Your kids might not want to hear this, but summer break is the best time for to start preparing them for the new school year, according to Dr. Anisha Abraham of Children\u2019s National Hospital.<\/p>\n
Your kids might not want to hear this, but summer break is the best time for parents to start preparing them for the new school year, according to a D.C. physician.\n<\/p>\n
Dr. Anisha Abraham, who specializes in adolescent medicine at Children\u2019s National Hospital, said families should start scheduling back-to-school physicals now during the summer months.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an important time to book those checkups and make sure your kids get in for their school physicals or sports physicals,\u201d she said, and check that vaccinations are up to date.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings can get busy at your provider\u2019s office, so ensuring that you schedule now will go a long way to making sure that you have a successful start to the school year,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In addition to their vaccines and physicals, parents should also be mindful of their children\u2019s mental health.<\/p>\n
For students feeling anxious about the start of a new school year, Abraham said it can be helpful to connect them with classmates or teammates ahead of the first day of school.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s normal to feel nervous or anxious about something when it\u2019s new,\u201d she said. She added to make sure that you \u201calso reach out to your healthcare provider if you\u2019re concerned that your child or teenager is particularly nervous or anxious about that change,\u201d as that can help put them at ease now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She also recommends that parents keep checking in with kids or teens, particularly during times of transition.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor some young people, they may be starting new schools. For others, it might be a time of transition if they\u2019re going to high school or to college. Just really ensuring that they\u2019re doing well, they\u2019re getting that support, they\u2019re addressing all of those coping skills that they need,\u201d Abraham said.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another way to set them up for success is to start transitioning them out of their summertime sleep schedule a few weeks early.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany kids may sleep in late, they may not have that structure. But certainly in a couple of weeks, we\u2019ll be back in school,\u201d Abraham said. \u201cSo just being aware of that and starting to put those schedules back into place can be really helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n