PRELUDE Kids

Aside from getting new clothes, shoes and backpacks, children may have worries about what lies ahead in a new school, or even a new grade.

words by > Joanne Bamburger

Q&A

We caught up with Nina Senatore, assistant professor of education at Simmons College in Boston and a child development expert, who says that back-to-school anxiety is real—but there are easy steps parents can take to bring it down a notch or two.

What causes back-to-school anxiety?
Any transition can lead to anxiety. Moving to the next grade, or going from elementary to middle school, or middle school to high school are transitions that are hard in general for children, and can increase anxiety levels due to fear of the unknown.

How can parents help their children deal with it?
Youngsters between the ages of fi ve and ten are still concrete thinkers, so it’s important for parents to make future events seem real today. Experience helps replace fear, especially in a young child. Parents can help create “mind movies” for children as a way to ease anxiety. Go by the school before it opens for the year, peek in the window or maybe go in the empty classroom for a few minutes. Get in the car and trace the bus route, and check out the swings on the school playground. Children can replay these experiences in their minds, which will help decrease anxiety and make the fi rst day of the new school year more enjoyable.

What about dealing with back-to-school anxiety in older kids?
Lots of adolescents are overbooked with activities. Even though many of those are fun, teens can become easily overwhelmed and anxious when they have little or no downtime. Adults need to teach them to prioritize their activities, which will lead to a balanced plate and help teens and preteens do their best work in school.

Will children pick up on parental back-to-school anxiety?
Yes! We know that children often take anxiety cues from their parents. That’s why it’s important to project realistic expectations—and to maintain a calm façade in front of our kids.

Cool Buys

School supplies aren’t limited to notebooks and pencils anymore. As parents, we all want to make sure we provide our children with the right tools to ensure their educational experiences are the best possible.

Here are some unique back-to-school items— for preschoolers to high schoolers:

Finding the Right Words
Forget bulky, weighty dictionaries that are diffi cult to carry around.
This year, you can purchase a dictionary that’s about the size of a PDA, plus it’s an MP3 player. Youngsters just might use a dictionary that fi ts in their backpack—and plays their favorite music, too. www.franklin.com

Homework helper
Lots of kids use the Internet for homework research in lieu of the library, but if they get thousands of hits on a topic like “Mars,” how do they know where to start? The Discovery Channel’s new homework Internet research program, called COSMEO, has instructional videos on thousands of subjects, along with teacher-approved website links. There is a monthly fee of $9.95. www.cosmeo.com

Post a Letter
For the younger crowd, 3M, the company that brought us Pos t-It notes, has a new product called Alphabet and Word Builder Notes. These are Post-It notes pre-printed with letters or letter combinations, which will help your budding reader fi gure out how to become a writer as well. www.3m.com