How to prepare your kid for the first day of school: 6 tips

Ah, summer! This lovely, carefree season in the world of a child, with camps, visits to grandparents, or just never-ending stretches of playground games. And then, at the end of the season, a milestone appears: the first day of school.

Whether nervous, excited, or completely unaware in regards to starting school, your kiddo can always benefit from a little preparation.

We’ve gathered the top 6 tips for preparing your kid for the first day of school to help them have a whole year of learning fun.

1. Acknowledge the first day of school nerves

If this is your kid’s very first day of school, it’s no surprise that nerves may be firing on all cylinders as the new school year gets closer. You child may be thinking about the new rules and routines, what friends they might find in the classroom, and what it will be like to be away from their usual adults for a full day.

In the interest of comforting kids, we are often quick to dismiss such worries and try to convince them that everything will be fine. But while everything certainly will be fine, it can be a disservice to children not to take their worries seriously.

By acknowledging how our kids are feeling, we’re in a better position to help them accept their nerves and move forward. If your kid is nervous about school or hesitant to want to go, you can say, “I understand you. You think it’s a bit scary to go to the new school? What is it you’re worried about?”

This can open up a whole conversation where can talk about things like:

• what school is like

• times when you were nervous about trying something, and

• how in the end, something fun happened that helped you forget about your nerves.

Younger children may not be entirely sure what they’re nervous about. Offer suggestions about what other kids might think is scary about starting a new school. This is a great way for kids to work through their feelings and leaves them more empowered than they were before. 

2. Read books about the first day of school

A great way for kids to visualize experiences and process their feelings about the first day of school is through someone else’s experience. Reading books about the first day of school will both help them learn what kinds of things happen in a classroom and how a first day of school might look, as well as help them live vicariously through a character who may be dealing with similar feelings to their own.

Ask your local librarian for recommendations - they have absolutely been asked for this before. 

3. Act it out: play time prep

Another way that kids work through their emotions and practice various situations is through play. You can use this to your advantage and set up a whole make believe first day of school.

Arrange desks, prepare papers, make a name tag—anything your imaginations can make up. You can alternate being teacher and student, so your kiddo gets to have a measure of control and practice what the scenario might look like. They’ll be a little more prepared, and nothing is quite so scary when you’ve seen it up close.

4. Encourage their autonomy in the summer

Starting school, even in Kindergarten, means having to do a lot of things yourself. You are expected to keep track of your notebooks, hang up jackets and bags in your cubby, and remember where your lunchbox is. In order for your kid to feel capable and ready for their big-kid tasks in school, they’ll need to have an awareness and practice from home.

It’s often quicker and easier for adults to tie their kids’ shoelaces for them, keep track of snacks and which toys came along to the playdate, but in the long run it’s a disservice to kids to do everything for them. Instead, spend the summer encouraging your kid’s autonomy.

Let them have responsibilities that are just at their upper limits, and be sure to celebrate when they pull it off. Positive affirmations go a long way at this age when kids really love to do well, and this way they’ll go more confidently into the classroom.

5. Buy school supplies together

A fun way to prepare for the first day of school, especially with older kids, can be back-to-school shopping. Maybe they can have some say in which backpack they get, or pick out a few colorful notebooks or pens. This helps them get in the mindset that the start of term is around the corner, and excited to show friends a sparkly new accessory.

A lot of kids do hate shopping though, so consider whether this advice may set you both up for a mid-store meltdown before proceeding.

6. Create a school routine before school starts

As the school term approaches, start getting into an everyday routine a bit in advance. Summer is wonderful in all its freedom and fun, but going from late nights outdoors or meals at random times between water sprinkler runs straight to alarm clocks and rigid schedules can be a rude awakening, to say the least. By beginning to return to a more normal routine in the weeks leading up to the start of school, you’ll be in a better frame of mind once things are back to normal, and your kid is less likely to turn into an angry ball of protest right as you have to head out the door. 

Do you have any tips or tricks that have really worked for your family either to get back into the school routine or to help the littlest ones brave the very first day of school? We’d love to hear about it! Drop a line on our Facebook or Instagram and let other parents know what you know. For more tips and tricks in parenting, don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter. 

Once your kids are ready for school, you may realize that you have no idea what will happen when it’s time for pickup and in the hours until you are back from work. That’s where Smart Sitting’s trusted after-school sitters come in - experienced, fun, and ready to help with even the trickiest homework.

Reach out and we’ll find a SmartSitter to fill the final piece in your family’s childcare puzzle.