You’ve got to love those enviable children who can walk into a classroom full of strangers and emerge with a dozen new best friends. If your child doesn’t come by this ability naturally, it may take a bit of orchestration to go from first day jitters to eagerly anticipated adventure. The start of a new school year is fast approaching, so here, in no particular order, are 10 ideas that I hope will smooth the way.
1. Be a good listener. Acknowledge and validate your child’s feelings, don’t brush them off. Share a story about a time when you had the jitters. Let him know that jitters and excitement often go hand in hand.
2. Organize a small ice cream party for young friends or neighbors who will attend school with your child. Remember to personally invite that parent & child who just moved in over the summer.
3. Arrange to meet on the morning of the first day at the bus stop or in the schoolyard. If you can, offer to transport a child or two whose parents’ work schedules don’t allow them to be there as long as they’d like that morning.
4. Visit the school’s playground a couple of times before the first day. Take a walk around the grounds. If your child is truly a newbie to the school experience, tell her what a fire drill is and how everyone in the building will line up outside and be counted. On a lighter note, try out the swings and the jungle gym.
5. While you’re visiting the grounds, you might notice a few cars in the parking lot. Most likely, the teachers and the principal are inside preparing for the children’s arrival. Go to the front office and introduce yourself and your child, and ask for a quick tour of the building.
6. If good timing is on your side, your child’s teacher will be there and the principal will introduce you. (Your visit inside shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes. This is a very busy time for the principal and faculty.)
7. Say thank you for the tour/introduction with a small goodie bag containing a couple of pencils, glue sticks, bookmarks or stickers to add to the teacher’s classroom supplies. Perhaps your child would like to enclose a note to the teacher. Something like It was fun to meet you and see my new classroom. It doesn’t have to be beautifully neat or perfectly spelled. Teachers love the real thing from a child. This should be just a very small token. The teacher will be pleasantly surprised and giving it will make your child feel special.
8. Some primary grade teachers send their students a “Welcome” postcard the week before school begins. I can assure you that your child’s teacher will be tickled to receive a postcard from a student. Just a few words will do – Hope you had a nice summer. See you soon! If you don’t know which teacher your child will have, address it to Suzy Smith’s Teacher and mail it to the school a couple of days before classes start. It will end up in the right hands, I promise.
9. Pack something special for your child’s snack or lunch on the first day, and tuck a little love note in with it. Children light up when they find an unexpected note from home part way through their day.
10. Most importantly, if you have any anxiety about your child’s upcoming first day, keep it to yourself. Your job in this situation is to be a gentle model of strength and confidence.
Please make the time for numbers 1 and 10. From all the other ideas, pick and choose.
Have a great school year!
Cielle
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