Children can see it looming ahead — the dreaded cliff's edge where summer abruptly drops away and they land in school. But parents can help make a softer landing for them and deal with anxiety about the unknown ahead, doctors say. The new school year has already arrived for some in South Carolina while for others it will come in the next couple of weeks.
Richland One students in Columbia and also Greenville County pupils return Aug. 8; Charleston County kids are back Aug. 13; and Horry County Schools resume classes Aug.
19. Aiken County schools welcomed students back July 22. Sonia Hanson, with Sunflowers of Hope fills a new backpack for Joseph Scott Green, 6, during a Back to School event held in the Icon at Park Circle neighborhood Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in North Charleston.
Parents should take advantage of the time they have to start preparing kids now for the new school year, said Dr. Brittany Peters, a child and adolescent psychiatrist in Columbia with Prisma Health. "It's a good idea to start getting back into those routines" now, she said.
If possible, start adjusting bed times and wake-up times gradually to get back from summer's more lenient hours to those appropriate for school, Peters said. Try adjusting bed times and wake-up times by 15 minutes earlier a day, lowering them until students are back where they need to be to get their proper rest. "Most kids need nine hours of sleep a night, especially the younger ones," said Dr.
Valerie Scott of Mount Pleasant F.