Top Reasons Why Sports Play a Vital Role in Children's Life

Although change is a constant, it is an uneasy and uncomfortable notion. Even as adults, any type of change requires a fair adjustment, however small or big. Even something as small as cutting down on caffeine affects our daily life inconveniently. Now imagine the same for children and young adolescents. Any type of change creates a multi-fold of reaction and sometimes those reactions are overwhelmingly negative. Shifting to a new school is a sprint out of your child’s comfort zone, and so it is quite emotionally challenging for them. It is a complete shift from their go-to social circle, and routine- and in cases of families that shift to a completely different city, state, or country- these effects are two-fold. As parents of young children and teens, we dread any form of transition or change, however, accepting it as an inevitable can reduce much of our anxieties and apprehensions related to this.

It's never easy to move your base, uproot your life and start afresh. But kids of parents in transferable jobs don't always have a choice. In fact, over time they enjoy the location hopping. From planning ahead of time to sticking to a routine, picking schools that have branches country-wide & more- here are some tips for parents & kids that can help make the shift easy.

Validate and Acknowledge - Embracing change with arms open is advised, but expecting your children to accept change positively with no qualms is stretching it. Instead, validate your child’s apprehensions, fears, and anxiety. Talk to your child about their fears, and relate to them. Even at one point in your life, you might have felt uneasy with a change in your lifestyle- take this opportunity to relate and share your experiences with your child. Validate their fears, instead of dismissing them. Acknowledge that transition isn’t easy, but also let them know that change is not as fearful as they expect it to be.

Visit The New School Often - Familiarizing yourself and your child with the school can help de-alienate this new phase in their life. As kids, fear of the unknown is far too common, and if your child’s first day of school is actually their first day of visiting the school- assuaging their fears will not be easy. Instead, take your child out to visit the school, show them around the different play and recreational sides of the school that they can play in and then take them out for pancakes or treats, to make sure that they have a positive memory attached to visiting their new school.

Arrange For Play Dates - If you know someone, or know the parents of the children who go to your child’s new school, it will be wise to arrange a play date with a student of that school. This gives your child the chance to interact with students who can be their potential friends and helps them break the initial boundary of fearing strangers or interacting in a strange environment.

Lastly, Enjoy The Process - Remember, you are going through this change as a family. Make sure that your child does not feel like they are by themselves in this entire process. Instead, embrace this as a family. Maybe on their first day, go as a family, to drop off your child. Take them out for ice cream, and have a mini-celebratory after-school lunch for your child for making it through the first day. Make sure that there is a strong eco-system at home for your child, makes them feel more confident and secure- making it easy for them to take this challenge head-on!

Pick Schools That Have A Wide Network - Schools like Podar International School have a country-wide network with great schools and centers all over the country that makes sure that any student who wishes to move can have some sense of stability across any state or city their family wishes to relocate to!

For more tips and articles on mindful parenting, and wellness, do check out the Podar Education Network blogs!