Yes, It's Back To School!

How To Be Ready for a New School Year!

Wow – where did summer go? And now it is time to go to school!

How do I get my child ready for school? This can be especially challenging for a child living with eczema.

After a summer that has been filled with lots of kid time where they have had the chance to enjoy playing with toys and friends, and experience new ideas and adventures, it can be a challenge to prepare them for the classroom environment where they will learn lots of new information, ideas and ways to think critically about the world around them.

Here are two simple suggestions to make sure they are ready to for school where they will be ready to focus, listen and settle into a school curriculum.

1. Make sure that your child gets enough to sleep every night. The best way to ensure this is the case is to get them into a bedtime routine so a schedule can be established for getting into bed, falling asleep and getting up in the morning. You will find it gets easier every night after the first few nights of getting the proper bedtime routine for your child.
2. Read to them! Experts all seem to agree on this tried and true approach to preparing children to enter the classroom ready to go. Yes, it is that simple. Reading to your child, or if age appropriate read along with them or give them books to read on their own. Reading a book is relaxing, inexpensive and a fun way to share ideas and open up communication. Reading doesn’t only help teach your child to read it also works on many of the other things like concentrating, listening and getting comfortable asking questions. These are the most fundamental skills a child needs to be a good student, an eager learner and socially well-adjusted in a classroom environment.

When a child has to live with eczema reading a book about eczema, like “Search for a Smile in the Moon” gives a child a chance to talk about their eczema issues, for you to explain simple concepts about their eczema and will make them feel more comfortable when they are around other children that don’t understand eczema.

Search for a Smile in the Moon is a light-hearted story about a young child that is challenged with eczema to use their imagination about space travel, the moon, and stars, making friends and finding the magic of disappearing blue moons as a happy ending to life with eczema. The underlying content of the story will help you open up a dialogue with your child that can let a kid express worries and other challenges they are facing and feel more comfortable with their eczema.

Download a free eBook copy of Search for a Smile in the Moon

Spend a few precious minutes with your child and use the Reading Guide in the front of the book Search for a Smile in the Moon as a caring, sharing and learning opportunity:

QUESTIONS TO ENCOURAGE DIALOG

1. Why do you think Scratch woke up feeling crabby, and why did it get worse throughout the day?
2. If you were friends with Scratch, what would you say (or do) to try and help make Scratch less crabby?
3. Think about the different seasons, and whether you or someone you know experiences allergies during a specific season.
4. What happens to them during their “Blue Moon” season?
5. Why was it tough for Scratch to fall asleep at night?
6. Who did Scratch meet, and what emotion did this character not have an emoji for?
7. What did Scratch discover in space? Which moon did they find?
8. What disappeared on Scratch’s Soothems?
9. Many skin conditions, like eczema, psoriasis, dry skin, or allergies, are common issues many children (and adults!) have. Some children might worry that it’s contagious, even though it’s not!
10. What could you say to someone with skin troubles, so they would know you understood?