Back to school, a challenge for parents
The back to school It is a time full of challenges for the little ones and also for us. Our role as parents must go beyond accompanying and helping on the first day of class. As parents, we must also be part of the educational system, so that our presence does not remain outside the walls of the school, that is, we will have to find the exact measure of involvement that our child needs from us.
But, what influence does the school have on our children and how can we, as parents, help them adapt as well as possible? With the return to school, a stage full of new routines and challenges for all begins; children and parents. The evolutionary moment of our children, together with their nature and character, should sensitize us to sustain and accompany the great task of acquiring a large number of resources, social skills and knowledge.
The school, a place of growth and socialization
What does it mean for our children to go to school? How can we help them? The school will be the place where they will acquire the knowledge and skills for their adult life, but it will also be the stage where they will relate and learn new values and experience new experiences among their peers and other adults. And that will depend largely on us.
Carrying out the tasks and organizing your work is a great skill that must be supervised. Depending on the age, we must help them to learn to organize, and little by little they are heading towards autonomy. The agenda usually tells us what they do or what they should do. Take some time to talk with your child about how to use his agenda.
Go shopping and choose the agenda can also be a good time to share and where to connect with your child. Similarly, we do not know what happens in class one hundred percent if we do not peek from time to time to speak with teachers.
3 ideas to get involved as parents at school
1. Your socialization will not depend only on your resources and your character, we will be protagonists in a large percentage. When leaving school and visiting the park with other parents and children, being aware of what is happening among their peers, establishing a relationship with the parents of those peers towards whom they feel more affinity, etc. are some examples. Paras to think in this facet is important, because their emotional well-being will be part of their strength to face the academic challenges. And for them, the game and relationships will have almost more weight than nothing.
We must also bear in mind that we are models for our children, if they see that we are related to the parents of their friends, we will give them an example and with which it will be easier for them to make new friends.
2. The teacher, a figure of great importance for our children. It will become a passenger companion, but of great importance for its development. You may like us more or less, but we must always start from the confidence towards your professionalism. As parents, the relationship established with him may vary according to the age of our children and the evolutionary moment. But communication is always necessary because both what they can contribute, and what we contribute will be important to help in the great challenge that the school poses, both at the academic and social level.
3. Schedules and extracurricular activities. We must not forget that it must be a place of fun, meeting with colleagues and motivation. It is true that on many occasions, after-school classes make it easier to coordinate our work schedules with yours, but we must be very clear about the large number of hours spent away from home. So to make them participate in the decision is perhaps a duty. Your opinion is important, listen to your child, ask him about what he would like to do.
And most importantly, from home foster a climate of trust with your children: through close communication we will create at home a common place where children feel comfortable at the time of telling us if something happens. The return to school is a great challenge, for all, but among all, we can make it more bearable.
Jaime Picatoste Legazpi. Infanto-juvenile psychologist expert in psychodiagnosis and in Systemic Family Therapy, by Pozuelo Psychologists. Tutor of the University of Comillas.
It may interest you:
- 10 tips to prepare the return to school
- The degrees of autonomy of children
- How to succeed with extracurricular activities
