When the time comes to send your child off to school for the very first time, you might end up with a real knot churning up your stomach.
You’re worried how they’re going to cope away from you for hours on end. You’re worried about how they’ll interact with other children, and whether they might get bullied. And you’re worried they might find the school environment a bit ‘too much’, and need extra support to stay in school and enjoy it.
These are all natural things for parents to worry about, but they shouldn’t stop you or your child from getting to experience school in a positive way. As such, here are a few things you can do when worry is the only thing on your mind right now.
Walk Them Through Things They’ll Need to Do at School
Your child’s first day at school isn’t going to be anything serious, where they need to ‘knuckle down’ and plunge head first into work, toil, and focus.
In fact, their entire elementary education is simply going to be there to set them up for success later on in their schooling life.
So, if you were worried they needed to know addition and subtraction already, you don’t need to get into a fret about trying to teach them anything like that now!
Instead, you’re just going to want to show them the things they may need to do when they’re at school and are a bit more independent than they would be if they were with you.
For example:
- Going to the toilet on their own and washing their hands afterwards
- Taking their coat on and off, and hanging it up on a hook
- What they should say to a teacher if they don’t understand any instructions
Work with a therapist
If your child has special needs, and you’re concerned how they’re going to fare once they’re in a school environment, it might be worth talking to a therapist about ABA services you can run through.
These sessions can give you and your child a chance to practice communication and behavior that may help them when they’re in school.
Ask Them What They Think About School
School can be fun, and it’s nice to see your child be excited for this fun! It can really help alleviate any anxieties you have as their parent.
As such, ask them about specific fun things about being at school (i.e., talking to other children, playtime, lunch) and what they think it’ll be like.
Talk to Their Teachers
As a parent, you’ll always have the chance to talk to your child’s teachers about any worries you have.
Even before they’ve started school, you can email back and forth to find out about classroom setups, learning plans, extracurricular support, etc., and use that to help set your mind at rest.
If you’re worried about your child’s first days at school, use tips like these to help the both of you get prepared.
