Tips for getting your little Groovy Adventurer back into the swing of things!
For some of your little Groovy Adventurers, this holiday has been somewhat of an adjustment and just when they were getting used to the new routine of school holidays, the new term looms! If you are like me, I am feeling a little bit nervous about how the first week back will go! Here are some ideas on how to smooth this transition for your treasure:
- A countdown calendar with pictures of the last few days of the holiday and the first few days of the new school term will help make time more concrete for your little one. Little hands like to be busy so it may be helpful if your calendar is somewhat interactive, he can cross the days out, stick a sticker over the calendar days, post the picture of the day into a tin or move a peg from day to day.
- You could make a morning routine picture chart to make the most stressful part of the day go a bit more smoothly. This chart could have pictures of a t-shirt, a breakfast bowl, a toilet, a toothbrush, a school bag and a car etc. If you place these pictures along a strip, your little one can move the peg along as he completes each activity. Remember to praise him for helping you with these tasks in the morning!
- Check the school bag and pack what you can the night before! Doing some tasks the night before or waking up a little earlier will take some of the rush out of rush hour! Remember that our little ones are super sensitive and can pick up on your stress! They also cannot yet tell time and this means that you need to pace them so that it doesn’t end up in a mad rush to get out the door in time!
- Talk to your Groovy Adventurer a lot about what they can expect from their first day back, e.g. who they are going to see, what they will play with or do and when they can expect to eat or see you! Repetition is vital so keep up the chatter! Find something that they may want to share with his teacher…this will help make them eager to get into school. It can be something your Groovy Adventurer can tell his teacher or take to school to show her and his friends!
- Make sure that you are at school well before the activities of the day start. Being early will give you and your little one time to settle in, say goodbye and be ready for the school day! Being an early bird often sets them up to have a great day!
- Try not to be late at pick up time and rather aim to wait outside for a few minutes…your little Groovy Adventurer will be very eager to see you especially after spending so much time with you over the holidays!
- We have all heard this one before, but it’s the hardest one to stick to…so we will reiterate! Keep Goodbye’s short and consistent (i.e. do it in the same order and the same way each day). You can remind your brave little scholar what your special goodbye sequence is (try to keep it to no more than 3 steps) in your chit chat about what to expect in his school day.
Good Luck to all the Groovy Adventurer moms, dads, and little ones! We will be right there with you with our own little Adventurers this week!
