Q&A: My child has been attending online schooling for the past year. How can I make the transition back to public school easy for my child?

Answer: The transition difficulty will depend on whether your child has maintained a regular routine while attending school online. If he or she has maintained a routine with completing school work at a designated time each school day while completing courses online, the transition shouldn't be that difficult.

To prepare for the transition, I'd recommend having your child set an alarm clock for the same time that he or she will need to wake up for the public school about two weeks before starting at that new school. The transition is often very similar to the one for transitioning back to school after summer break. The most difficult step is getting used to waking up early enough to make it to school. The second most difficult thing can be not having access to the pantry and refrigerator all day long. Other than those two adjustments, the transition is often quite smooth, and students usually adjust after the first two weeks back in the brick-and-mortar classroom.

The transition to virtual school may be more difficult if your child has not maintained a steady routine. It is not uncommon for students completing courses online to ease into the habit of sleeping in and taking several breaks throughout the day. If this has been the case for your child, it will be an especially good idea for him or her to get back into a regular wake-up schedule. If your child is still working on online courses, developing a routine schedule now before the transition to public school occurs is likely to make the switch easier. The suggested routine would be to wake up at an early hour to complete the necessary school work as well as having a designated snack and lunch time.