Children can be having so much fun on break from school that going back after their vacation is over brings nothing but dread. Children love reuniting with friends they haven’t seen in a while, but they must also say goodbye to all the fun things they have at home. If you want your children to be just as excited about going back to school as you are, try some of the following actions:
Let Them Decorate Their Own Books
Many children love getting engaged in arts and crafts. If you have a fresh set of books ready to put in their backpack, give them the creative freedom to decorate them as they want. Encourage the use of crayons, colored pens, holographic stickers, and vibrant paper before applying that all-important book protection layer. The enjoyment of getting to decorate their own school books may make them excited about getting to show them off to their friends once they get to school.
As much as you might like to leave your children at home with a babysitter or nanny while you take care of back-to-school shopping, involving them can sometimes be helpful in getting them excited about returning to school.
They can choose new backpacks, clothes, fun stationery, and other accessories so that everything is fresh and new for the year ahead. This can be a fun experience for children and can give them more ownership over their possessions.
Talk About It Positively
Many children can be nervous about going back to school. They might be starting a school where they don’t know anyone or have a new teacher. They might simply have anxiety surrounding familiarizing themselves with their new school routine.
You may be able to put your children’s minds at ease by always talking about school in a positive way. Remind them of the new friends they can make or the old friends they can reunite with. If they have a favorite subject, you can talk excitedly about how much more they’ll be able to learn about it.
Organize Fun Activities
Getting back into a school routine can be chaotic, so you may not be eager to add anything else to your to-do list. However, organizing fun activities around the same time your children go back to school can be essential for building a positive association between school and fun. For example, you could plan a fun family dinner for the first day back or a fun afternoon at the park when you pick them up from school.
Let Them Make Decisions
Apart from letting your children decide whether they’re going back to school, you can involve them in making other decisions surrounding schooling. With more freedom and independence, they might feel more excited about going back to school.
You might let them decide what clothes they’ll wear, what they’ll eat for breakfast, and the snacks they’ll take for lunch. Even deciding how their morning routines play out may make getting them onto the school bus a far easier process.
Not all children are immediately excited about going back to school, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be. Try some of these tips above and see if they spark enthusiasm.
