Set Your Child Up For a Successful Start To The School Year

Somehow it is already mid-July and the new school year is going to start before we know it. 

Changes in schedules can be a challenge for people with disabilities and transitioning from a summer schedule to a school one is no different. So the question you may be thinking is, “What can I start doing now to make sure the transition back to school is as smooth as possible?”

I have had at least 13 starts to a new school year and that transition can be hard, but I definitely picked up on a trend in my students. I could see that the students who were primed before the first day had an easier time re-acclimating to their school routines and the students that were on their summer schedule up until the day school started had a harder time. 

So, with that in mind, let’s get into some ways you can ease this transition at home and a BUNCH of freebies to help make it just a little easier!

Visual Countdown

Using some type of calendar to have a visual representation of when school is starting can be very helpful. This can be as simple as getting this FREE Back to School Countdown page and your child can just cross off days as they go. Just knowing when the first day back will be can alleviate some of the anxiety of the unknown. Understanding the abstract nature of time can be so hard for kids. A countdown is a fantastic way to make it concrete and easier to understand.

FREEBIE!

Morning Routine Visual

Transitioning back into a school morning routine can be hard when on a summer routine. Visuals are a great way to help this go as smoothly as possible. Prepping a social story or visual schedule of the school day morning routine ahead of time gives you the opportunity to review it multiple times before the day comes. Giving your child the ability to check off each step as they go can help build independence and give them a sense of security in knowing what to expect along the way. My favorite part of it is that you are not the one making the demand. It’s on the checklist. We have to do it. 🤷😆 This FREE School Day Morning Routine visual schedule is already done for you! You can just print it and you are ready to go.

FREEBIE

Practice Run to School

This can be very helpful for some kids and might not be for others. You know your child; so if you think doing practice runs might be confusing or cause more anxiety, then skip right on past this section. 

The week before school starts, after practicing your school morning routine, hop in the car and head to school and try to get there at the time your child needs to arrive. )If possible, plan to do something fun together after the practice run.)

Bus Rules

If your child will be taking the bus, review the bus rules multiple times before the first day of school. The rules on the bus are for everyone’s safety.  A social story can be a great tool for this. Here is a FREE one for you to use.

FREEBIE

Attend the Meet the Teacher Session

Generally, I held a “Meet the Teacher” session the day before school started to give my students and their families a chance to see where they are going and what the classroom looks like. This was incredibly helpful for my students. Of course, the first day was still challenging for some kids, but the amount of time it took to get used to the classroom was overall shorter. 

Using these tips can help ease the transition from summer days to school days. Are you going to use these tips with your child?

Leave a comment to let me know which ones you are going to try!