
| Get back into the school-day routine a week early. Wake up, eat and go to bed at regular times. | Encourage your teen to get back into their school routine the week before. Goodbye late-night TikTok marathons! |
| Allow some extra time to get ready on day 1 so you're not rushing. If you're stressed, your child most likely will be too. | Talk through your teen's issues or fears. Instead of focusing on the anxiety driven 'what ifs', steer them towards 'what is'...and work together to find ways to approach stressful situations. |
| Help your child pack their bag the day before. | Practice travelling the school route together. Make sure they're feeling confident about doing the trip solo if they're making their own way to school. |
| Get them involved in planning their lunches and snacks for their first day back! | Help your teen set some realistic, achievable goals for the year. These could be academic or personal goals. |
| For anxious kids, plenty of detail can be calming. Talk through the steps of getting to class on their first day back. | Listen to and validate your teen's feelings. |
| Listen to and validate your child's feelings. | |
