Taking a decision and sending your child to boarding school can be tough for the parent as well as for the child. It’s a big step, but if you have already decided, ensure that you have made your child ready for it. Here are some tips that you can follow.
Communicate
Talk to your child at every step of your decision-making and clear any doubts they might have. This will ensure that they understand your outlook regarding this decision. Encourage them to communicate about how they are feeling about boarding school and going away. If they hold any sort of negative feeling or outlook, make sure to clear their thoughts. Make them understand that it is okay to feel nervous, and like them, there will be many other children who will be staying with them. Encourage them to have positive strategies to overcome such fears, which will help them to blend easily with others.
Have a positive thought
As a parent if you are feeling a little overwhelmed about sending your child away, try to focus on a positive outcome, especially when talking to your child. This will urge them to focus and feel enthusiastic about going away. Children are more adaptable than adults, so with proper support and positive encouragement a child can easily adjust to this idea.
Involvement
The best way to make a child ready is to involve him or her in the process of packing and preparation. Talk to them about things they can take along with them and things they can’t. Make sure you buy and pack things together. You can even ask your child to carry any photographs or other personal items if it is allowed by the school. In this way, a child will feel involved and will get interested in taking part in the new stage of life.
Encourage independence in the child
Start the involvement of your child from the beginning, from preparing, to encouraging the child to make a decision, exactly like the way they have to do in a boarding school. This kind of behavior will help in making your child independent. Make a list of things they will need and ask them to label things along the way.
Make them learn about household chores, like washing and folding clothes, cooking basic things, making the bed, operating machines like a washing machine. Learning about housework will help them to do their things themselves.
Teach Healthy habits
Teach your child about maintaining basic hygiene around them. They will be responsible for their health and cleanliness once they shift to boarding school. Preparing nutritious food, wearing clean clothes, using a clean bed sheet and pillows are few basic things they should follow and maintain.
Decide on Contact plans
It becomes difficult for your child to adjust right away and they can become homesick. Assure your child that you will be available to talk; this provides them a sense of security. Make a plan of contacting each other through letters, video calls, phone call or emails. You can even mark the days on a calendar when you plan to visit your child.
Preparing for tough times
A child can face problems, especially during the initial stage of adjustments. They might face homesickness; stress over studies, have problems in adjusting with other students, or even face health problems. Since you won’t be there with your child, they should be prepared for the worst situations. They should know how to handle themselves if they encounter any issues.
As a parent, you should also not panic. There are all kinds of facilities available for your child. From the counsellor to medical help, everything is present on the spot. So, you don’t have to worry about your child being alone. They are always monitored by caretakers and wardens who look after them.
Ask your child to be communicative about how they are feeling or if they are not well. They should know that parents as well as teachers and wardens are always available for them and its okay to face problems, so there is nothing to be ashamed of.
To sum up
Focusing on these factors can help in coping with insecurities. As a parent, ensure that your child is well adjusted with the idea of living and studying away from you. Explain its benefits so that they get well attuned with the idea of going to a boarding school.