From Summer to School

School is back in session in most areas or it is quickly approaching. I know some of you are excited, while others are anxious because maybe it's your teens freshman or senior year. Maybe you're just an excited parent in general. No matter the level of excitement you feel, I am going to share a few tips to help with the new school year transition to make sure it is smooth. Your teen is probably not interested or ready to go back to school.

Reflection

Reflect on last school year and how it flowed,. Reflection is always a good first step when embarking a new journey. Take time to think over the last school year as a whole. What were great moments? Did you notice any patterns in behavior? What teaching style did your teen do well with? Struggle with? How well did you know their school lives? Were you an engaged parent?

All of these questions are starter questions to help you reflect on the previous school year from a variety of angles. Answering these questions should help you determine areas of strength and areas of growth. Once this is determined, you will know what to continue doing and what may need an adjustment for the new school year. If your teen struggled last year, it could be helpful to find extra support for them. This could be a mentoring program, a therapist, or outings with peers in their age range.

Discussion

Include your teen in the discussion about how they feel the school year was last year and what they hope to change this year. You could also have a conversation with them about their goals or intentions for the new school year. Encourage them to write out their intentions on post its and hang them in an area they can see daily. You can also suggest they set reminders in their phone. If you want to take a step further, you can send your teen encouraging quotes or affirmations during their day.

Fun

One thing that has always been confusing to me is how fun stops when school starts. That is torture. Fun wont be the same as free summer fun, however, it should not come to a complete halt. Make sure that fun is still part of your teenager's life.

Wishing you all a smooth school year. If your teen has school anxiety or experienced school trauma, feel free to email me and we can set up a phone consultation.