How To Prepare Your Child for the Upcoming School Year

By Mushka Cohen – MEF

Rabbi Zalmy Kudan, a Shliach in S. Barbara, California, is the Educational Director of Lamplighters Jewish Academy in Oxnard and a certified Emotion Code Practitioner.

He is a board member of Tzivos Hashem International and Vice President of Education for Camp Gan Israel International, where he trains camp staff members on the training.MyGanIsrael.com platform.

Question: What is the best way to transition my child from a carefree summer environment to a more structured and disciplined school setting?

Rabbi Kudan: As a parent, I value giving my children as much structure as possible, even during the less structured times, and perhaps even more importantly during those periods.

The key is to create a structured morning routine, especially in the last weeks of the summer. Set up a schedule and post it on the refrigerator or wall, with times and activities clearly outlined. For example, wake up at 8:15, breakfast at 8:30, davening from 9:00 to 9:30, followed by 15 minutes of keriya practice or Chumash, depending on the age group.

Then, plan an hour of structured fun, such as a daily visit to the park. After returning home, have snack time and proceed with the rest of the day’s activities. Even the fun time should be structured and consistent. By sticking to a routine, children will get used to waking up, moving, and engaging their minds daily, which will help ease the transition to a more structured school schedule.

Question: How can I best prepare my child for the upcoming school year?

Rabbi Kudan: Information is power. As teachers and schools provide you with details, share that information with your child. Let them know who their teachers will be, what classes they will have, and which subjects they will be studying.

Also, talk to your children about the upcoming school year. Listen to their emotional reactions. Are they excited? Are they nervous? What are they nervous about? Give them space to talk about it so you can help support them emotionally as well. Sometimes there’s a social pressure they aren’t looking forward to, or there’s a teacher they are feeling uncertain if they will be successful in their class.

Once the conversation is open, you can support them by talking it through and coming up with strategies. Then, communicate their feelings to the school so the school can also offer the necessary support.

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Originally published in Chinuch Matters, a collaboration of the COLlive Magazine and the Menachem Education Foundation (mymef.org)