Transitioning back to School

Saying good-bye to summer break is so hard!  Having the liberty of sleeping in, not doing homework, and staying up late must come to an end.  Some children may be ready to go back to school and others not so much.  In the instances of those children not ready to return, they may begin to experience some anxiety, engage in protesting behaviors, or perhaps even more serious behaviors such as aggression, tantrums, or self-injurious behaviors.  If this is the case, it is recommended that we begin to talk about returning to school through social stories, a back-to-school countdown, or perhaps making it exciting by including your child in back-to-school shopping permitting them to choose their own preferred backpacks or school supplies and even driving by the school and talking about how exciting it is to make new friends!