Middle school is a time when kids begin to form their hobbies, interests, and personal style. It also is a time for nerves, braces, and self-questioning. Regardless of what your tween is feeling in preparation for middle school, you can do a few things to help. Being proactive will help you worry less and your tween feel prepared for the coming years. Here are a few ways to help them prepare for this stage.
Help them become confident in their schedule
Sometimes the best thing you can do for your tween is help them prepare for the details. The more confident they are in knowing their teachers and schedule, the more at ease they will be about their first week in middle school and beyond. Navigating an unknown building with older kids and switching class periods is intimidating at that age.
Make it a project to complete a labeled and color-coded map. This is a fun way for them to begin to memorize their schedule and know in which classroom their classes are held. You can do this and have them tape it in a binder or their locker before school. Take this map out when you go to their middle school open house. Walk from class to class, then have them lead you the second time. This is a great exercise to instill confidence. This also gives them a chance to meet their teachers before school starts.
Take them shopping for things they’ll need
Providing your tween with the right utensils, clothes, and items to take on middle school will help. Once they feel that they are expressing themselves in their tween fashion sense, you can be sure greater confidence will follow. Let them help you choose the ecommerce sites and shops they want to go to. Shopping to prepare them for middle school is a fun activity that will get them excited instead of stressed.
When looking for school supplies, make it a fun activity to do together. Let them make the list and decide which pens, pencils and markers they want. Make sure they have a pencil pouch to organize their things and a backpack to match. Backpacks might be the most exciting part, so don’t forget to let them pick. They will be excited to show off their new backpack on the first day of middle school.
Create an open narrative with your tween
All these tips and tricks are great for giving your tween confidence in their new chapter. Still, it is important to keep up with your tween about their personal concerns and issues in middle school. Not every middle schooler seamlessly transitions—they might need some advice or encouragement in their journey. As a parent, you can be there to pick them up from school and ask about their day. Let them know that middle school is challenging for some tweens and they shouldn’t feel ashamed to ask for help.
Whether they need help with homework, making friends or branching out, this is your chance to give them your best parental advice. It feels like the end of the world when the classes get harder and grades begin to slip, so take the extra time to have homework help. Achieving these goals together will help them grow and learn to eventually tackle things fully on their own!
They will be passing with flying colors, making friends and branching out in no time with the right tools and confidence-assuring guidance from you.
