New schools bring a lot with them. Excitement, nerves, questions, hope.

Whether it’s your newly turned five-year-old heading into their first classroom, a move to a new school, or that big step into intermediate or high school, it’s all different ages but needing the same support.

Here's a few gentle reminders that can really help over these times:

1. Get familiar together. This might mean walking past the school, driving the school route, or running through the school routine and practicing together. You might even want to talk through what their first day will look like. For many tamariki, predictability will lower anxiety far more than reassurance ever will.
2. Expect emotional spillover and tiredness from the very start. New schools and routines ask a lot from kids. There’ll be longer days, new faces, new kids and new expectations. Keep this in mind if you see signs of tiredness and big feelings from your kids at home—these might just be a sign of effort, not necessarily a sign that there’s a problem.
3. Keep conversations about school small and pressure free. It’s normal to feel curious, but asking them to tell you every little detail can be overwhelming. Instead, try with one gentle question e.g. who did you sit near? What felt okay? From there, let them lead the conversation.

Lastly, remember that adjustments take time, but your support will make all the difference.