Ways To Prepare A Child For Boarding School

Posted by Aarushi Singh on December 5th, 2019

It is not enough for parents to get their children admitted to one of the Top IB Schools in India with hostel facilities. They have to prepare their kids so that the transition from the safety and security of the home to the absolutely unknown environment of the boarding school can be effortlessly arranged. It has been generally seen that the thought of going to a boarding school can trigger a wave of anxiety which needs to be handled very tactfully so that there is no long-lasting effect on the mind of the child.

In order to get them accustomed to their new life, and improve their chances of faring well in those circumstances, it is important for parents to:

  • Explain what to expect: It is said that by failing to prepare, a person prepares to fail. Thus the parents need to talk to the child about what to expect in the boarding school. They should show video tours of the school premises, the dormitories, kids playing and learning etc. In fact they should also take the child along to visit the school so that a liking for the same slowly develops in the child.
  • Teaching to share: When staying at home, all of a child’s precious things like his clothes, toys etc., are exclusively his own, unless he has a sibling to share it with. But in a Boarding School in Delhi NCR, they will have to live in shared accommodations or even dormitories. Thus it is very important to get the child accustomed to shared-living to avoid a culture shock.
  • Establishing a routine: Boarding schools lead a regimented life. But at home life is much more relaxed. But for a child going to a boarding school, it is very important for the parents to maintain the same routine at home. This will help inculcate a sense of routine and discipline in the child and he will not revolt against it when he actually starts staying in a Boarding School in Delhi NCR.
  • Fostering independence: At the boarding school, a child has to rely totally on himself for the satisfaction of his needs. Thus in order to make the child self-reliant and independent, parents should encourage the child to do his own work at home. Enabling him to take his decisions in matters that solely concern him is another way to make him confident and also teach him how to handle a crisis.
  • Dealing with homesickness:  For a child who has never been away from his home for extended periods of time, going to stay in a boarding school especially one which is one of the Top IB Schools in India, can give rise to an intense bout of homesickness. In such instances, the child needs to be told that it is a natural feeling and should also be encouraged to carry a few of his “comfort belongings” to the hostel. Regular contact as per the school’s regulations is another way to assure the child that he or she might be physically away but he or she is never mentally away from the parents.

The better the parents are at preparing their children for boarding school the better adapted they will be when they actually start staying there. Thus parents need to take this very seriously and go all out to prepare a child for his boarding school debut.

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Aarushi Singh

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Aarushi Singh
Joined: August 9th, 2019
Articles Posted: 8

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