The first week of school can be an exciting and stressful time of the year. There are many unknowns of the new school year whether it’s your child’s first time attending school, your child is transitioning to a new school or beginning the year with a new teacher.
The first month of school is a great time to communicate with your child’s teacher about learning styles, behavioral strategies and any helpful accommodations. Some children benefit from more fluid expectations and rules where others require structure and predictability. Sharing insights about how your child learns and the best ways to manage any behaviors within the classroom will enhance their school experience.
Classrooms can be overstimulating and overwhelming at times. Talking with your child about conflict resolution strategies within the classroom can be helpful. Strategies may include telling an unruly peer “I don’t like that”, moving to a different part of the classroom and/or asking a teacher for help.
Adaptations to the classroom can be beneficial to a child’s experience. I often suggest having a “yellow zone” or “cool down area”. This is an area set up to have decreased stimuli that a child is free to go to whenever they’re feeling overwhelmed. I strongly suggest that this area is not used for disciplinary purposes or as a “time out”. Encouraging a child’s self awareness and advocacy with sensory regulation will improve their ability to self-regulate in the future. If a child has difficulty completing daily tasks a sequencing chart may be beneficial. This can be a laminated picture on a child’s desk or individual pictures that can be removed when the task is complete.
Communicating with teachers and accommodating for a child’s learning style can greatly enhance a child’s experience and success within a classroom. A child’s confidence and self-worth is an absolute priority and will strengthen learning capabilities. The foundations for learning that are established this year will continue to benefit your child in future school years.
New World Occupational Therapy, PLLC 