'Do the things in your comfort zone': Kids share feelings on return to school, advice to nervous peers

All summer the CBC Saskatchewan kids series has been bringing you kids' advice for kids (and adults) on everything from boredom to cooking. 

In this final instalment, we hear from elementary students returning to class about how they're feeling and their advice for kids who may be nervous. 

How do you feel about going back to school in September? 

Jan-Sébastien DeVink Guérette, 11, said he feels "pretty good."

"Summer is done so I guess I want to see my friends again because yes, I have seen a lot of my friends, but some of them live on the other side of the city or some of them have been camping somewhere else."

"I'm feeling kind of scared because my sister, she was saying like, 'Oh, you're going to need this and then you get like five other binders. I'm like, wait, what?'" nine-year-old Ever Payant Olaechea said. "I'm just kind of scared, but also excited at the same time."

"I'm going into Grade 4. I'm a little bit nervous," nine-year-old Yva Montgomery said. 

What's your advice for new kids or other students heading back to school? 

"People usually say, like, you just have to try and get everything right. But I don't think that's right," Ever said. "You just have to try your best to do stuff and do what you know."

"I would try making new friends or even if you don't want to, try staying in your comfort zone and then as the year goes on kind of get out of your comfort zone a little bit more," Yva said. 

What's your advice for kids on how to make new friends? 

Jan-Sébastien said it's important to get involved at recess.

"If someone is walking, kind of invite them, you invite them to a game, or if they invite you to a game, you can join them. Maybe Frisbee or soccer."

"Just be yourself," Ever said. "Be nice around people. And I mean, you can make the first move and just go up to someone that you think is cool, like you want their friend and say, 'Hey, you want to play some time?'" 

"I would start by asking questions. I would start by asking, like, 'What's your favourite colour?' or 'What do you like to do? Do you play sports or dance?' or like 'What do you like to play," Yva said. "As you ask more questions, you guys get more comfortable and then sometimes you become best friends … That's how I made my best friend."

What do you say to any kids who are a bit nervous to be back in the classroom with COVID-19? 

"Maybe try doing the things that you already know," Jan-Sébastien said. "Do the things in your comfort zone and then after you relax, you can do the things out of your comfort zone."

"It's going to be OK," Ever said. "At first it's a little scary, but then once you settle in and it's a couple days … It's actually pretty fun and you make some friends. I would just recommend, like, be yourself, do your best."

"After we were going back from online learning to in-person [in 2020], I was a little nervous because I didn't know how I was going to do stuff," Yva said. "But honestly, I kind of asked my teacher, like, what kind of stuff we're going to be doing.… If you want to, kind of stay in your own little bubble sometimes."