Starting school can be a nerve wracking experience for even the most confident young child. After all, it’s a big step in their journey through life - they will be put in a very new and demanding environment for most of the week, and they will come into contact with a lot of new faces. Thankfully, though, most of those new faces will turn into lifelong friends and supportive teachers.
If your child seems nervous or worried whenever you discuss their upcoming first day at school, you might be quite worried about how they will handle it. This isn’t something that should stress you out too much as there are plenty of ways you can assure them that everything will be fine at their new school. They might even enjoy their day! Here are some top tips that can help you help and support them.
Research The School’s First Day Plan
First of all, you might want to contact the school and find out the program they will be following for new starters on the very first day of term. Some schools might even publish the program and list of activities on their website. You can then tell your child what to expect from their first day. This way, they will know exactly what they will be doing and how long they will be at school for. There won’t be anything that could surprise them. It’s a good idea to talk about the different activities on the program a few times, so they don’t forget anything that they will be doing.
Talk Positively About School
I’m sure that you and your child will be talking a lot about them starting school as the big day approaches. Whenever you do chat about it, it’s important that you do so in a positive way. Always say just how fun school will be and how many great friends they will be able to play with. Even if you did not enjoy school, it’s still important that you frame the experience in a positive light. This should then silence any doubts that they may have at the back of their mind, and they will be able to start looking forward to starting school.
Rehearse The School Run Routine
Something else that will be completely new for your child is the school run at the beginning and end of each day. As they will still be quite young, you will no doubt be taking them and collecting them from school. To help them familiarize themselves with this part of the school day, you might want to rehearse it a few times. This can also help you figure out how much time you should leave every morning so that you don’t arrive too late.
Ensure Your Child’s Safety
There are a few things you can do to ensure your child’s safety once they start school as well. For instance, you should let them know that it’s OK to approach you and talk to you if they ever have a problem, such as bullying. You should also tell them that they should never talk to strangers when they are waiting for you at the school gate. You might also want to install the Family Orbit kid control app so that you can track their whereabouts if they ever do go missing. As long as your child knows to be sensible, though, you shouldn’t be faced with that situation.
Discuss Common School Rules
Each school will have its own set of rules, but most of them will share a few common ones, such as not talking while the teacher is and not running in the corridors. It’s worth talking to your child about some of these common school rules so that they aren’t too shocked when quite a few rules are enforced on them on day one. If they know what to expect, they will be a lot more likely to follow them and stay well-behaved.
Help Your Child Develop Important Life Skills
Your child will need to have some independence when they go to school. For instance, they will need to be confident in going to the toilet on their own and washing their hands. It’s worth teaching them as many important life skills as you can so that they aren’t so dependent on their teachers. These include skills like tying their shoes, fastening their coat, and how to use cutlery.
As you can see, there is a lot that you can do to ensure your child has a great first day at school!
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