AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study used purposive sampling through semi-structured interviews to obtain the experiences of mothers of 7-11-year-old children with asthma who were assisting their child's adaptation to school life. BACKGROUND: Children with asthma often have problems with social adaptation, including school absenteeism, limits to their activity and bullying by peers. From kindergarten to elementary school, it is a transitional process where the child experiences multiple changes in the body, mind and social situations. It can be difficult for mothers of children with asthma to assist their children with their adaptation to school life. DESIGN: A qualitative enquiry design was used. METHODS: A total of 15 mothers having elementary school children with asthma in grades 1-3 were interviewed. Participants were contacted at the outpatient department of a medical centre in Taiwan. Verbatim transcriptions of the interviews were examined by the content analysis method. After analysis of the interview data of the 15 informants, no new themes had emerged. Lincoln and Guba's trustworthiness criteria were employed to evaluate methodological rigour. RESULTS: There were four themes that formed part of the mothers' experiences. Those were: (1) being concerned about the child's adaptation to school life, (2) improving attitudes and relieving symptoms, (3) establishing the child's self-management abilities and (4) bearing role strain and normalising the life of the child. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study should help health professionals and schoolteachers to understand the needs of families and mothers who have a child with asthma. The findings provide appropriate information and resources to assist the children's adjustment to school life. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The findings indicate that nursing professionals should provide child-focused and family-centred care that will assist parents of children with asthma to adjust to school life.