The countdown to the new school term begins for many parents. Getting children back into the school mindset and having to adhere again to the school routine is not an easy job when routines have been thrown out of the window for multiple weeks. They have loved the freedom of the school holidays, so how can we help children prepare for the new school term and get them to look forward to going back to school?
The most important thing we can do is to start talking to them about school as we move towards September. Ask them questions and talk to them about what they will be experiencing in the coming year.
- What are they looking forward to? What are the positives about going back?
- What are they not looking forward to? How can they look at that thing differently?
- Are they worried about anything? How can they look at that worry in a different way, so it is not a worry any longer? Many will be about what they fear MAY happen. But they do not know for sure that it will.
New School Term Ideas To Get Back Into Routine
It can also be helpful to get children back slowly into a better sleep routine and possibly a better diet. By going to bed earlier, they should, hopefully, wake up earlier and it won’t be a shock to their system when they do go back when their alarm goes off at 7am.
Discuss what they would like to do in terms of after-school activities. Are there any new opportunities to try something new after school? Get them excited about new clubs.
Finally, if you still have a free afternoon, suggest they see some of their old friends if they haven’t. They can talk about school stuff and also reconnect with people they are going to be with again. It will help them feel more relaxed and less worried about returning to school.
Try these tips with your children and see how they respond. Are they worried about going back to school or looking forward to it? Here is a great resource that parents can use to get their children ready for the new school term which may not be included in my list above. You can never have too many ideas..
You could also download my ebooks on secondary school and friendships for some great tips to help your child.
[Published August 2022 | Updated August 2025]
