How to Help Your Child Cope with Class Changes
Tuesday 29 October 2024
As the academic year comes to a close, new classes can often be a time of nerves and worry for students and parents.
How can you help your child deal with times of uncertainty and change?
Transition is fast approaching and along with it comes the usual nerves and worry about new classes and teachers. The weekend prior to transition is often full of worries and a sleepless Sunday night. Thoughts flood young people’s heads like, “Will I have my best friend in my class this year?” and “Will I get a top or bottom locker?”
There is a common misconception that classes are arranged solely around friendships, and having created a fair share of class lists myself, I can assure you the process is long and time consuming with many different factors considered such as learning dynamics, friendships, teachers and timetabling. But at the end of Day 1, when your child is upset about their new class, how can you help them build resilience? What strategies can you offer them to settle into their new class?
Growing up with a mother as a teacher I have always been surprised at the amount of phone calls and emails that are sent through asking for children to be changed classes. My mother would have never entertained the idea, knowing that I would in fact, be fine in my new class and I would be able to use the opportunity to make new social connections and widen my friendship ‘safety net’.
One thing that is often not recognised is the great benefit that comes with class changes. Not only is it an opportunity to switch up learning routines, teachers and subjects, but it is also an opportunity for students to increase their social networks. Making more connections in the year level is a protective factor for those tricky times when friendships inevitably get rocky and break down (hello Year 8!) And in the event of major friendship issues, young people need more than one group of friends that they can connect with.
Here are some other strategies to use if your child is unhappy with their new class;
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If your child is upset, listen to them and acknowledge what they are feeling, such as, “I know that must be tough” or “I can see how that might seem unfair to you.”
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Encourage them each day to try to speak to one new person, reassure them that it’s ok to be quiet and that getting to know other people will take time.
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Routinely express your confidence in them, “Remember when you didn’t know anyone in basketball, but you made lots of friends there.”
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Reassure them that within a few weeks they will know lots of different people in their class, and have found new people to sit and work with.
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If they are too scared to talk to new people, role play how the conversation might go! Young people need practical, tangible advice on how to start conversations.
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Discuss a time when you went through a similar experience and how you dealt with it.
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Reassure them that their old friends aren’t going anywhere; they still have lunchtime, recess, sport, House events and many other times when they can spend time together.