The first day of school brings back memories of excitement and joy for most of us: reuniting with friends, moving up to the next grade, meeting the new teacher and most importantly, wearing that cool new outfit. But if we dig a little deeper, we may remember some anxiety as well. Being fully ready for that big day takes much more than a backpack stuffed with paper and pencils. Here are a few tips to help smooth the transition from summer to school.
Summer reading projects: Almost every school requires students to read books and/or complete projects before returning in the fall. Avoid the hassle of last-minute work. Talk with your child about what they have completed already and come up with a reasonable schedule to finish a week or two before school starts. This is also a great way to fight that late summer boredom!
Manners: Relaxed and casual describes summer perfectly, but now is a good time to check in on your child’s behavior. Please, thank you, excuse me and other polite phrases need to be practiced regularly so they will be automatic by the first day of school. Table manners for the lunchroom and rules for playing well with others should be rehearsed as well. Make a play date for lunch and fun with a couple classmates so they can practice getting along.
Sleep: Don’t expect your kids to jump out of bed at 6:30 a.m. when they’ve been sleeping until 9 or 10 all summer. Children need a gradual return to their school-year routine. Two or three weeks before school starts, begin waking them up (and putting them to bed) 15 minutes or half an hour earlier until they are back to their usual sleep schedule. This will make the first days of school much easier on everyone!
Breakfast: Some children resist breakfast early in the morning, especially if they are accustomed to waiting an hour or two after waking. As you adjust the sleep schedule, also get them in the habit of eating breakfast earlier. This may eliminate a.m. food fights later.
Lay of the land: If your child is beginning a new school, take a morning before school starts to visit the school and see where his classroom will be. Also, be sure he knows where to go first. For instance, do they go to the gym until the bell rings? If so, walk him from the drop-off point, to the gym, to his classroom so he knows what to expect the first morning. After that he can count on his teacher to get the class from one place to the next. For middle school and high school students, a tour of each classroom on their schedule may be in order since schools often expect older students to get themselves from room to room.
Allay fears: Kids come up with all sorts of things to worry about. Parents can’t anticipate them all, so ask her if she is scared or worried about school. Give her specific ideas to handle those fears, but don’t dwell on the negative too long. Switch gears to focus on the fun of school by asking what she is looking forward to. A tour through an old elementary school yearbook of mom’s or dad’s can be a fun way to get the conversation started. Also, if she is worried about something like a tooth-fairy grin, seeing pictures of 30 other toothless first graders may be just what she needs.
