Transitioning to the New School Year

Getting back to school after a long school break can be a tedious routine for children every year. This means another transition from one grade to another. New syllabus, new class, new seatings and perhaps even new friends. The need for transition becomes bigger if your child is moving from preschool to primary school or from primary school to secondary school. There could be some level of nervousness and anxiety amongst our children.

Adapting to the new syllabus can be easy for some or tough for some. Sometimes, their academic performance was high with flying colors but dropped in a freefall fashion in the middle of the year when tackling tougher concepts. Sometimes, they struggle early in the year and this rings true when students are making a jump from preschool or primary school.

Why do these learning struggles happen for children advancing into a new grade?

 

The shift can get overwhelming. All the concepts and new things they will learn can sound alien to their ears. New books and new words need to be learned. Demands can also be higher for these students to perform in their final exams. 

Often it is due to having a weak learning foundation, not understanding the concepts or not developing the correct skills. It's not always down to students failing to learn or catch up to the syllabus, it could be due to external factors as well.

Environment plays an important role in learning. Students may not learn well in school due to many distractions in the classroom. That is why learning at home or doing homework is considered an essential part. These days, many households have two working parents which leads to them suffering from the lack of time to provide that environment to their children.

What can parents do to help ease their transition?

There is no surefire way but a lot of things that may seem small can help be it in the short term or the long term. The most common practices are about establishing a study routine or timetabling. Yet, not all children can handle this sort of practice.

Extra classes during holidays to learn new syllabi also prove to be useful, however, it does take away from the aim of a school break. Experience is the best teacher as they say, therefore, the most optimal way probably is to observe their mood and performance when learning after reentering the school three months in.

This post was brought to you by Eye Level Malaysia.

Eye Level Malaysia is an education center that is equipped with programs to address any learning transitions or gaps for your children. Enroll to Eye Level before school commences to give your children a headstart in a short and compact class and lessons. We are announcing a Back-to-School promo where you have a registration fee waiver and get a FREE Faber-Castell stationery set when you enroll. Enroll for 2 subjects and you can enter our lucky draw to win an amazing prize!