Back to school: how to prepare for change

Parents and children have to adapt to new routines with the reopening of schools. Carla Hugos five children all attend the same school, where she teaches. On the left are Tyron and Monique, and Kyle is in front of his mother. Kayleigh and Cameron are on the right. Gary van Wyk

Parents and children have to adapt to new routines with the reopening of schools. Carla Hugos five children all attend the same school, where she teaches. On the left are Tyron and Monique, and Kyle is in front of his mother. Kayleigh and Cameron are on the right. Gary van Wyk

Published Feb 15, 2021

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Cape Town - With most schools reopening on Monday, parents and their children will have to change their normal routines since the schools were closed due to lockdown regulations.

A mother, Lynne Huysamen, said parenting and juggling has always been tough but since the pandemic it has become even harder to find balance, and cope not only with having children at home, but also to ensure that they don't fall behind in their school work.

“I have always valued my children’s school teachers. But now I have newfound respect for teachers,” she said.

She said she now sees how teachers play such an important role not only in the syllabus but also in teaching children values and manners too.

Parent education facilitator and counsellor at Parenting Centre Kaashifa King said the first unavoidable thing that happened was that there were many changes in every aspect of most people’s lives.

“Depending on our nature, some people can easily adapt to change and others struggle,” she said.

King provided some points on how parents and their children can adapt to the change of their daily routines due to schools reopening:

Children are easier to manage in the mornings if they had a good night’s rest.

Plan: the more organised you are as a parent, the easier it will be to manage the children.

Connect with your child’s teacher, they are also experiencing a lot of changes and doing the best they can, so be understanding and get clarity and guidance in helping you to help your child.

Create a study space in your home free of distractions.

The best gift you can give to your child is sending him/her to school with a good self-esteem and a feeling of competence and confidence.

Teach your child to check that she has all she needs for the day.

Check that homework or tasks are completed daily, encourage them to be as independent as possible.

Read to your child, have your child read to you.

Prioritise safety: support Covid-19 protocols, be mindful of being balanced so that following these protocols does not create added anxiety for them.

Fill your child’s cup before you do an important meeting or task from home so that they are not needy at that time.

Take a few moments to settle and organise the children first, to give you a better opportunity to be more relaxed when you work.

Weekend Argus

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