Starting school can be an anxious time for both children and parents! Studies increasingly show that children who have good emotional skills are far better equipped to meet the challenges they will face and develop resilience in the face of any setbacks. Parents and carers are the key people who can help children to develop these strong emotional foundations — and School Start shows them how to go about it. Issues that are addressed include helping children to deal with anxiety, initiating new friendships and coping when things don’t always go to plan, accepting people have different strengths and weaknesses and that they won’t always be ‘the best’ (or ‘the worst’) at things, dealing with teasing and bullying, and developing resilience. Parents are also guided on the need to be self-aware and in touch with their parenting values, while bringing a helpful attitude with them when they come to handle issues their children might encounter, as opposed to drawing on possible ‘baggage’ from their own school years.
