Helping Your Child Transition to a New School: Tips for Military and Job Relocations

Back to school time is here and many families use the summer to move due to military or job relocations, so they do not disrupt their children’s school routines. If your child was at the same school for several years and had lots of friends, the transition may be more difficult than if your child is just going into kindergarten or did not have a lot of friends.

Although these tips are geared towards moving at the beginning of the new school year, these tips can be implemented almost anytime during the school year, especially during holiday and semester breaks.

• If in person sign up is available, take your child with you instead of registering your child online. Allowing your child to be a part of the process will ease some of their fears and apprehension.
• If registration is not held at the school, drive past the school a few times so they can see where it is and what size it is. If you see cars in the parking lot, try walking up to the front door, ring the buzzer and see if you can come to the office to introduce your child. Even if you don’t meet your child’s teacher, being familiar with the office staff and principal can be a good first step. If the playground is not fenced off, take your younger children to play one afternoon. If your new neighborhood has children the same age as yours, invite them to a playdate at the school playground.
• Look for parent groups on social media for the school district you moved to and introduce yourself. Ask them what their kids like the most about the school they attend and pass that information on to your child.
• Start talking with your child about going back to school a couple weeks beforehand and ask them if they are nervous about anything. Do not judge them or minimize their fears. Listen to their concerns and ask them about other times they were nervous and what made them feel better. Make sure they do those activities until they are relaxed about going to school.
• Once you find out who your child’s teacher is, send them an email introducing yourself and your child. Ask if there are going to be any other students in their class new to the area and if they can be introduced to each other during orientation or on the first day of school. If there is, let your child know that they are not the only new student and maybe they can have lunch and play together.
• Settle into a back-to-school routine before the first day of school. This will keep your child from dealing with too many new activities at once. Set consistent wake up and bedtimes and have your child read a book or color during the times they will be doing homework. Spend the “school day hours” doing chores, back to school shopping, and learning age-appropriate life skills.
• Encourage your child to call, video chat, email, or write letters to their friends from their old school. This encourages your child to build and maintain life-long long-distance relationships.
• If possible, drop off and pick your child up the first couple of days before sending them on the bus or letting them bike/walk to school. This will not only allow your child to spend more time with you, but will allow school staff to meet you and let you know if there are any issues.
• Make sure your child understands it may take a week or so for them to feel confident and comfortable in their new school. Each day ask your child how their day went and look for clues in their body language that they may not be telling you something. Encourage your child to speak up to their teacher for immediate resolution, but definitely
  to you.
• If your child still is not adjusting after a month or two, reach out to the school counselor or social worker or a private counselor that understands children.

If you are a military family that moves often, the transition will become easier each time, especially since they keep getting older and their maturity increases.