2 min read
30th August 2019

Tips to prepare your child and yourself for university

Tips to prepare your child and yourself for university

When your child is heading off to university it is not only a life-changing event for them but for the parents as well.

This is more than likely, going to be their first taste of living away from home and their first taste of independence; while this may be a daunting task for them, along with the new learning environment, it is also a daunting prospect for many parents.

The good news is that you still have time to prepare before freshers week begins. By helping your child get prepared for university you will be able to work through the emotions that may surface, retail therapy might be a good thing here.

Prepare together

You should first sit down together and draw up a plan of the items that they will need to take away with them.

Start by drawing up a list of items they will need, as if it was there first home, such as:

  • Cookware.
  • Storage boxes.
  • Bed linen.
  • Towels.
  • Study material.

Don't forget the practical steps of registering with a doctor and a dentist near their new home, in case they fall ill or get a toothache, it will be a major stress for them if they don't know where to go.

By drawing up these lists together you are showing your child that you are excited for them and are there to support them on their journey to make sure that it goes as smoothly as possible.

Teach them basic living skills

It is often said that the students that are able to look after themselves are the ones that settle and perform better at university.

Before they leave you should teach them the basic skills like:

  • Cooking for themselves — and we don't mean making a pot noodle.
  • Do their own laundry — so they are not relying on that magic fairy, that comes from home and picks up the dirty clothes off the floor, washes them, then irons them and also hangs them back in the wardrobe.
  • Able to change their own bed — rather than waiting on the room service at home.
  • Able to clean the home — you don't want a situation where mould starts to appear on the unwashed plates, that have been left for a week.

You would be amazed by the number of students that go away each year that can't boil an egg or have never opened a tin of beans. 

By teaching them practical skills before they go, you are making the transition to university smoother for both yourself and your child. You by having the knowledge that they are able to look after themselves and them by having the confidence that they are able to fend for themselves.

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