Six ways to ease your child's transition back to school

Dr Elizabeth Westrupp, a clinical psychologist and senior lecturer in Deakin's School of Psychology, said lots of kids struggled to get back into the routine of school, but with a few simple habits it could be a painless process.

"For some children starting school for the first time, or coming back from the long summer holidays, school can be a daunting prospect," Dr Westrupp said.

"Here are some steps to help ease children through this transition. It's important that you go on this journey together, which means talking through these changes with your children well in advance, and helping them feel in control of the process."

1. Talk about school: Particularly for children who are shy or nervous, or who get anxious about change, it's helpful to begin talking about school and how the first day will run well in advance. Make it a story that you tell them every night for a week. Walk them through the routine for the night before and the morning of the first day of school. Talk about what will be different for them this year and respond to their questions or concerns.
2. Involve children in preparation: Ask your child to help you prepare the school outfits, lunches, bags, and so on, for the first week. Let them make some of these decisions. When children are involved in planning, they become more interested and confident.
3. Adjust the sleep routine: Lots of families relax their bedtimes and routines over summer. It takes a while to adjust to a new bedtime, so help you child by getting back into the school routine a week before they're due to start school. The best way to shift a sleep cycle is to start in the morning, by setting an alarm clock for the school wake time and then slowly adjusting the bedtime. Also, try to avoid technology in the hour before bedtime.
4. Be prepared for a tired child: The first week back at school can be challenging for children who haven't had to concentrate or sit still for long periods of time over summer. Children expend a lot of energy maintaining their concentration and good behaviour at school - and this means they might be much more silly, rude, or difficult than usual at home in that first week. This is a sign that they're tired and/or releasing pent up emotions from their school day.
5. Provide the right fuel: Nutrition is really important for brain development and health. Make sure you and your child have planned a healthy menu for the first week, taking into account the whole day - breakfast, lunchbox, after school snack, and healthy dinners. Keep it simple - sandwiches are fine.
6. Get ready to concentrate: In the week before school starts, make more of an effort to turn off the technology and set your child up with some quiet activities that foster their concentration, creativity and independent play. Some activities include reading books with your child (or having them read to you), artwork, puzzles, writing a letter to a friend/family member, or any type of building or creating activity - building sandcastles, setting up a train set, knitting or cooking.