Back to School Toolkit for Parents of Middle and High School Students
This toolkit provides resources to help you support your teen in developing a reflective and caring mindset during the opening days of the school year. It includes conversation starters and other strategies to foster open, supportive, and reflective dialogue between you and your teen that focuses on community and empathy and works to reinforce the values and principles that help create a caring community.
By modeling and sharing values that encourage your teen to be a caring community member, you can play a crucial role in helping your teen transition into a new school year.
Making Caring Common collaborated with Facing History & Ourselves and The Choose Kindness Project to create this resource.
Objectives
Build meaningful connection with your teen
Support your teen as they navigate the start of the school year
Support your teen in being a caring and empathetic community member
Recommendations
Start with yourself. Begin by reflecting on your past experiences in communities with others. What are some elements that have helped you feel a sense of belonging and connection and what are some elements that caused you to feel a lack of belonging or connection? Thinking back on your own experiences over time, in what ways have elements of your identity helped you feel part of, or outside of, the communities you have engaged in? What positive contributions have you made to communities you have been a part of? As a teen, what did the start of the school year feel like for you?
Define online hate speech. Online hate speech refers to any form of harmful, offensive, or threatening language that is directed towards individuals or groups of people on the internet. This can include racist, sexist, homophobic, or religiously intolerant comments, jokes, and memes. Online hate speech can take place on social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms, and other online forums.
Develop routines to build connection. A new school year means the start of new schedules and routines. During this time of transition, it can help to incorporate meaningful routines at home that create a space for your teen to express their emotions. This can also be a great time to reflect together on capacities such as empathy as well as on the value of expanding one’s circle of concern. Talking openly and explicitly about your teen’s own experiences with belonging and community as well as the role they can play in fostering a sense of belonging and community for their peers at school will help them navigate the new school year with confidence and care.
Incorporate self-care. Consider the self-care that you need in order to parent the way that suits you best. Taking time to attend to your own needs provides support for your teen in the long run. Naming what type of self-care you need and helping your teen identify their own needs builds self-awareness and care in your relationship. Prioritizing moments for self-care better enables you to have a positive and supportive relationship with each other and with your community. Demonstrate to your teen the importance of taking the time to identify and practice these rituals.
Download the toolkit for more in-depth pointers for discussing current events issues with teens.
Last updated December 2023.
Overview
For: Parents and Caregivers
Grades: 6 - 12
Resource Type: Toolkit
