How Will Your Child Handle the Transition to A New Grade or School This Fall?

With many children starting in new grades or new schools in the fall, how do you expect your child to handle the transition? And how can parents help?

The Stoneham Patch Moms Council are weighing in on this topic and would love to hear your thoughts as well and that can be accomplished by posting a comment in the comments section below.

From Melisa Thorne:

For many kids, the transition to a new school or a new grade is an inevitable event. This will happen at least once in a child’s school career.

My kids are transitioning to a new elementary school in the fall. I don’t expect their transition to be seamless but they are young and younger children adapt relatively easy once they establish trust with their new teachers. I honestly feel for parents who have kids transitioning into the Stoneham Middle School this year. I think this transition is by far the most difficult.

For a parent it is a bittersweet milestone. We are proud of our child’s achievements yet we really hate that he or she is growing up so fast. I truly believe most kids look forward to these years, but that doesn’t mean it is always smooth sailing.

Middle school-age kids are already trying to accept the physical changes with their bodies and to add with that, everything about their school day is changing too. For instance, instead of the setting in elementary school where your child had just one teacher who challenged his or her strengths and understood his or her weaknesses, your child now has several teachers, each with his or her own teaching style and expectations.

Also, your child’s friendships may shift. I think this may be hardest for kids to cope with. Many of the friends your child saw everyday in elementary school will be on different schedules. For some, making new friends and finding their place in the social ladder is stressful. 

While I think it is important for parents to let their children transition at their own pace, I think it’s equally important for parents to pay close attention for signs of distress.

Parents should remain approachable and don’t overreact. I remember Middle School being no picnic for me back in my day. So empathize. You have been there too.

Of course, chronic lateness or consistently low grades may also be a sign of a deeper learning or motivational issue. If your child continues to struggle, schedule a conference with the teacher so you can figure out what steps to take.

When the time comes for my kids to make this transition, I will let them know that I trust them to handle the transition on their own and remind them that I have their back. My goal is to keep the lines of communication open so my kids realize they can count on me.

From Pallavi Shastri:

The transition, which is going to happen for my daughter who is entering the third grade, is pretty big deal for her. Until now she was coming out of the school door with her friends, with me standing there to pick her up, or if she didn’t see me, she at least had her teacher to stand with her until I arrived. But from third grade the pick-up system is a little different and she is getting nervous about it. She is worried how she is going to find me from all those cars.

This is the big transition for her and all I can do is assure her that she will find me. For first few days, I will stand there when she comes out so that she will feel more secure and as she gets used to being a third grader, I will ask her about the live car parking pick-up.

Little kids by nature are like a sponge: They absorb and adapt to new situations easily.

All we can do as parents is to assure them that it is going to be ok and we are there for them. Having a good conversation between the parent and child helps a lot during this initial transition process. Kids can share all the changes happening in their life with the parents and parents can listen to that, offer any guidance, if needed, and just be friends with your kids. In this way you are aware of the transition and you can offer full support to them.