For many of you, today is the day for back to school. After loads of summer fun now it’s time for your kids to roll their sleeves and gear up for the new school year. New class, new teacher, new friends. All this sounds over-whelming. Kids who are starting school for the first time or moving to a new school have to cope with the biggest adjustment, but even moving up a grade means facing more academic demands, a new teacher, and a changing social circle. So, how to prepare your child for the new school year? Let’s see how? Here are few thing that I have done for my daughter when she started school and I still do when she has moved to the next grade.

 

 

• First thing first get them into routine: Summer is always a relaxing time for everyone. Most kids begin staying up late in the summer months. No wonder, getting up early, following a set pattern seems a big deal. So it is always good to get back on track few weeks before the school starts. Keep an eye on the calendar and start moving bedtime a bit earlier every night.

• Borrow lots of Starting School books from the library and read them every day over the summer break, picking out the fun and exciting activities that are going on in each one and using them as starting points for conversations. Most fears are related to not knowing what is going to happen and where things are. I did this when my daughter started pre-school. She got a very good image of a school.

• Let your child assist you in buying school supplies: This puts them in an exciting mode and they look forward for the school year so that they will get to use those school supplies.

• Get to know the teacher: This is something that I think can help every parent to prepare their child for the upcoming school year. Encourage your child to say Hi/Hello to the class teacher. Ask simple questions about the school day and what sorts of things your child will be doing in the settling in period.

• Prepare them emotionally: Let your child know that all kids are nervous about the first day of school. And it’s absolutely fine. Get your kids excited by talking about what they can expect, including snack, playground, reading, computers, singing and art. If you know other children who will be in his class or in the school, be sure to mention that he will see or play with them. Share your own stories about things you loved about school.

• Bonding with other kids: Kids are always nervous about their new teacher, but if they know any of the other kids, they’ll feel more at ease.

 

 

• Be on time or even little early for pick-up during the first week: For the first-timer, even 5 minutes delay in pick-up means a lot. They will be in tears thinking that mommy/daddy forgot to pick them up..:) Tears are totally fine for that age. Don’t be hard on them. It is natural for all ages to have uncharacteristic meltdowns during the first week of school, or just before school starts.

 

Whether you can’t wait till your kids are back in school or dread the more regimented days ahead, there’s one thing you can count on: Back to School is always a big transition. Before you know it everyone will be comfortable in their new routine and not even looking back as they race into school.