The new school year is an important step for all children, whether they are starting preschool, becoming independent in elementary school, or entering adolescence in middle school. At our international school in Paris, we know that a successful start to the school year requires individual preparation, consistent dialogue, and a comfortable environment. We have advice designed for each age group to help you support your child with ease, so that they can start the new school year off right, both academically and emotionally.
Three Pillars for a Successful Start to the School Year for All Ages
All students, no matter their age, need a solid foundation for an easy start to the school year and sustainable learning. These three pillars – sleep, organization, and dialogue – are the basis on which each child can build to flourish in their school environment.
| Pillar | Why it’s important | Best practices |
| Sleep | Enough rest improves concentration, mood, and memory. | Have them go to bed and getting up at the same time each day, avoid screens before bed, 9 to 12 hours of sleep depending on age.1 |
| Organization | Reduces stress and helps children feel in control. | Pack their backpack and choose clothing the night before, plan homework time, keep an organized work area. |
| Dialogue | A way to quickly identify school, emotional, or social needs and strengthen self-esteem and confidence at school. | Discuss successes and difficulties, listen actively, maintain regular communication with teachers. |
Preschool: Build Stable Routines from the Start
Starting preschool is often the first major separation between the child and their family. There is both curiosity and apprehension, which require attentive support so that the child feels safe and confident. At our bilingual preschool in Paris, we use progressive adaptation that respects the emotional and physical pace of each student, including gifted children, who can react intensely to new situations.
Introduce the Environment
Visiting the school in advance, seeing the classroom, and meeting the teacher is a great way for the child to get familiar with their new environment. Recognizing the places and faces reduces the unknown and strengthens the child’s feeling of safety. Meeting the education team in advance allows parents to share important information on the specific habits and needs of their child.
Respect the Body’s Rhythm
In preschool, children can fatigue easily. Two or three weeks before school starts, it is a good idea have children progressively go to bed and get up earlier so they can adapt to the school schedule. Meals must stay consistent and be adapted to the child’s energy needs, with a complete breakfast to start the day off right. Reducing over-stimulating activities after school will help keep them in balance and go to sleep easier.
A Drop-off Routine to Reduce Anxiety
On the first day of school, a short but loving good-bye ritual (kiss, hug, code word) creates a stable routine and reduces anxiety. Leaving without saying good-bye, on the other hand, can create stress. The child can also keep a transitional object – stuffed animal, family photo – throughout the day.
At École Galilée, the teachers greet each child individually, and pay close attention to their emotional state, so that each child can start their first days of school with ease.
Elementary School: Strengthening Independence and Confidence
In elementary school, children develop academic skills while becoming more independent and strengthening social relationships. The start of the school year is an important time to create good habits, encourage curiosity, and instill a reassuring routine. At École Galilée, we take care to stimulate a desire for learning in a caring and bilingual environment, where each student can develop at their own pace.
Re-establish a Structured Routine
During the summer, schedules are often more flexible. Two weeks before school starts, it is a good idea to gradually reintroduce set bedtimes and wake times. Integrating daily quiet reading time or educational activities reactivates learning mechanisms and gets the child used to focusing again.
Include Them in Organization
Include the child in preparing for back-to-school to help them feel more independent. Choosing a backpack, buying school supplies, and organizing their workspace at home can all be done together. Each evening, check that their backpack is packed together. This instills structured organization, which they will need in order to succeed in the rest of their academic career.
Encourage Expression and Projects
The start of the school year is also a time to encourage the child’s passions. Enrolling or re-enrolling in arts, sports, or science activities helps maintain overall well-being and stimulate the child’s desire to learn. Oral and written expression can be encouraged at home by open discussions about their day, which reinforces both self-esteem and communication skills.
Middle School: Organize, Empower, and Encourage
Going to middle school is much more than changing schools. It is a key step in entering adolescence. Students need to adapt to a fuller schedule, multiple teachers, and are required to be more independent, all while going through major physical, emotional, and social changes. At our private middle school in Paris 16, we do our best to help make this transition into a tool for personal development and academic success.
Optimize School Organization
Managing multiple subjects and homework requires good organizational skills. Using their planner with visual reminders helps the student plan tasks throughout the week. Scheduling short, frequent work sessions, including breaks, keeps them efficient, avoids mental overload, and supports concentration on the long term.
Maintain Dialogue
During adolescence, conversations can be less frequent, but maintaining regular dialogue is still essential. Discussing successes, difficulties, and daily life at middle school allows you to quickly identify any specific needs. Clear, consistent collaboration between families and teachers is ideal for the student, particularly if they lose motivation or have social issues.
Manage Stress and Priorities
Middle school students need to learn to prioritize tasks in order to reduce the pressure from multiple deadlines. Guiding them in assessing the priority of each assignment or project and encouraging them to ask for help if they need it strengthens their ability to manage their time on their own. Regular physical activity and taking time to relax without a screen also help them maintain emotional stability.
The First Weeks: Solidify Good Habits
Preparing for the school year is only useful if it turns into sustainable habits. The first weeks are a key time for observation and adjustment in order to avoid stress and quickly losing motivation.
- Maintain a regular sleep schedule: keep the schedule set before the school year began, adapting slightly if necessary depending on fatigue, and instill a relaxing nighttime ritual.
- Plan work time: set regular homework times, short at the beginning of the year for young children, then longer for middle school, with set breaks.
- Set aside time for daily discussion: a time after school to talk about the day, listen without interrupting, and detect signs of enthusiasm or anxiety.
- Adjust expectations: reduce the extra-curricular schedule if there is too much fatigue, or introduce new responsibilities gradually if the child is at ease.
- Value progress: congratulate effort, not only results, to instill confidence and perseverance.
Paying close attention in September will strengthen these foundations, keeping the child constantly engaged and creating sustainable habits for the entire year.
Checklist: Has Your Child Found their Flow?
- Stable mood: they get up each morning without excessive anxiety and have a regular sleep schedule.
- Good appetite: meals are balanced, no loss of appetite from stress.
- Good energy level: the child comes home tired, but not exhausted, and still has energy for their favorite activities.
- Open dialogue: they share spontaneously (or agree to talk) about their day.
- Positive interactions: they talk about friends, classmates, or fun activities.
- Academic engagement: they start homework without too much resistance and show curiosity to learn new things.
- Progressive adaptation: signs of anxiety (tears, stomach aches, refusing to go to school) reduce as the days go by.
If after a few weeks, some of the items on this list haven’t been achieved, it is a good idea to meet with the teacher at your bilingual international school in Paris to adjust support for your child.
The start of the school year is a key step, from the first discoveries of preschool to building on skills in elementary school to new challenges in middle school and adolescence. Age-appropriate preparation for the new school year, including regular dialogue and a caring environment, makes for a smooth transition.
At École Galilée, we use personalized, bilingual pedagogy that adapts to the academic, emotional, and social needs of each child. This means that back-to-school isn’t just about starting classes. It also improves the child’s self-confidence, strengthens skills, and encourages discovering and acquiring new skills throughout the year.