Separation Anxiety!
Back to School ~ Separation Anxiety
Are you anxious that your little ones will suffer separation anxiety?
Paddington is unlike other schools and encourages parents to stay to settle their children in who may suffer from shyness and separation anxiety. The comfort of knowing you are there can greatly affect the way they look at school.
We truly understand how hard this can be and don’t believe in the "old school of thought" where the teacher takes the crying child from Mom/Dad and tells them to leave as quickly as possible!
The beginning of school can be a very daunting time for children and moms!
It’s a very important first day and you never get a second chance to make this special moment a happy and positive experience.
If you think your child might have separation anxiety problems, listed are some useful tips!
* Refrain from discussing their possible anxiety as you will program your child to be anxious. Remain calm and upbeat at all times.
* Visit Paddington with your little ones as much as you can before school starts, you can walk the campus and play on the playground. By doing this it makes the setting more familiar to the children, so they are not so nervous when school begins.
* If potting training ~ visit the child size loos here so they become familiar.
* Speak positively about going back to school. Get them excited! Your happy attitude towards school will make all the difference. Read stories about coming to school.
* Send in a comfort object, pacifier, favorite blanket, picture or anything that helps keep them calm.
* Make sure they get plenty of sleep and have enough time to eat breakfast. It is hard to be happy when you are tired and hungry!
* When dropping off, try not to get tearful, it will only make them think something negative is going to happen. Put on a happy, confident face and say, "I'll be back very soon, you are going to have so much fun!".
* DO NOT go back into the room and don’t peek into the window of your child’s class nor hide on the campus! If they see you, it starts the tears all over again.
MOST IMPORTANT -
If tears persist avoid the temptation to take him/her home. It is NOT a good idea for a couple of reasons:
1) If you cry you get to go home; what message are you giving your child? That should not be an option, otherwise they will cry everyday in order to go home!
2) It denies your child an opportunity to learn how to work through sad feelings and sets a precedent for not having to face new situations.
A more detailed list of tips is available to our parents under the Useful Documents section on the Parents Info page of our website!