Blog List

Blog

Helping Girls Navigate A New School Year With Confidence

GOTR Blogger

Helping Girls Navigate A New School Year With Confidence

A new school year brings so many new beginnings. New classrooms. New teachers. New routines. New friendships. New opportunities to try something different.

While change can be exciting, it can also bring some big feelings, especially for girls who are figuring out where they fit, navigating new expectations or simply adjusting to a new routine.

As parents, caregivers, coaches and trusted adults, we have an incredible opportunity to help girls approach these changes with confidence, curiosity, and the reminder that they don't have to have everything figured out right away.

Change Can Feel Exciting…and a Little Scary

Even positive changes can feel uncomfortable.

A girl might be excited about starting a new grade, but nervous about making friends. She might love her new teacher, but feel overwhelmed by a new schedule. She might want to try something new, but worry about making a mistake.

These feelings are completely normal.

Instead of rushing to make those uncomfortable feelings disappear, we can help girls recognize them, talk about them and learn that they are capable of navigating them.

Sometimes, confidence doesn't mean feeling completely fearless.

Sometimes, confidence is saying, "I'm nervous, but I'm going to try anyway."

5 Ways to Help Girls Navigate Change With Confidence

1. Make Space for the Big Feelings

The beginning of the school year can come with a whole range of emotions. Give girls opportunities to talk about what they're experiencing without immediately trying to fix it.

Try asking:

What's something you're excited about this year?

What's something that feels a little hard or scary?

What's one thing you wish you could change about your school day?

What could help make that feel a little easier?

Sometimes, simply knowing that a trusted adult is willing to listen can make a big difference.

2. Focus on What She Can Control

There are plenty of things girls can't control during a school transition. Who is in their class, what their teacher assigns or how other people behave.

Help her focus on what she can control.

She can choose to be kind.

She can ask for help.

She can try something new.

She can take a break when she needs one.

She can keep practicing when something feels difficult.

Reminding girls of what they can control can help a big change feel a little more manageable.

3. Celebrate Effort, Not Perfection

A new school year is full of opportunities to learn and learning means making mistakes.

Instead of focusing only on accomplishments or outcomes, celebrate the effort behind them.

Try saying:

"I noticed you kept trying even when that was hard."

"You didn't know how to do it at first, but you kept practicing."

"I'm proud of you for trying something new."

These small moments help girls understand that growth doesn't happen because we get everything right. It happens because we are willing to keep going.

4. Encourage Her to Step Outside Her Comfort Zone

New beginnings can be the perfect time to try something different.

Maybe it's joining a club, trying a new sport, introducing herself to someone new, raising her hand in class or simply taking on a responsibility she's never had before.

It doesn't have to be a huge leap.Encourage her to take one small brave step.

And remind her that it's okay if something doesn't go perfectly. Trying is an accomplishment, too.

5. Help Her Find Her People

Feeling connected can make a world of difference when navigating change. Encourage girls to spend time with people who make them feel comfortable being themselves. Having a supportive community reminds girls that they don't have to navigate every new beginning on their own.

A New Season of Growth With Girls on the Run

At Girls on the Run Greater Connecticut, we're getting ready for a new beginning of our own!

Our fall season gets underway next week, and we cannot wait to see our teams shine.

Over the course of the season, girls will come together with their teammates and coaches to move, laugh, connect and grow. They'll have opportunities to build confidence, practice resilience, navigate challenges, strengthen friendships and discover more about what makes them amazing.

And while the season may have a beginning and an end, the skills girls develop don't stop when the season does.

We hope girls take those skills with them into their classrooms, friendships, families, activities and everyday lives, throughout the school year and far beyond.

Because the goal isn't just to help girls feel confident during their time with Girls on the Run. It's to help them recognize the confidence, strength, and potential they already carry with them.

Here's to New Beginnings!

A new school year doesn't have to be about having all the answers.

It's about being willing to learn.

It's about trying new things.

It's about making mistakes and trying again.

It's about finding people who support you.

And it's about discovering that you are capable of more than you thought.

As our fall GOTR season begins, we're so excited to watch our girls take those first steps, cheer one another on and grow more confident with every practice.

Here's to a new school year, a new GOTR season, and all the growth that's waiting ahead.