How to Help Your Child Adapt to School?
Our pediatrician, Dr. Diana Abdrakhmanova, shares valuable insights on helping children navigate the school adaptation period.
The beginning of the academic year often presents challenges for both children and parents. After an extended summer break, children need to adjust to an unfamiliar daily routine, new environment, and subjects. This transition isn't always smooth, with increased fatigue and weakened immunity being among the most common responses during school adaptation.
Maintaining a Daily Routine
During summer, your child may have enjoyed flexible sleep schedules, but the school year requires a more structured routine. Following a consistent schedule helps young bodies experience less fatigue, improves concentration, and stabilizes mood. Healthcare professionals recommend ensuring children get 8-10 hours of sleep daily, with consistent bedtime and wake-up times. While weekends can occasionally be exceptions, it's beneficial to maintain the routine throughout the entire week, especially during the initial adjustment period.
Outdoor Activities
Spending time outdoors serves as an excellent way to reduce anxiety and improve your child's mood. September in Dubai remains quite warm, so remember to apply sunscreen before heading to the park. Social interaction with friends and peers is equally important, helping stabilize their overall well-being, while physical activity helps release muscle tension accumulated from sitting at a desk all day.
Balanced Nutrition
During the adaptation period, diverse nutrition becomes crucial as the body experiences increased stress on various systems, including immunity. To support your child's health, incorporate more meat, fish, fresh vegetables, and fruits into their diet. However, completely eliminating children's favorite snacks, chocolate, or sodas isn't necessary, as this might increase stress levels. Instead, monitor the portion sizes to ensure these treats don't suppress appetite or compromise health.
Show Your Interest
When returning to school, your child might face challenges with new material or peer interactions. These difficulties can affect their emotional state, potentially leading to irritability, tearfulness, or withdrawal. Active participation in your child's life from day one is essential. Engage in conversations about their class experiences, show interest in their friendships, and offer support with challenging subjects. Your involvement contributes to improving their mood and strengthens their confidence during this challenging period.
Most importantly, try not to worry excessively. Your anxiety can transfer to your student and potentially worsen the situation. Remember that adaptation is a natural process that all children and parents experience.
If you feel unable to manage the situation independently, our pediatricians and immunologists are available to help. They provide personalized approaches for each child to facilitate the adaptation process and maintain your child's health.