A few tips on how to ease into going back to school

The back to school blues are not uncommon.  As the summer draws to an end, instead of dwelling on the end of the beautiful days of summer fun, start a tradition of focusing energies on the excitement of new and fresh possibilities.

Get your child in a fresh state of mind that can ease  the anxiety of going back to school. Here are a few tips that you might like that can turn feeling sad into feelings  of anticipation and positive energy.

1) Connect with school buddies

If your child has school friends that he has not seen  all summer, organize a playdate with some of these friends so your child has an opportunity to reconnect with them. This makes the transition a bit more light hearted as your child rekindles friendships.

2) Start a tradition your child can look forward to

Back to school traditions can be fun and something that your child looks forward to. Here are a few ideas:

Make the day before school a special event - pick an activity together with your child and make a day of it. Prepare your child’s favorite meal for dinner and choose a heart warming movie that you can watch together at the end of the day.

Spend the day before school at an amusement park. It can be the one day of the year that you splurge and share the thrill and excitement of roller coaster rides and other fun filled activities.

The weekend before school, weather permitting, take your child camping and enjoy the peace of connecting with nature. Talk to your child about the cycles of seasons and how everything works in perfect flow with the energy of life.

Make your own tradition, keep it light and fun so that your child looks forward to it with excitement.

3) Ease anxiety and encourage a sense of calm

If your child tends to get easily agitated and overwhelmed during the beginning of the school year, you can share a story of when you felt anxious and nervous and how you overcame your fears. This demonstrates to your child that the person that he loves and trusts also went through a similar feeling and found a way to work it out.

Encourage your child’s effort rather than the end result. Help your child to redirect his focus by observing his strengths and achievements thus far.

Train your child to calm herself with breathing techniques. Help her to apply deep breathing at the moment she begins to feel a sense of anxiety. This will help her regain a sense of calm and an understanding that she has the ability to take control of her emotional situation.

4) Little notes of reassurance

Tuck little notes in your child’s lunch box or backpack that express words of encouragement, support and love.

A short reassuring note is quick and easy yet the results can be significant for a child. This let’s him know that even though you are not present, your support is unwaivering.

5) Empathize

Let your child know that you understand how he is  feeling and what he is going through. Focus on the positive aspects of change and make it clear that you are there to support and listen.

6) Getting back into the routine

A few weeks before school starts, get back into the usual night routine. More rest produces better results academically and contributes to greater clarity and emotional peace.

7) Create a vision board

On a large piece of bristol board or construction paper, assist your child in creating a vision board. Have your child paste images from magazines or create her own drawings of what she wishes to manifest. These images should reflect positive aspects and goals that she would like to achieve. Inspire her to look for or create images that make her feel good about what she would like to see show up in her experience.

Every time she looks at this vision board, the focus of her attention will be drawn to the possibilities that she can create in her experience.

As you assist your child in preparation for school, remember, focusing on what you can do to make it an exciting event can greatly reduce the potential anxiety that comes with beginning a new cycle.

Even if your child does not get excited about going back to school, he knows that he can count on you to be there for support and encouragement. At the end of the day, just be present to what is going on with your child and give him the space to experience.

Sometimes just being an empathizing listener makes a tremendous difference in the long run.

Melinda Asztalos is a parent coach, speaker, author and the founder of Life Positive by Design. She assists parents through a conscious parenting process that enables them to achieve and sustain, positive solutions to their specific parenting challenges. For more information, Please visit: http://lifepositivebydesign.com