How to help children adjust to a new school routine
As the six-week holidays draw to a close, you may be worried about the possibility of your foster child struggling to settle in at school. Whether transitioning to secondary school or moving up a year group in the same school, here are our tips on how to help your child settle into a new school routine.
Why is routine important for a child in school?
When children know what to expect each day, it can ease anxiety and create a sense of stability. For children in care who have experienced abuse, neglect and the upheaval of moving homes, routine is even more crucial. It helps them feel safe, confident and in control of their environment because they know you'll meet their needs.
Routine ensures that children get enough rest alongside teaching them life skills such as time management, organisation and responsibility. Schools are also built on routine, from bi-weekly timetables to set lunch times; they expect children to adhere to a routine in the school environment. So what better way to help children prepare for this than by creating a solid before and after school routine?
Building a before and after-school routine
Over the past six weeks, you may have relaxed your routine or created one specific to the summer holidays, including later wake-up times and days out. Even if you had a good routine before the school holidays, it’s still worth updating, especially if your young person is transitioning to secondary school.
Spend time building your family’s new routine with the child in your care, discussing possible bedtimes, wake-up times and time spent doing the things they love.
You could create a school morning routine list, including essential tasks like brushing their teeth, making their bed and getting dressed, along with the time needed to complete them. If they enjoy screen time before school, add this to the list so they know they’ll have time to relax before heading to school.
You could also create an after-school routine chart, including homework, after-school activities and evening meal times. Once the routine is established, you can display it on the fridge or in your young person's bedroom so they can tick tasks off as they complete them. Over time, a natural rhythm will set in, and your updated routine will become the new normal.
Tips for helping a child settle into school
Not many children jump for joy at the idea of returning to school after the summer holidays, but for children in care who are living with trauma, the change could feel even more unsettling. From meeting new teachers and making new friends to keeping up with their peers academically, school life can be anxiety-inducing. So, here are our tips for helping children settle into school after the holidays and adjust to their new routine.
Talk about how they’re feeling
Start a conversation with the child in your care about returning to school. You can make the chat feel less intense by approaching the topic whilst doing something else together, such as cooking. If the child is young, you could use an emotions chart with faces, encouraging them to choose the face that most accurately represents their internal feelings about returning to school.
They might be worried about how to make new friends at school, or if they are moving schools, nervous about finding their way around. Whatever their concerns, demonstrate that you understand and are there for them by coming up with a solution together.
Use a curious approach, gauging how they really feel by observing their body language and tone of voice alongside asking leading questions that require more than a yes or no answer. If they aren't ready to engage in conversation, their behaviour may change as term time draws near, so it's important to pay attention and ensure they know that you are ready to listen if they want to talk.
Make preparations together
Preparing for the new school term together may help ease your child's anxieties because they'll feel more confident and in control.
How to start prepping in advance:
- Take your child on a shopping trip to get their school essentials. You could let them pick a new lunch box, backpack and water bottle so they'll be eager to use them on the first day of term.
- Start implementing their new routine a few days before term starts, for example, by ensuring they go to bed earlier and wake up at the time required when school recommences.
- If they are moving to a new school, use the school website to research their teacher's names, term dates and extra-curricular activities. You may also be able to download and print a school map to help them find their way around.
- If they're going to travel to school independently, trail run their walking or bus route together.
- If they're worried about making friends, help them practice talking about themselves and their interests.
Build some excitement
Returning to school can be a nerve-wracking time, but it can also be an exciting time full of opportunities. If the child in your care is returning to the same school, remind them that they'll get to spend lots of time with their friends. There may also be a school trip specific to their year group and extra-curricular activities they can get stuck into. If they're moving schools, talk to them about the opportunities they'll have to make friends and, if transitioning to secondary school, the extra independence they'll gain.
Develop a relationship with the school
If you haven't already, now's the time to develop a relationship with your foster child's school so you know they'll feel safe and have the same opportunities as children not living in care. Arrange a meeting with the school to discuss any concerns and see what reasonable adjustments can be made for your foster child so they can make the most out of their school experience.
At FCA, we offer education support, including training for foster parents on topics like Understanding the Educational System for Looked After Children. You'll learn about the barriers your foster child faces in education and how to advocate for them so you can ensure their school provides appropriate support.
Access further support
At FCA, our Team Parenting approach makes it easy for you to access tailored support for foster children. So, if they struggle to settle into school or find it difficult to cope with daily life, you can tap into our network of fostering experts for their support.
You can also speak to other foster parents in support groups who may be able to offer advice, and we host activities for the whole family so you can build connections, make friends and have more people to lean on. From therapy to educational guidance and training on therapeutic parenting that helps you understand trauma, when you foster with FCA, you are fully supported.
Get in touch to discover the positive impact you could have in the lives of children and young people by becoming a foster parent and to learn more about long-term fostering or the other types of fostering we offer.
