Why Term 1 Feels Hard (And What Actually Helps Kids Settle)
Term 1 can feel overwhelming for everyone. New routines, new expectations, busy classrooms, and early starts after the summer break. For many children, particularly neurodivergent kids, the first weeks of school aren't about thriving yet. They're about surviving.
As occupational therapists working in Adelaide schools, we see this pattern every year. Teachers notice it. Parents feel it. And kids are living it. The question isn't whether Term 1 is hard - it's what we can actually do about it that doesn't require overhauling entire systems or adding more to already-full plates.
Understanding What's Actually Happening
Here's what most people don't realise: even positive change is physiologically demanding for developing nervous systems.
A child who's excited about school is still processing new sensory environments, changed routines, social demands, academic expectations, and physical demands - all before 9am.
When we see dysregulation in early Term 1 - the meltdowns, the refusals, the emotional overwhelm, the difficulty focusing - it's not bad behaviour. It's communication. The child's nervous system is saying, "This is a lot. I'm working really hard here."
The children who look like they're coping fine might be using every bit of energy to hold it together at school, then falling apart the moment they get home. The ones who are visibly struggling at school aren't being defiant. They literally cannot access the regulated state needed for learning yet.
This is normal. This is expected. And this is temporary - but only if we support settling before we push for performance.
Five Strategies That Actually Help
1. Make the Day Predictable (Because Uncertainty Uses Up Cognitive Energy)
When children know what's coming, their brains can relax the constant vigilance of "What now? What next? Am I safe?" This frees up mental energy for actual learning.
What this looks like:
• Visual schedules that show the day's flow - a whiteboard with activities listed, simple icons, or just talking through the schedule each morning
• Verbal previews before transitions: "In five minutes, we're packing up for lunch"
• Consistent start-of-day routines for at least the first month
Why this works: Executive functioning skills are still developing in children. Predictability provides external structure that supports these internal processes.
For parents: Morning routines at home matter too. Visual checklists for morning tasks, same order each day, buffer time so you're not rushing - these all help your child arrive at school regulated.
2. Connection Before Correction (Regulate First, Redirect Second)
A dysregulated nervous system cannot access learning. When a child is in fight/flight/freeze, the thinking part of their brain is literally offline. Asking a dysregulated child to "just calm down and focus" is like asking someone having a panic attack to solve algebra.
What this looks like:
• Greet children by name as they arrive
• Short check-ins throughout the day: "How are you travelling?
• Calm presence before giving instructions - if a child seems dysregulated, they need co-regulation before direction
• Notice early signs of dysregulation and respond before escalation: "Do you need a break?"
Why this works: Co-regulation is how children develop self-regulation over time. You can't teach regulation skills to someone who's currently dysregulated.
For parents: A regulated goodbye at drop-off supports a regulated school day. A simple routine - hug, "Have a great day," "I'll see you at pickup" - repeated daily, helps both of you.
3. Support Sensory Needs Early (Because Sensory Overload Blocks Everything Else)
By the time many children sit down in class, they've already processed alarm clocks, shower water, car rides, playground noise, fluorescent lighting, and classroom bustle. For children with sensory processing differences, this isn't background noise - it's overwhelming input their nervous systems are constantly working to manage.
What this looks like:
• Movement breaks built into the schedule: "Everyone stand up, ten jumping jacks"
• Heavy work opportunities: chair push-ups, wall push-ups, carrying books
• Options for sensory input available to everyone: wobble cushions, resistance bands on chair legs, fidget tools
• Quiet options within the classroom: a corner with a bean bag, headphones for anyone who needs them
Why this works: Sensory processing is foundational to regulation. When a child's sensory system is overwhelmed, everything else becomes harder.
For parents: Notice what sensory input helps your child regulate at home - some need a run outside before school, some need quiet time, some need a tight hug. Share this information with teachers.
4. Lower the Invisible Load (Reduce Demands Where You Can)
Think of cognitive load like a battery. Every task, transition, decision, and demand drains it. When children are already using enormous energy just to manage the newness of Term 1, we need to be strategic about additional demands.
What this looks like:
• Fewer instructions at once: "Get your maths book" (pause) "Turn to page 12" (pause) "Start with question 1"
• Extra scaffolding in the first weeks - model more, show examples, work alongside students
• Reducing decision fatigue: "Do you want to start with writing or maths?" vs "What do you want to work on?"
• Gentle reminders instead of corrections: "Remember, walking feet" vs "Stop running!"
• Allow processing time - if you ask a question, wait. Count to 10 in your head.
Why this works: Executive functioning skills are the first to go offline under stress. Reducing demands during high-stress periods preserves cognitive resources for regulation.
For parents: If your child is exhausted after school, maybe homework battles aren't the hill to die on in Week 2. Reduce demands where you can during this transition period.
5. Home-School Consistency (Because Shared Language Creates Safety)
When adults around a child use similar language and approaches, the child's nervous system relaxes. This doesn't mean identical rules - it means some shared frameworks that help children feel secure.
What this looks like:
• First-Then language: "First mat time, then outside play"
• Consistent transition warnings: if teachers use "5-2-now," parents can too
• Shared understanding of regulation needs: when parents share "Jamie focuses better with movement" and teachers implement it, Jamie experiences consistency
• Similar approaches to emotions: "It's okay to feel upset, let's find a calm space"
• Brief communication that doesn't add burden: a quick text, fortnightly chat, or highlights in a communication book
Why this works: Consistency reduces cognitive load and builds trust. When children can predict how adults will respond, they feel safer.
When Settling Feels Slow
Some children settle into Term 1 quickly. Others take weeks. Some take the whole term. This variation is normal.
Signs settling is happening (even if slowly):
• Meltdowns are less frequent or less intense
• Child can recover from dysregulation faster
• They're starting to use regulation strategies independently
• They're showing moments of engagement or joy
• Mornings or afternoons are getting easier
If you're not seeing progress by Week 4-5, it might be time for additional support. This is where occupational therapists can help with targeted strategies.
For Teachers and Parents: You're Not Doing It Wrong
If your classroom feels chaotic or your child is falling apart after school, that's not failure. It's 25-30 nervous systems (or one small nervous system) trying to calibrate to new demands.
After-school meltdowns often mean your child felt safe enough at school to hold it together, and trusts you enough to fall apart. That's secure attachment, even though it's exhausting.
You're not behind. They're not failing. This is part of the process.
The goal in early Term 1 isn't perfect behaviour or maximum academic output. It's helping nervous systems settle so that learning becomes possible.
The Long Game
When children experience predictability, adults who regulate with them, support for their sensory needs, reasonable demands, and consistency between home and school, they learn:
• "I can trust that adults will help me when things are hard"
• "I can notice when I'm dysregulated and ask for help"
• "There are strategies that help me feel better"
• "My needs are acceptable and will be met"
• "I belong here"
This foundation supports everything else - academic learning, social skills, resilience, self-advocacy. But it has to be built first.
Settling comes before success. Always.
Moving Forward
Term 1 will get easier. The routines will become familiar. The nervous systems will settle. The children will find their rhythm.
Your job right now isn't to make everything perfect. It's to provide the conditions where settling can happen.
Small adjustments. Strategic support. Patience with the process.
And if you need additional support - whether that's consultation about a specific child, professional development for your staff, or assessment and intervention - that's what we're here for.
At Meaningful Activities, we work alongside Adelaide educators and families to support exactly this: creating the conditions where children can settle, regulate, and participate meaningfully. Not through massive overhauls or impossible expectations, but through strategic, evidence-informed adjustments that actually work in real classrooms and real homes.
Term 1 is hard. You're doing important work. And settling - for everyone - is happening, even when it doesn't feel like it yet.
This blog post was created by the occupational therapy team at Meaningful Activities Occupational Therapy, Adelaide's neurodiversity-affirming allied health service. For more information about our school-based services and educator support programs, visit meaningfulactivities.com.au or email at admin@meaningfulactivities.com.au
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