Talking to your kids about coming back to school

 Welcome and welcome back to some families as we begin the 2020-2021 school year at Wheelock.  I am very excited to see the students again.  However, I am sure many families have a 'mixed bag' of emotions.  Teachers and staff are working so hard to ensure a safe and welcoming return to school.  Myself and Mrs. Bockhorst (our part time counselor) have put together some talking points we thought would be helpful for families.  

1.  What to do if your child is feeling worried:

1. Normalize - It is common to feel worried before we do something new, for both kids and adults

2.  Remind of prior successes - help your child think of a time they did something they overcame their nerves

3. Practice relaxation strategies 

1. - Deep breaths - Roller Coaster Breathing 

2. - Positive mantra - “I can do hard things.”

   
   

2. How to help your child adapt to wearing masks

1. Explain: Wearing a mask helps protect ourselves and other people

2. Take a picture of you and your student wearing the mask

3. Practice: 

1. start small and build up from there 

2. take small trips to libraries or stores so that kids can begin to practice mask wearing

3. Wear the mask during a preferred activity like ipad time

4. Play pretend with the mask, try putting a mask on your stuffed animal

5. Have fun picking a mask, let your child get to chose

6.  Practice what your child can say if another student takes off their mask - “Oops, don’t forget your mask.”

 

3. Explain how staying 6 feet apart keeps you safe

1. - Help your child recognize how far 6 feet is 

1. Measure it out together

2. Draw it with chalk

3. Airplane Arms

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4. Help your child rehearse what to say if someone is too close “Please remember six feet apart!” “Whoops, we have to remember our space”

Saying Hello/Greeting Friends - Prepare your child that they can greet their friends with all sorts of friendly “hellos” from a distance