Sisters Carrah Wilczynski of Macomb Township (left) and Callie Moylan of Novi show the School Buddy Adventure Set they developed to help young children make the transition to school.
Kinsley Moylan waves goodbye to her parents as she begins her first day of kindergarten in fall 2023 with her School Buddy in her backpack.
Photo provided by Callie Moylan
Advertising
MACOMB TOWNSHIP/NOVI — The transition from home to school is often difficult for young children. Many of them are torn or cling to their parents and guardians and refuse to go to school.
Two sisters, Callie Moylan of Novi and Carrah Wilczynski of Macomb Township, put their heads together and found a solution to this difficult situation they faced as mothers – a transitional situation. And so School Buddy was born.
School Buddy is a small plush toy that children can put in their backpack to take along on adventures that their parents can’t go on, like school or swim practice. The child is taught that their school buddy is new to the world, is eager to go to school or practice, and needs someone to show them around. However, School Buddy has rules and must stay in the child’s backpack all school day.
“It’s not something that should be made public. It’s just to help them find a place where they can learn and grow,” Wilczynski said.
The School Buddy Adventure Support Set was inspired by Moylan’s daughter, Kinsley, who was struggling to return to school at Novi Early Childhood Center after Thanksgiving break in fall 2021. Moylan said it was getting harder and harder to drop her off and she had considered possibly taking her out of school, but she really didn’t want to do that. Moylan said she would talk to her sister, who works as an occupational therapist in a school, and that Wilczynski suggested Moylan buy Kinsley a transition item. Moylan said she gave her a small stuffed bunny and explained to her that the bunny was her new buddy and she needed to show him off at school and to the world. Moylan said it worked beautifully.
“I’ll never forget her walking into school with her buddy in her backpack, with a whole new level of confidence,” Moylan said. “She wasn’t focused on clinging to my side or my husband’s side. She was more focused on helping her buddy. So she came in with a little more pep in her step.”
When Moylan saw how well it worked with her daughter, she was inspired. With encouragement from her husband and help from her sister, they developed a story and activity book and worked with a designer to create a School Buddy plush toy for children. The story and activity book helps parents explain to their children the role they play in showing their School Buddy the world.
“We saw that repetition is key. So a lot of the activities help the kids learn and remember the story. And then there are activities that make it a part of their everyday life,” Wilczynski said.
The book includes a caregiver checklist with some strategies to help parents introduce School Buddy. It also includes a section for the children to name it, a letter from School Buddy to the child, and a section for the children to use stickers to record the adventures they have, as well as various other activities.
The book also gave the two mothers a chance to showcase their children’s artistic side. Doodles by Moylan’s four children and Wilczynski’s two children are featured throughout the book.
This is the first school year the sisters have been able to promote School Buddy. They said it has been purchased across the country and that it really seems to work. Moylan said a friend bought one for her very shy child and that the child took to School Buddy so well that she didn’t even look back on the first day.
“It’s incredible because I feel like all kids love to help. They want to feel empowered. When they’re so focused on helping that buddy, their fears go away,” Moylan said.
School Buddy can be purchased online at SchoolBuddyStory.com. It costs $32.99 plus tax and comes with a pink/purple or blue/green stuffed animal and the activity book. The sisters are offering free shipping with the code BACK2SCHOOL through the end of September.
“We are thrilled to introduce our School Buddy Adventure Support Kit in the hopes that it will help children ease their fears, provide comfort and encouragement, and build their confidence for school and other adventures in life,” said Wilczynski.
You might also be interested in
Advertising
