The route, twice, and the map

The activity

Before term, do the route once together and once with her leading, and draw the few rooms that matter.

What it is for. The first morning at a new school is easier if she already knows the way there and something of the building. The second run, with her leading, matters more than the first.

• The first step. Do the route once together, at roughly the time she will do it in September.

Safety. If there is a first-morning photograph, do not post it publicly with the school badge showing.

When to get help. If the worry about the move is getting worse, or is affecting her sleep or eating, talk to the new school before term; many will arrange an extra visit. The routes under “If you need help right now”, at the foot of every page, are for when it cannot wait.

The other four steps, and your part in it, are in the library.

The sheet that goes with it comes with a subscription: The new place.

It goes with

• The Move to Secondary School. For parents whose child is about to go from being one of the oldest in her school to one of the youngest.
• Anxiety, by Age. For parents whose child’s worry has started to make decisions for her, with what helps at each age and when to ask for help.

The first chapter you open here is free to read in full.

Free on this subject

• Transitions. What to do first, what helps, and who else can help. Free to read and to print.
• School stress. What to do first, what helps, and who else can help. Free to read and to print.