Slowly, please. Thank you!
Make Believe You Are Going To School. Play with your child and pretend you are going to school. Pick out your child’s cloths, pretend to have class and pretend you are your child’s teacher. Help them set up a classroom in your house. Start a routine of getting up early, having breakfast, getting dressed and getting your child’s bag or backpack ready for school. You might help them pick out their clothes the night before and their jackets. Familiar routines will make it easier.
Share The Experience Of Other Children. Invite a young teenager over to your house to baby sit. Ask them to talk to your child about their positive experiences in school. It helps if it is a baby sitter that already knows your child and has been over before.
Limit Or Control Television. Some kids watch television in the morning when they get up. Avoid or limit television in the morning on school days. Start this before school actually starts. Turn the television off at the end of a show - not in the middle. Children are distracted by television and they are upset if you stop the television in the middle of a show.
Get Them Used To Being With Others. Some children are not used to being away from their parents. It usually helps if you can give children a positive experience being on their own. Take your child to an activity at another house with other children supervised by parents you know and trust. Come back soon and take them when they are still having fun.
Nearly all children will have some reluctance and fear over going to school. They eventually get over it with encouragement and support.. But regardless of how long it takes, don’t get angry or argue with your child if they tell you they are sick, become temperamental, or if they start crying. Stay calm, listen to them and don’t argue or raise your voice. Tell them you love them. Tell them that all children must go to school and then take them to school.
After school has started, children will usually express a desire to not go to school. This is natural part of their growing more independent. Children should be reminded and told in advance that they will go to school each week. When you take them to school, avoid a long goodbye when you drop them off. Your child may become more dramatic and increasingly upset if you give them a longer goodbye each time they get upset. Look to their teacher for guidance and suggestions.
Some children may refuse and physically resist going to school. Most will go and get over it if you have an understanding tone of voice, you are firm and you don’t argue. Call your child’s school and ask to speak with a counselor or your child’s teacher if your child becomes hostile and combative when you attempt to take them to school. Teachers and counselors have a wealth of experience and ideas that can help.
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By Michael G. Conner
