“Change” is usually challenging for all age groups. For young children, this change is often experienced in the form of getting promoted to one class from another. This transition can be tricky for a lot of children since it signifies change of classroom, change of environment, change of subjects and teachers and in some cases even a change in one’s batch mates.
These sublime uncertainties and challenges can easily impact a child’s self-confidence. As a school it is very important to acknowledge.
Below mentioned are a few ideas/tips for parents, teachers and students to acknowledge these changes and have an enriching school year.
Tips for Children:
• Plan Ahead: Take a look at the syllabus beforehand and familiarize yourself with learning goals and objectives of the year. Developing a healthy routine, from bedtime to meals, is a good way to ensure good health throughout the school year.
• Establish dialogue: starting a new class can be stressful, especially in a new school. Talking to parents about one’s fears and concerns is a great way to ease off the stress of a new school year.
• Setting goals: Every new school year has something exciting to offer. Setting goals ahead and then working towards those is a great way to get the maximum benefit out of school. Parents should help their kids identify achievable goals like, maintaining a particular score range, participating in co-curriculars, making new friends, etc. Concrete goals motivate students to do better in school.
Tips for Parents:
• Take out some time and have a heart to heart dialogue with your child before the new academic semester begins. Remember, this dialogue is very important and can provide your child that much needed inspiration and positive thinking. The dialogue can revolve around how your child is feeling about the new class, are there any concerns or is something bothering your child? What are his/her goals for this new class etc.
• Keep in constant touch with the class teacher. If your child has any discomforts, let that class teacher know.
• Keep a track of extra curricular activities/events scheduled in the school and encourage the child to be a part of them in order to develop better relationships with teachers and classmates
Tips for teachers:
• It is always a good idea to begin your first day with various ice-breakers and name games. This will surely help in easing a lot of tension in students and bring forth a positive vibe in the classroom.
• Talk about yourself and also try a get to know your students a bit. This will help in building a positive rapport among you and your students. You can simply start this process by sharing your hobbies and asking theirs.
• Another idea is to have an initiation ceremony in every class. It would be really wonderful if the senior students of every class plan an informal initiation ceremony for the new students. This initiation ceremony can have two components: the first one being an opportunity for the new students to reflect on their learning experiences and journey’s from their previous class. The second component then focusing on orientation by the senior students which should include sharing their experiences as well as opportunities that specific Grade can provide.
Remember, these transitions are an important step in every child’s learning journey, so let’s make it a worthwhile experience for them.