Tips and Tricks for a Smooth Start to School
Elizabeth Anguamea • August 7, 2025

Primary Edition

The beginning of a new school year is upon us! Whether your child is brand new to school or a returning student, the transition from summer break back to school is a big one. Some children may be excited and eager; some may be worried or nervous. Either way, this means an increased arousal level within the body and an elevated nervous system. For some kids, this may present as a tummy ache, for others it might be excess energy, a change in appetite, big feelings, or difficulty with sleep. To help support them during this anticipatory period, here are some tried and true tips for making the return to school as smooth as possible for the whole family.

 

Social stories

This is one of the most effective tools for supporting Primary kiddos in the face of change. At this age, children have a high need for consistency, routine and clear expectations. When we tell social stories, we are preparing children for what to expect and removing as much of the unknown as possible. By telling the “story” of their day, you are helping them create mental images. When these stories are repeated regularly (at dinner, during bath time, before bed, at breakfast, in the car) you are solidifying that mental image and building feelings of trust and safety. We see it over and over, more repetition directly corresponds to more readiness, more calm. At this age, we try to keep our language short and sweet to avoid the overwhelm of too many words. Here is an example:

 

On Monday, you are going to start school at Cedars. Your classroom is called Rabbit Run, and your teachers are Ms. Elizabeth and Ms. Emi. (Show photos of your teachers when you can.) They are there to help you with whatever you need, and to give you fun lessons to do at school. In the morning, you will wake up and get dressed, we will eat breakfast together, then Dad will drive you to school. When you get there, Dad will walk you to the front door and give you a hug and a kiss and then you will walk through the door by yourself. You will work, play on the playground and eat lunch. After lunch, you will go to aftercare with Ms. JJ and take a nap. When you wake up from your nap, I will be there to pick you up! I will be so happy to see you and hear about your day.

 

Tailor it to fit your schedule, and for those who are nervous you might add:

 

You might feel nervous or worried on your first day. Sometimes I feel like that when I do something new, it is okay to feel like that. Dad will give you a hug and a kiss and say goodbye. I will always come back and pick you up after school.

 

On average, transitions take 4-6 weeks, so don’t be discouraged if the first few weeks are hard, just keep telling them the story of their day. It is a powerful tool for easing their minds, as well as easing morning drop-off!

 

Trial runs

If you can, plan out a “trial run” a few days before school starts. (Make sure they know it is practice, just for fun, and they won’t actually be going to school that day.) Then go through the entire routine from getting dressed and eating breakfast to packing their backpack to pulling through the circle drive. Then go somewhere fun after to celebrate!

 

Playground

Some families like to come play on the Cedars playground on the weekends to get comfortable together at the new school. You are welcome to come play on the primary playground as a family and settle in.

 

Backpack and containers

If possible, let your child pick out their lunchbox, water bottle and tote bag. If you already picked out their items or are using hand-me-downs, go through and label them all together, maybe they can put the name stickers on. Let them practice opening and closing, zipping and unzipping, packing their lunchbox up and unpacking again. Make sure they can open and close all their containers, fit them in their lunchbox, and zip and snap everything independently.

 

Bedtime

Bedtime may need to move a bit earlier in preparation for school or after the first few days. You may notice they come home exhausted, and sleep routines may need to shift. The transition from summer to school, the excitement/nerves of a new place, new friends and new teachers can be exhausting! A lot of mental energy will be spent, and they will likely need a few extra hours of sleep.

 

Routine and schedule

Setting up a predictable home routine is a great way to provide consistency and stability during a new transition. While things will be new and different at school, home will stay the same, and this provides a lot of reassurance. It also allows kids to spend their energy processing the newness at school while relying on the safety and security of the familiar at home. Aim to keep your schedule as consistent as possible in the weeks before and during the transition back to school.

 

Big Feelings

Build in some extra 1:1 time during the first few weeks. Expect more meltdowns, bigger emotions, and know that it won’t last forever. Use play to reset, offer meaningful connection, be silly together. Listen, name emotions and give language to them, let them know it is okay to feel that way and you are there for all of it. You don’t have to fix or solve it, we can’t always do that, just listen and connect. In doing so, you are giving them the gift of feeling seen, you are filling up their cup. And they will need a little extra at the beginning.

 

Drop-off

Prepare for a potentially teary or difficult drop-off. It is the big moment of separation, enhanced for some by having been at home together for the summer months. You can expect your child’s teacher or assistant to support you in a quick separation- and, yes, sometimes this means gently removing your crying child from your body- yes, it will be hard! Even if you don’t feel okay you can show them that you are confident and trust in their teacher and school by giving them a hug, a kiss, an I love you, and then walking calmly away.

 

Children take their cues from their parents, and you can share your calm with them. The faster the separation, the faster we can begin the recovery and the faster the recovery itself. And for that, we have all the best tricks. Enticing materials to play with, delicious snacks, an incredibly friendly Frankie the cat, sweet older children eager to help, cozy reading corners, and three silly goats, just to name a few.

 

We hope you enjoy the last days of summer, and we look forward to welcoming you back to Cedars soon!

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Summertime: Balancing Structure and Freedom

By Elizabeth Anguamea • June 16, 2025
Summer vacation is finally here! For many kids, the anticipation of a break from school has been building up for some time, but now that the end-of-school parties, graduations, and celebrations are over, that freedom can feel overwhelming. Kids of all ages benefit from structure, and when the school-day flow goes out the window, so does their sense of security. This might look like increasing power-struggles, heightened emotions, a harder time self-regulating, or rising conflict around screentime, mealtimes or bedtime. If things are starting to bubble up, fear not! The first step in creating a summer rhythm that works for your family means looking at each family members individual capacity and need. Consider things like work schedules, summer camps, energy levels, sleep needs, weather (I know I don’t have to tell you about Texas summers!), family chores, social battery, and neurodivergence (kids with exceptionalities like ADHD, anxiety or Autism have a higher need for structure and predictability). Here are a few simple ways to construct a summer routine that works for your family. 1. Maintain consistency Build the core of your schedule around consistent routines such as wake-up time, mealtimes, nap/quiet time, household chores, screentime and bedtime. Think of these as the non-negotiables of your day, because if they start to go you can expect an uptick in boundary pushing and challenging behaviors. Creating a predictable framework is crucial- it is the foundation that allows for variety, flexibility and exploration without dysregulation. 2. Create visual schedules Offer predictability by showing kids what to expect through a visual schedule. If you have young children, create a simple daily flow with drawings of each activity. For older kids, you can use words and/or images, and expand to a weekly flow. Make a way for them to check off each activity. Keep a separate monthly calendar with a way to mark off each day. This calendar will help kids navigate the break as a whole: showing trips, summer camps, family visits etc. Planning in advance allows you to go over the schedule as often as needed to solidify the routine and set the expectation. 3. Be strategic As you create your daily rhythm, think about planning non-preferred activities before preferred activities. This will increase motivation to get the “boring” things done. Perhaps morning chores must happen before the walk to the park, or the trip to the grocery store must happen before you head to the neighborhood pool. Perhaps summer learning must be complete before daily screen-time is available. Every family and child’s needs are different, so think about what works for you and plan strategically to minimize parent-child conflict. 4. Spend time outdoors Time outside is all-around regulating! It doesn’t matter if it is a walk around the neighborhood, sprinkler-time in the backyard, swimming at the pool, or play at the park- being outside gives kids the chance for movement, sensory input, and child-led exploration. Spending time outdoors reduces stress and anxiety, increases executive functioning, encourages independence and supports good sleep habits. In Texas, the summer heat can be draining, but carving out time to be outdoors when it’s not too hot will make a big difference in your day. 5. Leave time for boredom In a time where screens are always an armlength away, the creativity, imagination and intellectual growth that boredom urges are at risk of extinction. Some people might push back against the idea of scheduled screentime, but if you have healthy, consistent and predictable limits around screens, you can protect the good, old-fashioned boredom that leads to some of life’s greatest joys and discoveries! Safeguarding time for boredom will support kids’ inherent curiosity, exploration and innovation and lead to independent, creative thinkers and makers. Creating structure doesn’t mean scheduling every hour of every day, but rather building a routine that offers consistency, predictability and follow-through. Dr. Maria Montessori said, “External order creates internal order, and this is a significant foundation to the intellect.” In constructing a framework for your summer routine, you are providing the external order that allows for the development of independence, creativity, internal order, and of course, the spontaneity that summer brings!