Some kids get to school that first day and don’t even miss a step. They basically run for the gate and never look back, but some kids need more time. We found a few strategies with our almost-first-grader that helped him feel more confident going into all-day school, and I’m excited to share them with you.
Yay For New Gear
Everything is more fun when you have snazzy new things! We took our son to the store and let him take the lead. We let him pick multiple outfits he would feel comfortable in. He chose a new backpack and lunch box. It was fun watching him get excited about these things. We were able to show him how using these things at school would be just as fun! We reminded him that there would be school items that were required for different subjects. We reminded him that if the teacher needs him to share any items that we can do that too!
Adjusting with Books and Shows
I felt like for my son, the more we prepared him with information, the better. I gathered books before going to school and we would read one or two each day leading to his first day. There are so many options at the library so check there first! We also found so many episodes from shows he already liked that had the first day of school scenarios. Knowing how much your child can handle will be best. Some kids may feel overwhelmed by being overly prepared, and the repetitive school talk may make them feel more anxious. You may need to adjust from child to child as well.
Teach the Logistics
Here is a small lists of other things that we repeatedly went over so that he--and I--felt assured that he would be able to handle them:
- Drop-off
- Pick-up
- Classroom location
- Tying his shoe
- Asking to use the restroom
- Using his kind words