For many, the transition to fall, and all it brings, is a stressful time. The days are already getting shorter, and we are in that two-week window of anticipating the impending doom of less freedom – structured bedtimes, organizing school lunches, starting up extracurricular activities – the squeeze of busy. I’ve often wondered who the heck and why the heck the “powers that be” would choose fall as the time to gear up when nature is so clearly gearing down with shorter days and colder weather.
If you are bracing yourself for the impending transition, you can bet that your kids are too. They can sniff out your anxiety from afar and they most likely are having some worries of their own. Here are some tips for a smooth transition from summer holidays into the back-to-school routine.
1. Close the summer chapter intentionally. The night or two before school starts, hold an “end of summer” celebration. Make a cake and/or some special drinks and sit down together to celebrate summer. Reminisce about favorite things that happened and what a great season you are leaving behind.
2. Validate and normalize the transition to fall. Talk together about how change is hard for many people, including adults, and may take a while to get used to. When a transition comes, many people worry about how it will go and how life will change. It’s okay to feel uncertain.
3. Chat about worries. Ask your kids if there is anything they are worried about, big or small. Instead of reassuring them or telling them not to worry, act like a curious scientist and ask questions to get them to flesh out their worries. Often talking about worries with a trusted confidante can loosen their grip.
4. Chat about personal strengths. Along with their worries, your kids also have strengths they can draw on. Ask your kids how they intend to deal with their worries. You may be surprised at the resourceful and wise things they come up with! Point out the strengths you see in your kids whether it be their humor, compassion, helpful spirit, resilience, kindness, and so on.
5. Open the fall chapter intentionally. If you are able to be home on the morning of the first day of school, get up early and make a special breakfast for your kids. Or, on Friday night, have a “we survived the first week of school” celebration. Share a special meal or dessert together and talk about the ups and downs of the first week back. This validates that the transition is real, can be hard, and that you all are in this together.
There you have it. Five small but meaningful things you can do to ease into fall with your kids. I hope these things are helpful to you as you navigate the transition into this new season!
Until next time,
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