The long-awaited restart of face-to-face classes has arrived and many schools are about to start. Surely many parents are wondering how to prepare their children to successfully face this reunion, how to reorganize and reinvent the routines that were followed before the pandemic. Mary Castro, a psychologist at our clinic, gives us valuable recommendations to make this return to school a pleasant and safe experience.

• Explain to our children that going back to school will be little by little. Just as some things have changed in the parks, on the streets and in shopping centers, in the same way you will see changes in the school. Explain to them what breaks and the organization of the classroom could be like.
• Give them real information that is close to the reality that they will experience. We can show them examples and images of how children their age has restarted classes in other countries. Solve their doubts, providing our children with more real information about what their new daily routine will be. For this, it will be necessary to attend the meetings that the school convenes.
• Reinvent routines. Training ourselves to wake up early a couple of weeks before classes start will help manage our children’s time and ours, taking into account that now we will follow a series of biosecurity protocols that will require more time.
• Remind them of the importance of the correct use of the face mask and alcohol. Warn them that we must continue to take care of their health, avoid contagion and if they have any questions, contact their teacher or assistant.
• If they start with semi-face-to-face classes, explain this modality to them. We can tell them that they will see many friends they already knew, new ones, and that, little by little, they will be able to study and play with all of them for a longer time; that perhaps they will not see the teachers they used to have, but that they will meet others. Let’s explain to them that it will be progressive and, above all, safe for their health.
• Highlight their adaptation since the pandemic began. Highlight how well they adapted to the changes of the last 2 years, and that now they will successfully overcome this stage, since they are already older children.
• Go for a walk and see how your children have become aware of how to take care of themselves. In the event that your child still attends a summer workshop, it is important to observe how he relates to other boys and girls, so we can know what aspects we should reinforce.
• Highlight skills learned during distance education. Praising how much they learned despite the difficult situation they had to live through, how well they took care of themselves when leaving home, etc. All this will help them to have confidence and a better attitude when they return to school.

Mary Castro
Psychologist at Clínica Ricardo Palma