Are you ready for the beginning of the new academic year?

Summer break is coming to an end, but we have the start of a new academic year in sight full of innovative learning, international opportunities, exciting new friends, and filling our backpack not only with new books and materials, but with unforgettable experiences. How do we prepare so that we can start this year on the right foot?

It’s time to adjust our schedules

During the summer vacations, we tend to relax the schedules we keep during the school year. We advise you to start regulating your children’s schedules a few days before school starts. Sleeping the necessary hours according to the child’s age is very important for their academic performance and personal well-being. Therefore, it is time to start going to bed a little earlier every day and getting up a little earlier every morning.

According to the Spanish Association of Pediatrics, the hours of sleep per day (including naps) recommended by age are:

• From 0 to 2 years old they sleep between 16 and 18 hours a day.
• At 2 years of age they sleep an average of 13 hours a day.
• From 3 to 5 years of age, the recommended hours of sleep are 10-12 hours.
• Between 6 and 10 years old, children need about 10 hours of sleep.
• From the age of 10 onwards they need about 8-10 hours of sleep per day.

Prepare the uniform and school supplies with your child

A good way to get your child ready to go back to school is to involve them in all the preparations. This can include trying on the uniform or ordering it several days in advance and reviewing the list of materials and go shopping together for what´s missing. Having everything ready a couple of days beforehand provides security and peace of mind and also gets your child excited for their first day.

Talk to them about their first day

Share all the information about the first day with them: what timetable they will have, who their teacher will be, who´s taking them to school, what they need to bring, etc. Managing expectations for the first day will be a great help in reducing any nerves they have about the new year.

At ISP Schools we have an open and welcoming international community, meaning that new local and international families join our classrooms every year. Talk to them about the importance of welcoming new students and the great opportunity they have to meet children from all over the world.

Keep a positive attitude about school

The new school year is a significant change in our children’s lives and it’s important to motivate them, talk to them about the benefits of going back to school, and ask them how they feel or if they have any concerns.

It is essential to keep a positive attitude towards school and explain to them that it is a great opportunity to learn new things, have fun, and make memories with friends.

If we view going back to school as something problematic and talk or act negatively about it,we could make our children feel negatively about it as well. It is important that they perceive this new stage as something positive, stimulating, and exciting.

Accompany them on their first day

For kids, the first day of school is always an whirlwind of emotions and feelings: the nerves of starting something new, the return to routine, the chance to see friends again, meeting their teacher, and so much more. For new students it can even be a time of stress and uncertainty about the unknown. We should try to make them feel calm during these first few days.

Work schedules are sometimes complicated to coordinate with the school schedule. If it’s possible, try to accompany your child on their first day of school. If you can’t, plan to spend time together that afternoon and ask them how their day went, how their classmates are doing, what subjects they have this year, or what their new teachers’ names are. Talking with your child about how they feel regarding the new year will help them decompress and adjust to school starting again!