Supporting Your Children During the Transition to Early Childhood Education

Written by Melissa Eastlick, MSW,
Medical Social Worker, Montana Pediatrics

The start of the school year can be an exciting and scary time for both parents and children. For children it’s the next step in their educational career and the opportunity to develop social skills, navigate self-management and grow emotional intelligence. After what was likely an unstructured or loosely structured summer, kids may have a hard transition period as they adjust to the more rigid schedule of school along with a busy new learning environment and expectations. As an adult, you have the benefit of years of practice, but kids are learning in real time how to adjust to new routines, unfamiliar learning environments and more demanding, changing social dynamics. Here are some tips on how you, as their parent and their safe person, can support your kids during this time and set them up for success both in school and at home.

• Creating Structured Routines and Emotional Management Techniques. Establishing some simple, structured routines that integrate emotional management time is crucial for a smooth back-to-school transition. This will provide your child with a sense of stability and predictability, reduce anxiety and help them adjust to their new schedule.

  

• Creating some downtime between school and home. When your child gets home, they may need some time to decompress after their day – not much different than how you can feel after a big day at work. Downtime may look different for each kid and family. It might be having a snack, coloring a picture, listening to music or watching a favorite show, but the most important thing is that this time be unstructured and without too many demands on your child, giving them an opportunity to mentally reset.

• Having an easy meal or snack that doesn’t require a lot of additional thought or decision-making. Some favorites in my family are apples with peanut butter, crackers with cheese, or a hard-boiled egg – these are easy to prepare ahead of time, too.

• Planning for 5- to 10-minutes of uninterrupted one-on-one time to be present with your child. Creating this space can go a long way in helping your child fill their cup and feel seen and heard. With my kids, I ask about specific things in their day to elicit easy dialogue (especially if I have an agenda from their teacher), or I simply sit with them and provide closeness to help them navigate their thoughts.

• Planning for an earlier bedtime by an hour or so can help recharge a child’s mind and body for the next day. This means planning for both an earlier wind-down routine and bedtime hour to ensure proper rest.

Most importantly during this transition period, remember that it is normal for your child to have more meltdowns or struggle to stay emotionally regulated. The best thing we can do to support them is be present and hold the space to sit in the hard moment with them while they are getting their cup filled back up.

Structured routines can provide a safe and supportive environment for our children to feel a sense of control, to decompress from their day and get comfortable talking about their worries and fears. Here, we can teach them the tools for developing resilience and problem-solving skills so they can handle more of life’s challenges and changes with confidence.

Setting Realistic Expectations and Celebrating Progress. It’s important to recognize that adjusting to a new learning environment takes time, and for some kids, it may mean a more permanent schedule change during school months. Encourage your family to set achievable goals and celebrate the accomplishments along the way by talking through them.

My family’s favorite way to do this is through a game we play almost every day called “Changes, Gratefuls and Wonders” (others may call this “Highs and Lows” or “Joys and Concerns”). Usually at dinnertime, sometimes after school in the car or at bedtime, we all share what parts of the day we wished had been different or were challenging, what we were grateful for or enjoyed during the day and then things that have been on our mind. In full disclosure, my kids included the “Wonder” portion to the game about a year later and it has been a great addition to these conversations. This game has allowed everyone in our family a safe space to share what is happening in their life. Some days, our kids will go on and on about all the things they are grateful for or want to change and other days we’re lucky to hear just a few words. Regardless, this has been a great way to connect with our children, stay involved and invested in their days, and demonstrate that we’re here for them whether it was an easy day or an emotionally taxing one.

Melissa Eastlick, MSW, Medical Social Worker, Montana Pediatrics. Melissa has been working with families across Montana for most of her professional career. Beginning her career in early childhood professional positions, she later became a Family Support Specialist and found a passion for working with parents who had children with developmental delays and disabilities. Over time, this love led to her pursuit of a Master’s degree in Social Work. Now, she balances helping parents across the state bring more fun and ease into their parenting and helping Montana Pediatrics build a care coordination program for families of children with medical complexities.