5 Ways to Prepare Your Child for Boarding School

The possibility of boarding schools remains a consideration for many parents as opposed to sending their child to a public school. Boarding schools offer critical educational and life experiences. However, the transition into boarding schools can be a difficult one. Unlike at public schools where your children will be living at home and only attending school during the daytime, boarding schools require students to live on campus itself. Here are few steps you can take to help prepare your child for boarding school.

Establish a Daily Routine

At boarding schools, students adhere to schedules that may be a bit stricter than they are used to at home. They are expected to wake up at a particular time, attend classes punctually, and so forth. Most of their days are scheduled. It is important that your child experiences a bit of structure and routine at home before attending boarding school. This will make the transition into the stricter routines much easier.

Increase Independence & Responsibility

With only a limited staff, your child will experience a bit more freedom at boarding school than at home. That is to say they won’t have you there watching their every move. This is something they may enjoy at first, but the extra freedom also comes with more responsibility. They will be expected to fulfill several duties such as attending classes on time and finishing homework consistently without the oversight they may be used to. Giving your child a bit more freedom, and helping them acknowledge the responsibility that comes with it, can help prepare for boarding school when there is no parental oversight. Some boarding schools, such as Admiral Farragut Academy, put emphasis on teaching leadership skills. Who knows? Your child may be excited to learn more responsibility if they understand how their lives can benefit from it.

Talk With Your Child

Another great way to help prepare your child for this experience is to discuss openly about it with them. Let your child voice his/her concerns and feelings about the whole transition. Discuss about the possible things your child may experience, both negative and positive. This will provide you with better insight into how your child is viewing the experience, allowing you to support him/her in any way they need.

Visit a Boarding School

Preparation is critical, but it is also important to see the reality of the situation. Bringing your child to visit a boarding school can be a great way to get them acquainted with the process and to remove any scary ideas they may possibly be harboring. This is also a great opportunity for you and your child to speak with administrators as well as students attending the school to ask any questions that you may have.

Familiarize Yourself with the Layout of the School

One of the greatest difficulties students experience when transitioning to any new school is finding their way around. This can cause a lot of awkward and unwanted situations such as getting lost and showing up late for class. Helping your child familiarize themselves with the layout of the school and the location of particular classes can be a great way to prevent these situations. You can walk around the school during a visit or even find a map layout to study.

Boarding schools offer excellent opportunities for children in terms of both education as well as life in general. The transition will not be easy for your child, but there are a few things that can be done to ensure the move goes as smoothly and successfully as possible.