New friends, classmates, and teachers can be a lot to deal with. Transferring your kids into a new school is already hard. But if you’re relocating to another country, then settling your kids into that new school just became even much more challenging. Imagine having to deal with cultural differences or language barriers. If you want to help your little ones adjust to school much faster and with greater ease, here’s some of what you need to know.
Recognize the Milestone
Don’t try to pretend that this is just another day at school. If your kids are going to a new one, acknowledge the fact that it’s a major milestone. Trying to dismiss their fears isn’t going to help. Let them know that you understand what they feel when they say they miss their friends and teachers. But tell them that they’ll make new friends here too, and they’ll even grow to like their teachers with time. Don’t belittle what they feel. At the same time, offer them possibilities of what they’ll find at their new school.
Tell Them About the Work
For many kids moving to an international schools in singapore, one of the hardest things has been adopting the practices around managing their assignments. They will also find themselves adjusting to the expectations of the teachers and even—to an extent—their classmates. Tell them they’re going to need to work hard. But when they get used to doing things, when they get used to the new school, they will find it much easier to maintain a healthy balance of schoolwork and free time.
Give Them Space
It’s not easy for parents to stand back and let their kids handle the transition. But this helps build your children’s sense of independence, too, so it’s all right to take a step back. Observe how they will handle the situation. Talk to them about it but don’t step in. Give them space to work out solutions on their own. It will feel a little like you’re watching them grow up right before your eyes. Give them the support and space to do so.
Talk to the School
Does the school have any efforts to ease the transition for transferees? How do they integrate new students into the classes? How do they help the new kids academically and socially? Are there any classes that can help improve your children’s grades in math or science if they get left behind? Make sure these are one of the questions you’ll ask when you talk to the school. By learning more about the measures they have in place to ease the transition for students—and your kids—you’ll know if you’re making the right choice.
Talk to Your Kids
How do your kids feel about this? Have they voiced out their concerns? If they aren’t talking, it can be tempting to leave it at that. But maybe they’re just not saying things so as not to worry you. Make sure they’re okay. If you never ask, you might never hear about how worried or stressed they are. Suppressing those emotions is never a good idea and could only ever result in bigger issues and problems. Ask after your children’s emotional well-being. It can be a simple conversation. Just ask them how they feel. Are they afraid? What about?
Don’t Say It’s Easy
It’s going to be hard. Don’t lie to them about that. And given the current situation with the pandemic, if some of their classes are taught online, and they ask about the situation, do your best to explain without making it into a doom’s day announcement. Yes, you hope things will be all right. It’s better that they have an idea about what’s happening. That way, when they go out, they’ll understand how important it is to follow social distancing rules and why it’s necessary to keep a mask on. When their schools reopen for in-person classes, understanding the pandemic will also tell them why it’s important that they keep their distance from their classmates even though they want so much to each that much closer with their friends.
Be Attentive
The relocation probably means you’ll also have a lot of work on your hands. And that can make it even harder to keep an eye on the kids. But try your hardest to make time for them. Be attentive to any signs that they might not be okay. It takes a while for some kids to cope with changes. If they aren’t ready to talk, let them be. But always pay attention to what they say, especially if it seems like they need your support.
Ask About Their Day
Make it a point to reconnect with your kids every day. Check in with them. Talk to them during dinner how their day went at school. Simple conversations like these can help.
Hopefully, these tips go towards helping you and your kids settle into school life much sooner rather than later.