Back to school is approaching and with it discouragement and demotivation can appear. And it is that most children find it difficult to adapt to the idea that they will have to leave behind the fun and relaxing vacation days to get back to school and homework. For this reason, three out of ten children tend to be sad, irritable and anxious at the prospect of having to go back to school and suffer from what is known as post-holiday depression. Fortunately, there are some strategies to motivate your child and improve their mood.
Strategies to motivate your child before going back to school
1. Keep a positive and calm attitude
A positive and enthusiastic attitude towards your child’s return to school can be essential for the child to feel motivated. So if you’re also feeling a little down about having to go back to work, you better not show it in front of your child. After all, how can you ask them to be positive if you don’t yourself? can you pull it off?
Keep in mind that children learn a lot by imitation, so if you see their parents calm and excited, you’ll probably catch it too. However, do not exaggerate or overreact because you could get the opposite effect.
2. Provide her with information and clarify her doubts
Giving the child the information he needs about his return to school is a strategy to ease her concerns and motivate him to start the new school year. In fact, you should sit down with your child and talk to him about what he will find at school. Talk to him about the extracurricular activities he will be able to do, where the new class location is, what his new goals may be this year or what teachers they will have.
Remember that the less uncertainty there is, the calmer and more confident the child will feel, especially if they have to change schools that year. Ask her what her questions and concerns are. In fact, you might also want to take him to visit the school before the course starts.
3. Make him remember funny anecdotes from school
Remembering is like living again. Therefore, making your child remember the good times he has had at school is a great way to motivate him to return to the school routine. You can tell him some of the funniest anecdotes you remember or ask him to tell you some. You can even invite some of your class friends to have a fun day, reminisce and play old games again. Undoubtedly, reactivating positive experiences is an excellent strategy for the child to adapt to the idea that he should return to school.
4. Ask her to prepare school supplies
Involving your child in preparing school supplies to have everything ready for the first day of school can help increase her motivation. For example, you can take him shopping to pick out a backpack, lunch bag, and pencils, or you can put labels on textbooks and notebooks. Plus, you can help him organize his room, put away some of the toys he’s been using over the summer, clean up his desk, and pick out a nice ornament to put on top of it.
5. Gradually return to school schedules
Returning to the school routine a week or two before returning to school can help your child adapt to the new schedules without feeling too pressured. Start by regulating your sleep and dinner times. Then, limit the time he spends playing and on the Internet or other leisure activities. In fact, even after school has started, you can take advantage of the weekends to go on excursions or spend a day with your family, so the change in habits and schedule will not be so abrupt.