Starting at a new school can be a nerve-wracking experience for any child, and let’s be honest, parents too. That’s why we’ve come up with a few tips to help ensure your child’s smooth transition to their new school.
Create an All About Me for their new teachers that includes a summary of your child’s IEP. Check out Undivided’s free All About Me template.
Reach out to your child’s former teacher(s) at their old school and ask them to write about what works well and what doesn’t work for your child. (This can be included in the All About Me.)
Take your child on a tour of their new school to help them adjust. Most schools will allow you to arrange a campus visit before your child’s first day of school. Going through your child’s schedule and making sure they know how to get to each classroom and the bathroom, the cafeteria, the nurse’s office, etc. can help calm those back-to-school jitters so they’re more comfortable with the change in environment. Bring our Campus Orientation Checklist with you on the tour. You can also take photos of the campus and of the classroom during the tour and use them to make social stories.
Attend beginning-of-the-year events hosted by the school: open houses, general education tours, transition camps, etc.
To help them adjust to their new school routine, assist your child in creating a visual schedule. Visual schedules are amazing for helping kids with routines, especially when transitioning to a new daily schedule or staying motivated to complete tasks.
Social Stories can be great to help your child prepare for their new school. There are many available on the internet, or if you have time, you can create a customized one specific to your child.
To avoid rushing the morning of their first day of class, create a list of items that your child will need to bring to school, and get those items ready in advance. Run down the list again as you send your kiddo out the door to make sure nothing is forgotten!
Get more tips in our article Transferring School Districts with an IEP.
Save your favorite resources and access a custom Roadmap.
Get Started
