If your child is due to start high school, it can feel like a daunting transition, especially if it is your first time going through this transition. There is plenty of ways to help your child prepare for high school and I am going to share some of them with you in this post.
September sees Ethan joining Kayleigh in high school, our baby is heading on the next step of his educational journey and it can be a little overwhelming. Unlike Kayleigh, Ethan is one of the youngest in his year and has only just turned 11. However, we know that he is going to love high school and everything he is going to learn there.
For those of you who have a child about to start high school, don’t panic, they will love it.
Ways to help prepare your child for high school
Make the journey together –
If your child is going to be making the journey to school on their own, it may be their first time doing so. This alone can be very daunting, even now I still worry about Kayleigh making the trip to and from school.
The world is a scary place at times and my instinct is just to keep them close and watch them at all times, however, that is not how life works and they need to grow their independence and confidence in growing up.
Does this sound similar to you? We have planned to do a few dry runs on the school walk in the coming weeks, just to make sure the route is well known and that Ethan is aware of safety around him. It also builds up his confidence in knowing where he needs to go. After the first few days, the walk will become 2nd nature to them and you, making it a little less stressful.
Talk about the changes coming –
For some children, it is overwhelming at just how many changes are coming. The transition from junior school to high school is bigger than the jump from infant to junior school. From changing classrooms to the level of work expected and the levels of discipline that they have, high schools are a big change to everyone.
Take some time out to spend with your child talking about all the changes that are coming in. Be open and honest about everything but also share the positive things that are coming along with it. We have discussed all the extra work that will be coming but also all the fun that they will be having too, for example, Ethan loves PE but now even more since he has found out he does trampoline in high school! Then there are all the extracurricular activities and STEM activities coming. Plus in high school he can have breakfast at school every day should he want to.
The changes coming are huge, however, they are not all bad changes. For the most part, they are changes for the better as they learn to spread their wings a little.
Let them become a little more independent –
As your child is transitioning into high school, now is the chance to let them have a little more independence. It is time to let them pick their bags and school shoes, let their little character come to life. It is also a great time to start letting your child may be pop to the shop to buy a loaf of bread or get a drink. Encouraging them to think for themselves and make sensible decisions is setting them up for a great start in high school life.
We can’t be there for every minute of their high school journey, even if we would love to do so. As a parent it is so hard to step back and trust them to make the right choices, however, you have raised them right and to this point, they now will show you just how much they have absorbed everything and become the little adult they are now.
