7 Tips for Adoptive Parents at the Beginning of School

Every year right about this time, children everywhere are going back to school. The lines at Walmart are long and shopping carts are full of brand new box of crayons and brightly colored spiral bound notebooks. As thoughts turn to school, parents of adopted kids often wonder if they need to do anything extra to make sure their child has a smooth school year.

Beginning of School Checklist for Adopted Kids

If your family stands out, prepare your child to answer questions from other children.
If you want to make sure that different types of families are valued in your school, ask your child’s teacher if you can come to class to read a book about different ways families are made. Check out our list of the best books that highlight different types of families.
If your child was adopted internationally, consider asking the teacher if you can do a lesson on that country. Hint: bringing candy from that country to share is always a hit.
Share the amount of information about your child’s life that is necessary for the teacher to help your child. It is usually not necessary to share intensely personal details with the school.
If you are concerned about specific behaviors, consider talking with the school counselor in addition to the teacher. Brainstorm ways to help your child and ask for open lines of communication.
If your child freely and proudly shared details about his adoption and life prior to coming to your family, think about whether he is oversharing details that he will later regret. Being proud to be adopted is one thing, sharing that you were abandoned in a field or that both birth parents are in jail might be too much. Some kids need help understanding the difference between privacy and secrecy.
Ask your child’s teacher if there will be school assignments that might be problematic for your child, such as creating a family tree, bringing baby pictures, or sharing early life stories.

Blog Credit: Creating A Family