Emotionally Preparing Your Child for Middle School

The transition to middle school can be a difficult one for most children. When you add being a pediatric cancer patient on top of that, it can add even more nerves and stress. Today we would like to share with you a few simple ways to build on emotionally preparing your child to conquer middle school.

In addition to the list below, make sure to check out our Parent & Teacher checklist as well to help with this process even more!

Emotional Preparation Tips 

1. Study the school schedule and procedures weeks before. Moving from class to class can arguably be one of the most nerve wracking aspects of middle school. By really getting to know the schedule and school's procedures will help your child feel more comfortable through out the day.
2. Discuss expectations, responsibilities and that there will be more challenging school work than before. 
3. Establish an organization plan. We would suggest designating a 3-ring binder for each class that has separate logical sections. Here are some sections you may want to include:
1. Notes
2. Readings/Articles
3. Worksheets
4. Tests/Quizzes
5. Homework TO DO
6. Graded Homework
4. Family Calendar + Child's Planner. Although this is under getting organized, we feel that it is extremely important and therefor should be it's on topic. For your family's calendar make sure you find a system that works to keep track of your entire family's schedule all in one place.-find a system that works for you. For your child's planner, make sure that they are maintaining use of it through out the year. It is easy to be good about it at the beginning of the year and lose momentum as they get more comfortable. By maintaining use of a planner will help your child stay organized and on-top of school work which is profoundly important for pediatric cancer patients who may miss more school than most.
5. Make Family Dinners or Family Time a Priority. By maintaining extended communication will help you stay involved with your child's middle school journey. It provides an opportunity for your child to tell you about the things they are excited about or if they are struggling in any areas [even socially].