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It's that time of year again... Back to School! You may find that your child is feeling nervous or anxious about starting a new school or going back to school. You may even be feeling nervous yourself! These are normal feelings, for your child and you. Here are some tips that can help to make this transition a little easier. 

• Start your bedtime/morning routine weeks ahead of time if you can. This will help your child adjust to their new routine. 

• Visit the school, either at an open house/meet the teacher night, or set up a time with your child's school for them to meet their teacher and walk around the building. Taking pictures of the school, their classroom, their teacher, and even the playground can be helpful so that your child can familiarize themselves with what to expect. You may even create a social story for them using these pictures. Click here for a sample social story to use as a guide.

• If you have a middle schooler or high schooler, getting their schedule ahead of time and allowing them to walk through their school so they can find their classes before their first day can help decrease their anxiety. 

• Include your child in picking out school supplies. This can help them to get excited for school to start. 

• Reach out to your child's teacher and give them some information about your child ahead of time. It's always important to share with the school any allergies your child has or medications they take, but you may also let them know things they enjoy doing, characters they like, nicknames they prefer to be called, and even their dislikes. 

• If your child is starting in a new school district, and they were receiving special education services or had a 504 plan in their previous district, make sure to share this information with the new school so services/accommodations can continue.

• Your child may have a special lovey they take with them everywhere. Reach out to your child's teacher to find out if this can be brought to school and any specific requirements such as keeping it in their backpack. If these types of things are not permitted in school, you may want to start practicing going places without the lovey. It may help to have a special place at home where the lovey is kept while it waits for your child to return home. 

• Lastly, spend quality time with your child these last few weeks by playing with them, engaging in special activities, going outside, and even reading together.  Enjoy the last few weeks of summer!