Back to School Jitters

Back to school in 2020 is unlike any other year. Whatever your child’s school arrangement, families are adjusting to new routines and realities. Heather Newell, APRN offers these tips to help ease the process.

Back to school in 2020 is unlike any other year. Whatever your child’s school arrangement, families are adjusting to new routines and realities. Heather Newell, APRN from Family Physicians of Manchester offers these tips to help ease the process.

• Remember the basics. Reinforce these habits with your kids at home, so they are easier to practice at school.  
  • Clean hands often. Washed hands with warm, soapy water for a minimum of 20 seconds at a time. Instead of two rounds of ‘Happy Birthday’, try singing ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ or make up your own song! When out and about, pack a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol that your child can use periodically.
  • Don’t touch your face—or anyone else’s. Work with your child to avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth. Keeping hands away from the face is an effective way of halting the spread of germs. Reinforce the age-old advice, “Keep your hands to yourself.” 
  • Maintain distance. Classrooms likely have tools in place to help with 6-foot distancing. But when they’re away from their desks, kids will naturally want to be close to each other, especially if they haven’t seen each other in six months! Coach your child on good hygiene and mask wearing for times when they can’t avoid being in close contact.  
  • Wear a mask. Masks should be worn when children cannot keep a distance from others.  It’s important for children not to touch their face with their mask on, so work with them on getting comfortable with their mask and learning how to wear it without touching it frequently. Try different fabrics and ear loops until they find something comfortable.  

• Watch your child for fever or symptoms of illness. Don’t take any chances by treating a slight fever with medication and sending them to school. While fever is a frequent symptom of illness in children, it is the most common symptom of COVID-19. Keep them home if they have any COVID-19 symptoms and call their primary care physician (PCP) if they have an oral temperature of 100.4 or higher.

• Check in on their emotional well-being. Kids amaze us with their resiliency. Still, the pandemic continues to give them a lot to adjust to and the toll may be hard to notice. Younger children, especially, are sensitive to changes in routine or stress in their family. Whether your child is in class or learning remotely, check if the school has mental health professionals who can provide strategies to manage your child’s well being. Your child’s primary care physician (PCP) is also a great resource.  

• Stock up. Make sure your child has enough tools to do their class work without borrowing pens, scissors, and other high-touch school supplies. Inquire with the teacher about access to wipes and remind your child to clean all supplies—especially any they borrow—before and after use.

• Get outdoors! Playing outside is good for physical and mental health. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, it also helps children be more engaged with learning by promoting curiosity, creativity and critical thinking. Be sure to work outdoor time into their school-year routine. If extracurricular sports are not an option, try a round of driveway basketball, an after-school bike ride or a weekend family hike.