Summer comes to an end and, with it, the holidays of the little ones in the house also end. It is time to go back to school and, although this is a moment that many children are excited about, others face it with laziness, sadness and even anxiety. The latter are apathetic, not wanting to return to the classroom, they don't even want to hear you talk about the routine and you know that every morning of the first weeks of the course will be a fight with tantrums in between.
It should be noted that it is completely normal that children do not feel like going back to school after the long summer enjoying themselves without schedules and without obligations, playing as much as they wanted. You have to have patience and empathy, validating at all times how they feel. But this does not mean that you should resign yourself and wait for this disappointment to pass on its own. The truth is that, as parents, there are a series of practices that you can carry out with which to encourage and motivate your children to go back to school.
Don't make the mistake of drastically changing their summer schedule to their school schedule, because getting up early in the morning will be very difficult for them. It is best to opt for a progressive adaptation, advancing your bedtime and getting up each day during the previous week. Also, if during the holidays you had a "free bar" of screens, it is time to start limiting its use to certain times of the day.
Approach the return to school in a positive way, emphasizing the good aspects of it that can excite the little one: reuniting with his classmates, learning new things, excursions, extracurricular activities that he likes the most... Avoid referring to school with connotations negative, there will be time to worry about homework and grades when the adaptation period is over.
This can increase their enthusiasm for the return to the classroom. Let them choose their school supplies, their backpack, the clothes to go to class in case they don't wear a uniform, decide what they want to take to eat at recess, cover the books, etc. In this way they will get involved and surely they will be happy to release that case with the print of their favorite cartoons.
To counteract the reluctance that the fact of going back to class arouses in them, schedule activities or plans that they feel like in the daily routine and in the week, which should be adapted to their age and tastes. It could be going to the park after school, watching your favorite movie together, cooking your favorite food, going to the movies or playing together. They will certainly enjoy spending quality family time to make up for the separation while in class.
