Starting Kindergarten with a Bang!

Sending your baby off to big kid school for the first time can be daunting, emotional and exciting all at the same time. Starting kindergarten is a major milestone in every child’s life so it’s important to make that first day as great as possible for them. As the parent, you can’t control how the school day goes but you can control whether they get off to a good start. Here are a few tips to make your kindergartener’s first day of school a super success:

• Don’t rush through the open house. Give your kiddo plenty of time to explore the classroom, meet the teacher, and meet a few classmates if possible. The more they explore, the more secure they will feel on that first day.
• Buy school supplies together! Let then have a say in what their new book bag or lunch box looks like. This is a great way to get them excited for the first day.
• Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep for several nights leading up to his or her first day of school. If the summer bedtime schedule has been a bit more lax, get back into the school routine for at least a week prior to school starting so that their little bodies can adjust.
• Get up a little earlier than usual to make them a hearty, healthy, and special breakfast. Starting the day right is always important and there is no better way to do that than with breakfast.
• If they are riding the bus for the first time, do a test walk to the bus stop the day before so that they feel more comfortable. If possible, find a buddy in the neighborhood for them to ride with on that first day of school so they don’t feel alone.
• Save your emotions for after they are on the bus or in the school building. This can be a very emotional morning for parents full of nerves, sadness, joy and excitement. Keep that first goodbye short, excited and encouraging. You can bust out in sobs later.

Some kids are excited about the first day of kindergarten while other kids are very anxious. If your child is excited, be excited with them! The longer we can keep them excited about school the better. However, if you have a child who is anxious about kindergarten, role-play as much as possible. Connect with their teacher and get details about that first day- schedule, activities, snack time, and more. Once you have the details, you can rehearse the different parts of the day to make them feel safer and more secure.

I wish you all a fun, exciting and successful first day of school! It’s going to be a great school year for all!