‘Sammy the sloth returns to school’

‘Sammy the sloth returns to school’ - Adoption Mid and West Wales release new storybook to support children returning to school.

Lockdown has been a challenging time for many adoptive families across Wales, with many parents having to work from home, whilst entertaining their children and home-schooling.

With the Welsh Government announcement that schools can return in Wales from 29th June, Adoption Mid and West Wales has released some brilliant resources to support parents with the transition back to school.

As part of this, Rachel a support worker in the region, has created a fantastic story which aims to help children understand the changes they will now face at school. The hope is that they will be able to relate to the anxieties Sammy the Sloth has, allowing them to understand the transition of returning to school.

Here’s what Rachel had to say: “I have always enjoyed being creative and have dreamed of writing short children’s stories and illustrating them for a long time. I never imagined that the first story I would write would be about a pandemic, but in times of so much change and uncertainty I found myself thinking of the many children I’ve supported over the years through transitions and how challenging this would be for so many.

“Children often find change particularly challenging, and with the changes approaching us as we begin to return to school, with it may come a mix of emotions and feelings. Stories are a natural way for children to learn about their feelings, to help them learn that their experiences of feeling worried or nervous about returning to school are faced by many. This story focuses on the familiar, particularly around relationships, as sometimes feelings of anxiety come from the unknown, and while we may not know everything about what school will look like in the coming months, by thinking of some of the things that will be staying the same, we can help our children feel more secure.”

To download a copy of the book or to watch a video reading go to:

https://adoptionmwwales.org.uk/new-resources-to-support-your-children-as-they-return-to-school/