How to Prepare Your Elementary Schooler for Their First Day Back
For an elementary school student, the transition from summer to school can bring up tons of feelings. These might include –
Excitement
“YAY I can’t wait! I get to see my friends every day!”
Anxiety
“What if I accidentally sleep in? What if I miss the bus? What if I have a mean teacher?”
Relief
“Summer was nice but I got a little bored, I’m happy to be back in action again.”
Resistance
“School, ugh! I was enjoying the break from homework and learning, why do I have to go back??”
Every emotion is totally normal – that’s the good news.
The less-good news is that we, as parents, educators and caretakers, don’t always know the best strategy for helping students process their emotions.
We can feel taken aback by the negative ones, or get attached to the positive ones. And while it’s natural to want children to feel thrilled and happy about school starting again, the reality is that they’re likely to feel a mix of things. It’s a big transition, so they’re going to feel a lot all at once.
But one of the best ways to help young children prepare for back-to-school is this:
Offer them a tool for reflection.
By giving children a hands-on way to explore their feelings, they learn that ALL feelings really are OK to experience. Yes, even the negative ones! This is a calming message. Self-reflection also teaches children about who they are, what situations make them feel stressed or joyful, and what they can do to restore calm.
The Kindness Campaign creates colorful, engaging journals geared to each grade level. TEKS-aligned to boost their reading and writing skills, they prompt students to understand their feelings more deeply. They can be purchased at our Kind Store directly by parents and educators, and are shipped directly to you. All are available in English and Spanish.
Our youngest learners in Pre-K and kindergarten get coloring books that spell out different “feeling words,” building their emotional health vocabulary.
As students move into 1st and 2nd grade, they get to know TKC’s mascot, Enoughie Buddy, and how he experiences all the emotions surrounding school, friends and family. They also journal with Enoughie Buddy.
Moving into 3rd and 4th grade, students do even more self-reflection with writing prompts. These journals help students define their values, discover their passions, and understand more deeply that all feelings are OK.
While these journals are a year-long tool that students can come back to again and again, we see what a huge difference it makes when children receive these books at the beginning of the school year.
In class, these journals are fantastic for:
Morning meeting time
SSR (sustained silent reading)
Language arts
At home, these journals are perfect for:
Bedtime stories
Tucking in a backpack, for when strong feelings hit
Journaling, coloring, and solo time
Head on over to the Kind Store to get your journals!
Now tell us: how are you helping your child or student prepare for back-to-school? Come find us on Instagram @tkckindness and let’s share ideas.