Starting the new school year can be a time of great excitementâĤ and anxiety. Help calm your childâs fears (and your own) with these teacher-approved tips.
Meet the new teacher.
For kids, one of the biggest back-to-school fears is âWill I like my new teacher?â Breaking the ice early on is one of the best ways to calm everyoneâs fears. Take advantage of your schoolâs open house or back-to-school night. Some teachers welcome phone calls or e-mails â another great opportunity to get to know each other before the year begins.
If personal contact with the teacher isnât possible, try locating the teacherâs picture on a school website or in a yearbook, so your child can put a name with a face. If your childâs teacher sends a welcome letter, be sure to read the letter together.
Tour the school.
If your school hosts an open house, be sure to go. Familiarizing your child with her environment will help her avoid a nervous stomach on the first day. Together you can meet her teacher, find her desk, or explore the playground.
With an older child, you might ask him to give you a tour of the school. This will help refresh his memory and yours.
Connect with friends.
A familiar friend can make all the difference when heading back to school. You might try calling parents from last yearâs class and finding out which children are in your childâs class this year. Refresh these relationships before school starts by scheduling a play date or a school carpool.
Tool up.
Obtain the class supply list and take a special shopping trip with your child. Having the right tools will help him feel prepared. While keeping basic needs in mind, allow for a couple of splurges like a cool notebook or a favorite-colored pen. These simple pleasures make going back to school a lot more fun.
School supply lists also provide great insight into the schoolwork ahead. Get your child excited about upcoming projects by explaining how new supplies might be used. Let him practice using supplies that heâs not used before â such as colored pencils or a protractor â so he will be comfortable using them in class.
Avoid last-minute drilling.
When itâs almost time to stop playing, give a five-minute warning. Giving clear messages to your child is very important.
Chat about todayâs events and tomorrowâs plans.
While it is important to support learning throughout the summer, donât spend the last weeks of summer vacation reviewing last yearâs curriculum. All kids need some down time before the rigors of school begin. For some kids, last-minute drills can heighten anxiety, reminding them of what theyâve forgotten instead of what they remember.
Ease into the routine.
Switching from a summer to a school schedule can be stressful to everyone in the household. Avoid first-day-of-school mayhem by practicing your routine a few days in advance. Set the alarm clock, go through your morning rituals, and get in the car or to the bus stop on time. Routines help children feel comfortable, and establishing a solid school routine will make the first day of school go much smoother.