How Nannies and Kids Can Adjust to a New School Year

With Labor Day already a fading memory, many students are dealing with the end of summer and the return to school. There is no more sleeping in, swimming in the pool all afternoon or staying up late. The transition can be a difficult time for children, but it can also be difficult for nannies or childcare workers as well. Here are some tips to help the kids in your care adjust: New Routines and Rhythms Even if children will attend the same school as they did during the previous year, there may be adjustments in starting or ending times, and for students who are riding buses, changes to bus schedules that require an earlier or later wake-up time. For young children who may be starting school for the first time, especially those who do not attend daycare, the requirement to get up a certain time each day to get ready for school can be stressful. Nannies may also find the stricter schedule in the morning difficult to manage at first, especially if children resist the changes. One suggestion is to begin practicing the routine a few weeks prior to the start of

school. Have children go to bed slightly earlier each day and get up slightly earlier to adjust their sleep rhythms. This will make it easier the first week of school to get back into, or to begin, a routine each morning and evening. New Classes, New Students, New Expectations Another factor that causes stress in children when a school year begins is facing a new teacher who will have different expectations, and the possibility that friends they made in previous years may not be in the same classroom. With each grade level, students are expected to achieve higher learning skills, and this can also cause anxiety among children. One way to alleviate some of the anxiety is by reviewing things learned the previous year. According to Dr. Ruth Peters, students can lose almost three months of grade-level equivalency in math during the summer when they do not engage in any form of educational activity while on break from school. Visit the library or seek out kid-friendly websites with educational games geared to keep a child’s brain active over the summer. Talk to the child’s teacher about the expectations for the upcoming school year, and talk to the child about them, too. Because homework will more than likely be expected, nannies, childcare workers and parents should set aside a special location reserved especially for completing homework, as well as time each evening for students to complete the work. If the child is involved in after-school activities like sports or music training, be sure to keep those activities from crowding out homework time. Dealing With “I Hate School” No matter how hard nannies, parents or teachers try to make the first few days go smoothly, chances are not all students will feel excited to be back at school. According to Kids Health, teachers recommend allowing time for the problems to work out. During the first few weeks, buses will be late, students will get lost in the school, schedules will be wrong and lunches will be forgotten. If the child still claims to hate school after a few weeks, talk to them about what it is they dislike. Explain that “hate” is a strong word, and that it may be possible to adjust whatever it is they dislike. Granted, there are students who simply do not like the structured learning process, and it is best to deal with their learning style at an early age. If the child dislikes the teacher after a few weeks, it may be wise to schedule a conference to see if there may be a solution to the problem. Not every teaching style is right for every student, and moving the child to a different classroom might resolve the problem. For many students and nannies, the new school year is exciting, offering children the opportunity to grow and excel, but it’s not without its

stresses. By using a few simple tips and by keeping the lines of communication open between the child, the teacher and the parent, caregivers and nannies can provide valuable assistance in helping a child not only learn, but also actually enjoy the school year.

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