Helping your child start school with confidence and faith

The school places have been finalised, and the countdown has begun. Whether your child is starting school for the first time, entering a new year, or starting at a new school, new beginnings are a big deal — and change is always hard. So how do we prepare our children in mind, body, and soul?

There are a great number of resources (see the bottom of this article) that help you work with the school to make your child’s transition and entry smooth and positive. But the best place to begin is with prayer and Scripture:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

— Philippians 4:6–7 (NIV)

Mind

One of the wonderful things about starting school is all the new information that children absorb for the first time. They marvel at things that we, as adults, take for granted or overlook. Children live in a safe world of imaginative adventure — a world that starting school impacts significantly. How can we prepare out children’s minds for starting school?

First, pray about it. Pray for and with your children, giving everything over to God — the good, the bad, the excitement, and the anxieties.

“Cast all your care upon Him.” — 1 Peter 5:7

Second, talk about it. Talking about change gets our minds ready for it