By Shelley Heaphy
Fluttery tummies, as they are referred to in our home, are synonymous with the common butterflies many children, parents and teachers experience in the days leading up to . . .
the first day of school. Everyone awaits this day with so much anticipation, so many questions running through everyone’s brain and worries accumulating over the upcoming year.
Which friends will I meet this year? Who will my teacher be? Will I get to sit with my friend? Will there be lots of communication with the teacher? Will my child get picked on? Will my class settle in well on the first day, and on and on. Once that first day is under your belt the rest of the days seem a little easier to swallow, hopefully.
How to prepare our children to handle the butterflies of the first day of school. I have no idea really because I still get them. You know your child best, so of course what one person tries may not work for everyone.
Some kids are so excited for new beginnings and others are anxious. I have a little girl that is always thinking, wondering and questioning. She can be anxious in new situations and really likes to know what to expect. My tried and true strategies are as follows, with a couple of new ideas thrown in.
- We talk about school, a lot, all summer long. What to expect, what they’ll be learning, who she’ll be with.
- We get ready for school together; buy school supplies, clothes, backpacks, water bottles etc., together. We label supplies together and pack lunch together.
- We review what the first day of school is going to look like, “Dad will drop you off at school, you’ll get to see your classroom and friends, have recess, have lunch, play lots, and take the bus home. We will wait for you at the bottom of the hill.”
- We talk about what she’s excited for and what makes her nervous – in that order. Keep reminding them of the things they’re excited about and help them to be more comfortable about the things that worry them. For instance, if they’re worried they won’t be able to find their classroom remind them that there will be something special on their door the first day of school and once they see it they can remember that, or perhaps there’s a number on the door.
- We talk about which days are school days, which days are home days, PD days and holidays. It may help to get a calendar out and colour code it with school days, home days, PD days etc. It will be a visual for them to know which days they are home with you.
- We get together with friends who are going to be in her class. This way they’ll have someone they feel comfortable playing with those first few days before they meet some new friends.
- We attend any events the school has, in the spring, the Spring barbecue and in the fall, when there is one, we attend the Welcome back barbecue.
- Celebrate the butterflies. Talk about how exciting new beginnings are, all the new things they’ll get to do in this higher grade. Read books about starting school. If your child is starting kindergarten, a quick google search will land with you tons of titles.
- Celebrate their teacher. Talk about how they can always ask their teacher questions, their teacher will always be there for them. Paint the classroom teacher with a beautiful paint brush as that is the person that is going to care about them most over the next year. As a parent, we need to remember to be on the teacher’s side and to keep communication open with them. This is best for your child.
I hope that all of our little ones, teachers and parents have the absolute best first day of school ever. Try and get some sleep the night before the big day but chances are it’ll be a sleepless night for many.
