7 Mistakes Parents Make When Their Children Start School

While parents can ease our children’s transition from home to school, we can also get in the way by making these mistakes.

When babies stop being “our babies” to become children who begin their journey through the educational system, there  are many mistakes parents make when they want to help them adapt to the new school stage. After having spent 3, 4 or even 5 years taking care of children, it is obvious that it is difficult to leave them for the first time in the hands of the teachers.

Nervousness is on the surface and emotions can flow. Separation is difficult for both children and parents. And so this article published in Orientación Andújar points out . However, we are adults and we have to help children. The problem is that, sometimes, as parents, we get carried away by what we feel and make mistakes that make it difficult to start school life.

The 7 mistakes parents make when their children start school

After you have made the effort to find the school that you think is the best for your children, you have to trust and help them adapt as soon as possible to this new facet of their lives. How long it takes them to like school will depend on each child.

When your kids start school, it’s easy to fall into one of these 7 mistakes. Sometimes, far from helping, you may make the transition to that phase of your little one’s life more difficult. Pay attention, as these are perfectly avoidable situations.

1. Not preparing the children

Not involving the child in the preparation for the start of classes can be the biggest of all the mistakes parents make. Children need to know in advance what they are up against. You have to talk to them in advance to prepare them.

A good measure is for the child to participate in the organization of the start of classes. Shopping for school supplies, books, and notebooks can be very stimulating for little ones. Knowing that in a few days they will be able to use all these materials is already very positive.

Many children are enough with the expectations that their parents have created about school to calmly say goodbye to them and start the new stage. If you want to prevent a school phobia from arising,  prepare your child as much as possible for  the new stage that is beginning, as this work carried out by researchers from the Minuto de Dios University Corporation shows.

2. Crying in front of children is one of the mistakes parents make

You have to admit it: it is difficult to see children crying, upset or afraid to be in a new place with people they do not know. Of course they make you want to cry! But remember that you are the greatest example when it comes to learning to manage emotions.

Losing control is one of the worst mistakes parents make. The child is already nervous about the new experience, and if to that reality is added the anguish of seeing his parents about to cry, you will be undermining any easy way to adapt to school.

If you’re going to cry, you can do it after you’ve gotten out of school. That first separation is a very strong emotion that will last a few days. But, little by little, you will see that your child becomes more and more calm.

3. Turn you around if you hear him cry

If you have already said goodbye to your child and hear him cry or scream for you, avoid turning around . It is one of the most common mistakes that parents make and one of the most damaging for these days of adaptation to the school stage.

School staff are trained to help your child calm down. Most children tend to calm down early, within a few minutes after the parents have left. They begin to interact with the environment (some more than others) but all, finally, do.

In the rare cases in which a child is unable to console himself, the teachers will probably contact the parents to pick him up before the end of school hours. But that is exceptional. Teachers know how to deal with crying children. Do yourself and do your son a favor: don’t turn around.

4. Take a walk around school

Avoid walks around the school to see how the children are doing. Doing so is a huge mistake. If the little ones see their parents again after they have calmed down, what they want is to go with them, and they will not like to see them say goodbye again. That will only ignite the anguish they have already experienced and make adaptation more difficult.

We know that you are very curious to know how they are going, but wait until it is time to leave and ask your children directly.

5. Leave without saying goodbye

Farewell is the crux of those first days of school. Children make sad faces, ask you not to leave, or cry loudly. However, leaving without realizing it is one of the mistakes parents make. It is not the solution.

It can fuel a very negative feeling of abandonment, so it is best to say goodbye. A short goodbye, a kiss, you tell him how much you love him, that later you are going to go find him and that you hope he has a nice day in this new stage. A hug, a kiss and a goodbye. No sneaking away.

6. Excessively lengthen the parting

Neither go sneaking nor extend the farewell. Again: the farewell has to be short. And so this article published in the journal Pedagogía Magna is evident . If you take too long, you can give the false impression that you will be staying there with your children.

Also don’t promise that you will stay when you know that it will not happen. Also, for children who have calmed down, seeing you will remind them that their parents left and will make the tense climate in the classroom worse.

7. Scold or compare your children because they cry

Children can already feel bad on that first day of school so that, in addition, they will hear you scold them or compare them with other children. It is normal for them to cry the first few days. Some will adapt faster than others, but making them feel worse does not contribute to adaptation.

It even happens to many little ones that during the first days they are left without difficulty and, on the fourth or fifth day, when it seemed that everything was over, they start to cry. Usually occurs. Be patient and do not despair. Hug him, say goodbye and, even if he cries a little, don’t turn around.

On the 7 mistakes parents make when their children start school

In summary, these are some avoidable mistakes that parents make without realizing it and that also  make it difficult for their children to adapt. Now that you know them, you can avoid them. It may cost you, but it will be for the good of your children.

Little by little, both will adapt to the routine and will be able to normalize going to school without being affected. Cheer up!