Ashley Nichols suggests parents help their children to lean on God and connect with other Christians as they approach the new academic year
As we approach the beginning of the school year, for many children it is also the beginning of the Secondary school chapter of their lives. For others of different ages too it is a time of year when they might be relocating and moving house and starting somewhere new in the next academic year.
As parents, we prepare them as best as we can. In some ways it can feel the most important decision of which school to send them to is already done. You’ve considered their academic results, Ofsted reports and local reputation into account and made your choice. Practically, some of the jobs to be done might include forms to fill in, uniform to buy and orientations to attend.
But how can we prepare them spiritually for the next step?
In my experience of working with the local schools’ work organisation Pathway, I think it’s good to aim to do two things:
- Prepare them emotionally for the change
- Point them to ways they can connect with Christians and grow in faith at their new school
1. Prepare them emotionally for the change
Whether your child feels confident or is nervous about the move, they are about to face a lot of change in their life as they get given much more independence, as they make new friends, and find their way around a new place.
In my experience as a parent and with my work with pathway, we need to aim to give them three things:
Courage to face changes knowing that God goes with them. Whether they are nervous about making friends, or the journey to school, God is bigger than all these things.
Wisdom to make choices with the wider freedoms and responsibilities they will gain. It’s not just about doing the right thing when an adult is watching, it’s about a heart change that desires to live the best way, and honour God.
Discussing these things shows your child that these feelings and experiences are normal, and that with God’s help they can be ready to face this next step
Confidence in their identity knowing what God says about them in his word, enabling them to face the challenge of being a teen, as they begin to wonder if they are good enough, do you they fit in and what do they want to do with their life.
If you are looking a way to weave these themes into a devotional time, how about looking at the story of Joseph from Genesis 37-50. Though the move to secondary isn’t quite on par with what Joseph went through, the text tells us time and again that ‘God was with Joseph’ and God blesses the work of his hands (e.g. 39:2 & 21, 41:52). We see Joseph make wise choices (41:39) even when faced with temptation (39:9). And despite all that he went through, Joseph was confident that God is sovereign and had a plan for his life (37:9, 42:6, 50:20).
Perhaps though you might want to do give them something, like a bookmark that you could slip into their homework diary or schoolbook, saying:
- God is with me – I don’t need to be afraid
- He is working in me to lead and guide me
- I am loved by God and he has a plan for my life
Discussing these things shows your child that these feelings and experiences are normal, and that with God’s help they can be ready to face this next step.
2. Point them to ways they can connect with Christians and grow in faith at their new school
Secondly, see if you can find out from the school, other families with children already there, or youth workers, what Christian input is available at that school. Do they have a Christian Union or a parents prayer meeting?
If there isn’t anything yet, could you look for ways to get something going? Could a few families from local churches organise for someone from your church to visit the school or get a parents prayer meeting going?
Read more:
3 things Christian parents can do when engaging with RE in schools
Helping your child start school with confidence and faith
5 ways Christian parents can engage with sex and relationships education in school
The best thing we can do, of course, is prayer, entrusting God to grow the seed of the gospel that was planted in them and to find ways for that to continue to grow as they continue their journey into their next school.
It’s good for us to be reminded of these same truths – God lovingly reigns, and he’s got this. He will be with you, as you enter this new phase of your parenting journey too and even if things don’t look ideal, God works through all sorts of situations to do his amazing, life-transforming work. May God bless you and your child as you make the move!
