The start of the school year can be an exciting time for children and their parents! The way you prepare your child—and yourself—for the start of a new school year will depend on several things, including:
- Your child’s level of excitement and/or anxiety around starting the school year
- Any changes for your child—Is this a new school? Is he transitioning from half-day to full day? Will he be taking the bus instead of walking?
- How familiar is your child with his new teacher and classmates?
- Your child’s feelings about school in general and his/her experiences from last year.
Preparation and practice really can help quell first day jitters. When kids know what to expect and can visualize a specific environment, the unknown becomes less daunting.
An important part of the first day prep process is to reflect on the good and the bad from last school year. It’s not uncommon for children who had a previously negative experience in the classroom to be more anxious as the first day draws closer. If the ghost of school years past are haunting your child, take time to break down last year’s difficulties to make this year more enjoyable. After all, it is a fresh start! Prepare her for the first day but asking smart questions to understand her concerns and discuss strategies for making this year better. It’s an important exercise that’s helpful for any grade level.
Also, children who are facing a major transition, such as going from a half-day to a full-day schedule or taking the bus instead of walking, may feel nervous around this new routine. Talk to your child about the new process and walk him through where he needs to go and when. If your child’s school offers walk-through activities like kindergarten round-up, meet-the-teacher or a practice bus ride for preparation, it will probably be helpful – and soothing– for you and your child to participate in all the activities.
Lastly, if your child will be seeing mostly new faces in her classroom this year, this can be a great time to find other parents and older students who are familiar with your child’s soon-to-be-teacher and ask about their experiences. Sometimes even just seeing a photo of the teacher and classroom on the school website can be comforting and the first step to a great first day.
