Continuing on from last week, here are four more ways to help ease first day of school nerves…
Discuss ‘what if’ scenarios
If your child is nervous about particular scenarios, go through them together and talk about what they should do if that scene arises. For example, if they’re worried about having a toilet accident, discuss what they should do and point out the place in their school bag where there’ll be a spare pair of underpants.
Get them involved in the school shop
Ask your child to help with school shopping so they can be involved in the preparations for the first day. For exampl`e, they could choose a drink bottle and lunchbox set, or help you put labels on his things. You could also talk about what they’d like to eat for lunch and snacks while they’re at school.
Discuss the morning routine
Kids love routines as they help with predictability and give them a sense of security, so talk about how the schedule will go for each school morning, including that all-important first day. You can even create a visual list detailing the routine using images and place this where your child will see it every day. That way, when the first day of school comes around, your child will be more than familiar with how the morning will pan out.
Plan a special activity
As the first day of school approaches, plan a special activity for when you pick up your child, so they have something to look forward to after school. For example, going for a milkshake or special treat, which can give you both the opportunity to chat about how the day went and commemorate the special occasion.
