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Preparing for Their First First-Day of School

By: Dan Meade
Provided by WorldNow

Crayons?  Check!  Glue?  Check!  Backpack, lunchbox, notebook?  Check!  Readiness to leave home and attend school for the first time?  Check?

Gathering all the supplies, name tags, and lunch snacks together for your child's first ever day of school may seem like a lot of work, but it is only one part of the preparation progress. Every child and every situation is different, but before any child goes to school for the first time, in addition to teaching them the basics like their ABCs, parents need to make sure that they are emotionally and mentally ready.

Young children cannot be expected to be ready to leave home for many hours a day and interact with strangers without being prepared. To some it might seem like an adventure, but to others, school can seem like a strange and scary place.

Getting your little ones ready for their first first-day of school can be as easy as 1-2-3 if you follow these three steps:

1 - Introduce what the idea of "school" is and what happens there.

One of the best ways to prepare your child for school is to introduce the idea of structured time. In school, children will have to focus and pay attention to lessons and group activities, and be able to retain the basics of the lesson. A great way to build a child's attention span and retention abilities, and to help them down the path to becoming a strong reader, is to read to them, early and often.

The Board of Education recommends that you begin reading to your child when they are six months old. They won't understand much at that age, but it gets them - and you - used to the idea of spending time together with books. As they grow older, and move toward school age, continue reading with them, gradually reading longer or more complex children's books. Ask them questions about the books to help them think critically and retain information about what they heard. This is as easy as asking, "What do you think will happen next?" before turning the page.

The more you read to your children, the more they become accustomed to sitting and paying attention to one thing for stretches of time. As your child grows older, bring him to your local library, many of which offer reading programs that will make the practice of sitting in a group with other children listening to a story familiar to your child.

While at the library, or at a local book store, find books about children going to school for the first time, and read them with your child. These books will explain what school is and what happens there, giving your child knowledge about where she is going. More times than not, these books will get children excited about the prospect of going to school themselves.

2 - Show your child the school that they will be attending.

Some schools invite prospective students to come into the school and enter a classroom for a short period of time, so that both teacher and student can be introduced to one another. This also allows the parents to see if the school is a match for what they want for their child.

If the school you have chosen does not offer this, and your child does not have any older siblings or friends who are already attending their future school, your child may be apprehensive about the idea of going to a strange place. Luckily, there are steps you can take to make them familiar with the school.

You can drive past the school weeks or even months in advance pointing it out to your child. Each time, say to them, "See, that's the school where you're going to be going soon" until they gain an understanding of where the school is and what it looks like.

Once they are accustomed to where the school is, you can begin bringing them there. Many schools have a playground area or a yard that may be open to the public. On weekends or after school has let out for the day, bring your child for a visit, so that they become comfortable being there. As their first day approaches, bring them when the school children are there, so that your child can see for themselves what their school will be like.

Also, if your school has one available, be sure to pick up a checklist of supplies that they recommend your child have when school starts. You can begin shopping with your child for their supplies to get them more involved in the preparations for their approaching first day.

3 - Help them with their self-help skills.

By school age, a child should be able to do many things for themselves. The more tasks that a child can do himself, the more self-empowered he will feel. As an added bonus, parents will find that by having their children help themselves, things will be easier for them.

Frequent activities like zippering their own jacket, opening their own juice boxes, and cleaning up their toys and other belongings are all tasks that children should be able to do themselves, or with a minimum of adult help. The more that they can do, the more "Look what I can do all by myself!" moments they will have.

A measure of independence will be expected in Kindergarten, because teachers will not be able to help each and every child with every task at every moment. For example, during the winter, when jackets, mittens, hats, and boots seem to be everywhere, a child's ability to dress herself will be very useful.

While teaching your children to do things for themselves, you can turn them into your own "little helpers" at home - delegating small tasks to them. Even a task such as placing the napkins and (non-sharp) utensils around the table can make dinner less hectic for parents, and lets the children know they helped and that they could do it "all by myself."

Finally, as their first day approaches, after you've gotten your children ready, remember to get yourself ready too.

It may not be "Empty Nest Syndrome," but your child is "leaving" to go to school. It is a big step in the growing up process, and will take some time for you and your child to get used to.

Remember that children take many of their cues from their parents. If Mom and Dad are worried and sad about school starting, these emotions will inform how a child will see school. When you drop them off for the first time, or put them on the bus for the first time, yes, you can cry, but be sure to also tell them how proud you are of them, and that you know that they will do great, and that you can't wait to hear all about their first day when they come home.

Hopefully, they will have had a wonderful first day and they will be excited to tell you all about it. You can sit back and enjoy their excitement and relax ... until it's time to get them ready for First Grade.

Before joining WorldNow, Dan Meade worked for many years in a pre-school where he witnessed many first first-days of school. Each year, he also witnessed many eager and excited children "graduating" on their way to Kindergarten.