Starting school is a big change for you and your child, and can be daunting; but having coping skills, good self-esteem and problem solving skills can help your child deal with changes.
School life is full of new experiences and challenges, but knowing how to persevere, understand and control emotions, and manage social situations, can help your child settle in.
Self-esteem
Feeling worthwhile and a sense of belonging can help your child cope with their new environment and the challenges of the school day. Having positive self-esteem can boost their confidence and make them feel safe in trying new things.
Positive self-esteem also makes children feel connected and a part of their community. You can help support your child’s self-esteem by listening and making time for them, valuing their opinion and praising them when they do something well.
Managing emotions
Being able to manage their own emotions when faced with challenges and new experiences is an important coping skill. Understanding emotions and how to deal with them is necessary for your child to know how to move on from a confronting situation.
Conflict resolution
Having practice dealing with conflict allows your child to understand how their actions affect the people around them. Asking your child to think about what is fair or unfair, or how they would want to be treated, helps them to build an understanding of how to treat others and manage conflict.
Discussing different scenarios and experiences with your child will help them understand what happened and can allow you both to come up with new solutions they might want to try next time.
Problem solving skills
Children are faced with challenges each day, and understanding how to overcome these or work out a solution is important in building your child’s problem solving skills. Knowing how to make decisions, and learning to work with others and consider different approaches to solving a problem are important problem solving skills.
Knowing it is okay to ask for help, and knowing when and how to find support can help your child settle and feel safe in new environments.