We really want your kid to feel safe at school because as soon as they do, they’re open and available to learning.
Now, given all the experiences and everything that’s happened with Covid, it can sometimes feel like school is not a safe place or at least that there is not as much certainty at school anymore. One minute they’re at school and the next they’re not. One minute it’s okay to socially distance and the next it’s not. Whatever it is, for whatever reason, your kid may not always feel safe at school.
Safety Through Connection
Something you can do to help your kid feel safe at school especially when the new school year starts is to help them identify a safe person at school that they know they can speak to when things get tough or when their emotions get big.
We’re not necessarily looking for their class teacher as the teacher is already managing quite a full classroom of kids. Help them find somebody outside of the classroom that is a safe person too. Maybe someone on the counseling team, the vice principal or any wellness person etc.
We need this person to be available in the sense that when your kid comes into school, they’ve got a two-minute check-in and when they leave, they have a two-minute check-out too. This person is excited to see them and gives them some structure in their day as they come and go from school.
It can be really helpful for your kid to know that there is the structure of meeting with this person for one to two minutes each day. The more familiar a routine becomes, the more safety the brain registers.
A Simple Touchpoint Can Make All The Difference
It’s a simple touchpoint for your kid to know that there is a safe person that they say hi and bye to every single day. It’s a really simple touchpoint for your kid to rely on, that helps them feel known at school.
Remember To Be Patient
This is going to be a dip-my-toe-in and dip-my-toe-out experience. It’s not going to go from 1 to 100 in a straight line. It’s gonna take some time.
When you feel like it’s two steps forward and five steps back, that’s a normal part of the process especially now when kids are struggling to figure out school and friends, and are worried about who will befriend them, and who will be mean to them. There’s so much happening in their brains so be patient with them and yourself. Try and work with them to identify that safe person at school so that they know who that person is, who they touch base with every single day for just one or two minutes twice a day.
