www.freemanhealth.com/peds
By Dr. Kathryn Garrett, Freeman
Health System Pediatrician
For your child, a new school year can
mean new adventures, new friendships
and new things to explore. Transitioning
back to the structure of school after the
relative freedom summer vacation can
be a little less exciting, though.
Here some tips to help kids and
caregivers alike make the back-to-
school season a little easier:
✓
Reset sleep schedules. If your
family's bedtimes slid back a little
over the summer, now is the time to
reset that schedule. A couple weeks
before school starts, start transitioning
to earlier bedtimes and waking up
earlier. Children need 10 – 12 hours of
sleep each night, so ensure their bedtime
is early enough for them to get that
amount of sleep before they need to
wake up for school.
✓
Manage your mornings. Mornings
can be hectic any time of the
year but especially when starting new
routines. Keep stress levels down and
make sure nothing gets lost in the
shuffle by preparing for what mornings
will look like when school resumes.
This could mean doing a trial run as
a family one
morning or
making a list or
chart of what
tasks need to
happen each
morning that your
child can use as a
guide.
✓
Take advantage
of open houses. Your
school's open house is a
great opportunity for your child
to become familiar with their new
classroom, meet their new teacher and
check out anything else that might be
new to them this year.
✓
Talk about going back to school.
Build a feeling of optimism but
don't create unrealistic expectations.
Give your child the chance to discuss
any excitement or nervousness they
may feel and reassure them that those
feelings are normal. There are likely
other children in their class who
feel the same, and their teacher will
help everyone feel as comfortable as
possible.
✓
Get up to date with your child's
healthcare. This is a good time
to check with your pediatrician to
make sure your child is up to date on
vaccines, checkups and sports physicals
before school starts.
If you have a specific concern about this
school year, call your child's school one
or two weeks before school starts. Staff
will be there already, and they want
your child to have a great year too!
For more back-to-school tips,
visit healthychildren.org for
American Association of Pediatrics
recommendations. Visit freemanhealth.
com/pediatrics for more information
about pediatric services at Freeman
Health System.
Reduce Back-to-School
StreSS
for Your Family
8 • august 2022 • www.OfficialKidsMag.com
