5Tips To Prepare Your Young Child For First Day At School

Getting our children ready to go for the first day to school is very important; some kids could be filled with apprehensions and fears, while others may be happy to go to school. Parents play a very vital role in conveying the right perception of school, with preparation starting from the time the child is first admitted to a good school.  

The 5 great tips to prepare your child for first day at school are:

1)    Some children may have their own fears about school, the fear of the unknown; listening empathically and patiently to the child’s fears and apprehensions would help him/her to step into regular school with a clear mind. It is futile to give consolations as these small concerns in reality seem very huge to them. 

2)    Encouraging the child to play “Teacher and students” would help get realistic and appropriate view of school; this role play has helped many young children to develop excellent coping mechanism once they start going to regular school. 

3)Mental preparation for first day in school starts much earlier; it would be great if you could take your child past the school during lunch hour and show him/her children playing and eating happily. It would also be smart to introduce some children of the school and allow them to meet other children that have also joined the school. Talking positive about the school would help instill positive feelings and confidence.

4)     All children are not made alike and some children take longer to adjust to school life and may have misgivings regarding the attitude of the teacher and some staff; it could also be due to the rude and impatient behavior of certain teachers. It lies in our maturity as parents to lend a shoulder for the child to cry and open our hands freely to hug and smooth his/her tears. 

5)    Understanding parents know that it is difficult for the child to leave the secure atmosphere of the home to enter the doors of school; a much bigger world. Parents need to have open and honest communication with their children without making their worries trivial; this would also help know if the child needs to be counseled. If possible a meeting the child’s teacher earlier or on the first day of school would help.

Last, but most important make sure your child has developed a positive mindset towards school and considers it an enjoyable place to learn and grow. It is time we loosened our apron strings and hand over our little children to teachers; after all our children have to experience the thrill of being on their own two legs.