Tips for Moving to a New School

Eliza Clark
August 1, 2012

Summertime is moving-time for many families. And while some might shudder at the thought of packing and unpacking boxes in the mid-summer heat, the most difficult thing about moving your family to a new town is helping the kids adjust to a different school. As we stand on the verge of August, that hurtle is fast approaching. Will your kids clear it breezily? Or will they stumble as you wring you hands from the sidelines?

Lest our Olympic metaphors get away with us, here are some practical tips on how to ease the transition to a new school for your kids (and their nervous parents too).   

1. Introduce your child to some of the kids from the class over the summer so that there will be familiar faces on that first day of school.  If possible, try to arrange a few one-on-one play dates rather than having your child try to play with a group of kids who already know each other.
2. Along the same lines, if you are in your new town for the summer, enroll your child in a local camp where he can get to know some of his future classmates.
3. Have your child meet with a teacher or school administrator before school starts.  Some schools will do this automatically for new kids, but if yours doesn’t, then see if you can arrange it.  Having a personal connection with an adult in the building can be very reassuring. And if possible, have your child to take a tour of the new school building in order to get oriented.
4. Get your child up to speed on the summer homework if there was any, and get a general sense of the curriculum from the previous year and the year to come.  If needed, work with your child at home to fill in any academic gaps.
5. If your child is getting jittery, plan something to look forward to for the first weekend after school starts.  A movie or amusement park outing – anything that will make your kid smile as she looks ahead.
6. See if you can meet a few other parents in your child’s grade over the summer.  Some schools will assign new parents a “buddy” or “mentor” at the school, but if yours doesn’t then ask for a list from the school and make a few phone calls.  You never know what you’ll learn from a nice chat with another parent!
7. Find out about the afterschool activities in your new town.  In many places, these programs fill up over the summer, so try to put a couple of things in place before the school year craziness starts.
8. Double check that you’ve completed all of the school paperwork and medical forms, and stocked up on needed school supplies.  New place, new bureaucracy!

Finally, be prepared, but don’t think about it too much.  The first day of school will come and go before you know it, and your kids will make it through in their own, resilient way.

Then you can get back to unpacking those boxes.