Dealing with first day jitters

The first day of prep school can be an anxious experience for both you and your child. Prepare your child so that she or he looks at this as a new, exciting event.

“Mama, I want to stay at home with you”

It’s not just your child who goes through this. Anxiety about starting school for the first time is completely normal. So, don’t panic or avoid your child’s uneasiness. Instead, encourage her to talk about her anxieties and answer as honestly and positively as you can. Make your child feel at ease with this environment change by talking to her in a relaxed fashion.

Be prepared

Make sure that you have a list of everything that the child will need to bring to school. Meet the counselor so that you have a complete list. Label all her belongings clearly to avoid loss and confusion for your child.

It’s hard to say goodbye

Be it playschool, nursery or kindergarten, goodbyes are the times that most children and parents fear. While some kids find it fun to go to school, there are others who almost always are uneasy on school opening eves.

This could be due to various reasons – separation anxiety, missing a sibling/parent/friend, fear of the unknown, etc.

Try talking about going to school before the d-day. Talk to your child and listen to his/her views, fears and feelings about going to school. Tell stories of your own childhood. Get your child to feel comfortable about going to a new environment and be excited to meet new children.

Rehearsal dinner, breakfast and lunch

Before setting the child out alone for this new experience, give her a rehearsal of what it is to go to school. Talk with your child about going to school, meeting new children, playing, having fun, etc. Chat with your child about how first days at school are.

Play a ‘going-to-school’ game and actually drive down to the school area. If possible, check out the classrooms with your child and point out areas that might interest him/her. Check out the playground. If allowed, meet the teacher and introduce your child, so that the child feels at ease to see the teacher on the first day.

If there are other children you know who are also starting school, better if it is the same school, let your child meet the kids and get familiarized with them. You too could meet the parents and have a chat regarding first days to help you deal with your worries.

Some kids find it difficult to adjust to school time-tables. To help your child be on time and not spoil her day due to grogginess, try implementing a subtle time-table at home. Try going to bed early, waking up on time, and having food at fixed times, a month or so before school starts. This would help the child adjust smoothly to the new timings and avoid a jerky start.

D-day butterflies

As rehearsed earlier, do the same on the first day of school. Wake up on time to have a peaceful breakfast. Instead of letting the child realize how much you will miss her or be concerned about her, let your child feel the excitement, of going to school. Chat about all the fun she can have in school. When at school, let your child meet the new kids around, see the classroom and meet the teacher.

If your child gets upset, do not panic. Instead take her around to see the class, meet the teacher, and just when you feel your child is feeling at ease, leave without wasting much time. Always say goodbye to your child before your leave. She should not feel that she has been abandoned. There’s always the possibility of calling up the school to check on the child, so don’t stay around the school for long once you’ve said goodbye.

“Oh, how can I just leave my child all alone and go?”

This one is for parents! Most parents go through separation pangs or separation anxiety when a child starts school for the first time. They worry constantly about whether the child will adjust, if the teacher is capable enough and empathetic enough, whether other kids at the school are friendly, about the hygiene at the school, and so on…

Again, your child may cry. Remember it is perfectly normal for children to cry when they are separated from their parents and are in new surroundings. Most schools, like The Pupil Tree Prep schools, are prepared for this and have a process in place to ease the transition.

Research has shown that many children who cry settle down soon after their parents leave and start looking around and playing. Separation is often harder for the parents than for the children!

School was fun for you, and it would be the same for your children. So, encourage them to enjoy their school experience.