Helping teens stay balanced
5 tips for a more confident back-to-school experience
Helping teens stay balanced
5 tips for a more confident back-to-school experience
After a long summer vacation, back-to-school can be challenging time for your teen. Discover our 5 tips to help them transition back to school with confidence!
HELP THEM GET BACK TO GOOD HABITS
👉Get ready for the new school year by preparing school materials ahead of time and making sure your teen knows their way around the school, especially if they’re going into grade 7.
👉Choose a favourite outfit for the first day of school, arrange to meet up with friends at a specific spot on the first day, see if there are any friends in their classes.
👉Get up early enough so that they don’t feel rushed. If you’re worried about your teen struggling to wake up in time, have them start waking up earlier, little by little, in the days before school starts.
👉Make sure your teen gets enough sleep: They need between 8 and 10 hours a night.
👉Plan a fun activity to do with friends or family after the first day of school, like a movie night.
Lower your expectations
Over the course of the summer, your teen may have lost all sense of time and dropped their usual social commitments. Maybe you have a young introvert who’s become withdrawn during their vacation, or a teen who unapologetically sleeps until 3 p.m. No matter what your child’s personality is, getting back into the school routine can be tough. We recommend that you lower expectations and encourage them to take things at their own pace.
Sports enthusiasts can resume their favourite activities, “sociable” kids can reconnect with their friends, and more introverted teens can ease back into the routine gently, one day at a time.
TEACH THEM TO HONOUR THEIR FEELINGS TO BUILD RESILIENCE
Most young people feel stress as the school year approaches; this is completely normal. Rather than trying to just “grin and bear it,” it’s important for your teen to take the time to acknowledge their feelings, without judging themself harshly. By practising self-compassion in this way, they learn to show themself a little kindness, realize that they aren’t alone in their feelings, and are able to bounce back more easily as a result.
As they face the uncertainties of the new school year, don’t hesitate to remind them of how resilient they have been so far. This will boost their confidence and help them adapt.
Learn more about self-compassionIntroduce mindfulness as a way to calm anxiety
When your teen feels stressed, encourage mindfulness: have them step back, observe their own thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations, and state them out loud as a way to return to a calmer state. This can also make it easier to talk about what’s bothering them with others and take any helpful advice that’s offered.
In general, mindfulness can ease anxiety and depression related to focusing too much on what has or might happen, because it brings the present moment front and centre in the mind.
Interested in mindfulness at school? Discover our podcasts, lesson plans, and videos in our school kit.
Discover mindfulness
Teach them to sort their thoughts
When your teen is overwhelmed by negative thoughts, you can teach them to distinguish helpful from unhelpful thoughts. This simple exercise will help them focus on what they can control and reduce unproductive and negative thought patterns.
Start by reminding them that this is a new year and that they can put aside what happened in the past. Rather than anticipating what will happen in the fall, it’s best to approach each day as it comes and give their teachers a chance to explain how their class works.
Teach young people to sort out their thoughtsIs your child anxious about starting high school? Discover all our practical advice in this new video!
Sources
Article written by the Youth in Mind Foundation
Experts consulted: Amélie Seidah, psychologist, Isabelle Geninet, psychologist, Stéphanie Deslauriers, psychoeducator, Marie-Michèle Ricard, psychoeducator and psychotherapist.
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