How to prepare your children for the jump to secondary school in September.

How to prepare your children for the jump to secondary school in September.

With September getting ever closer, many children will be heading into the big world of secondary school.

For children and parents, the leap to secondary school from primary school can be intimidating.

As a parent, do you want the transition to be as smooth as possible? Of course, the answer will be yes. Read on to find out how you as a parent can aid this jump.

Take your children to open evenings.

Secondary school open evenings can often provide you and your children some familiarity with the world they will be going into. Open evenings can provide:

·       An image of where things are and what goes on in secondary school.

·       A good place to meet new people going into the new year also.

·       Visualisation of your children in secondary can ease the mind of parents.

Encourage independence in your children.

In secondary school, children will be expected to be a lot more independent than in primary school. Here are ways you can do this:

·       If your children will be taking the bus to school, practice this with them to build confidence in travelling alone.

·       Teach them how to tie a tie and dress properly. The dress code at secondary school is a lot more strict than in primary school and they will need to know how properly dress independently.

·       During their last year of primary school, make your children responsible for their school uniforms and work. This will teach them the independence that will be expected of them.

Talk to your children about it.

The old saying ‘small fish in a big pond’ partners perfectly with secondary school.

It is completely normal for confident children to become shy in secondary school just as it is normal for every child to worry about going into secondary school.

Here are some ways you can ease this anxiety for your children:

·       Talk to them about your experiences making that leap into secondary school.

·       Encourage them to go out and meet new people.

·       Encourage them to ask for directions and speak to people outside their peer groups.

·       Assure them that although other children may seem confident, everyone is in the same boat and will be just as nervous.

It is completely natural for your children (and you as parents) to worry about that big leap into the giant and unknown world of secondary school.

With these tips, you can ease the anxiety of secondary school and get your children ready for the big leap.