Returning to School After Lockdown

As children head back to school this September, for some of them they will have been away from school for almost six months. It’s completely unprecedented and a new experience for parents and children. Some children and parents will be desperate for normality to resume whilst others may have carved out a new normal that they enjoy.

Children and parents will have had many different positive and negative experiences. Whatever the case, I’ve suggested a few ways that may make the transition back to school a little smoother.

Encourage your child to talk to friends of relatives who have already been back to school. This could be key worker children who kept going to school during lockdown, children in the year groups that did return or friends in other countries. We have friends in Scotland whose Autumn term has already begun so we have a chat planned on Facetime. School won’t be the only topic of conversation but I’ll be sure to encourage it and hope it can bring reassurance.

Talk about how school might look for your child. Different schools have made this possible in different ways with videos and photos or information sheets. Lots of things will be the same including the people. My oldest daughter is desperate for the daily contact with friends and for her that’s the big positive of returning.

Recognise your child’s emotions and fears. It’s normal to feel uncertain but children may need help managing those feeling of uncertainty. A book that I recommend for children struggling with worries is The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside and Frank Rodgers. It’s most suited to children under seven and they may be familiar with it from PSHE lessons at schools.

Children may also display anxiety by showing unacceptable behaviours. For example, being rough with siblings or breaking items. As parents we need to help them understand that this is not acceptable. You might like to use phrases such as: “I can see that you are feeling scared but it’s not OK to hit your brother”.

Routines may need re-establishing. I’m not looking forward to getting up early again! Resetting our body clocks after a trip or few late nights can take its toll on adults. Children are just the same. If bedtimes and waking times have changed a lot during lockdown it may take a few days to adjust. Doing this gradually can be a lot more gentle of children as well as parents.

Finally, smile, be positive - it’s contagious.

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