The Big Day - Starting Primary School
The Big Day: Starting School The first day of school marks one of the biggest milestones in your child's life.
The days where they were devoted to their parents are over as they make their own way in the world and begin developing their own, independent lives.
The thought of your little one venturing out there with limited guidance can be a daunting and emotional time, and there are likely to be tears from both sides.
However preparing your child, and yourself, for that first day doesn't mean it has to be chaos! Bellow are our favourite snippets of advice - from parents who have been there and done it - which aim to help make the day as stress free as possible, both for parent and child.
Check Out the Surroundings The next six years of your child's life will be spent in the grounds of the school you have chosen for them.
If you haven't already, take a look around and see where your child will be spending the majority of their time and familiarise yourself with it.
Most primary schools tend to host a summer fete - a great opportunity to speak to current students, teachers and other parents.
Trial (school) Run Perform a test run of the school morning from start to finish.
Getting a feel for how long it takes to get your children up, dressed, ready and deposited safely at their school can take a weigh off your mind when it comes to being punctual.
The last thing you want is to be running around like a headless chicken when the day finally comes! Rules and Regulations Although it may seem unreasonable, schools have policies and rules in place for a reason.
Find out what the rules are on uniform, shoes and hairstyles beforehand.
If you choose to break the rules it will only result in unnecessary anxiety for you and your child.
Get the Gear Make a checklist of everything your child needs for school including their uniform, backpack, stationary and PE kit and get everything together in advance.
There is nothing worse than getting to the big day and realising that the only socks your daughter has are bright pink or your son has outgrown his shoes.
The Night Before Have everything prepared.
Start as you mean to go on and pack up bags and lunches the night before, have uniforms, shoes and coats where you can easily find them and settle your child in for a good nights sleep.
Set your alarm for a reasonable time and make sure you rest well yourself.
Brave Faces Even the most hardened of parents wobble as they watch their once baby put their uniform on and walk through those school gates, so advanced preparation is the key.
The most important thing you can do is remain confident - your child will pick up on your positive mood and it will boost their confidence as a result.
If you can hold yourself together on the day, they will walk straight through those gates without a care in the world.
Stand Back When the bell goes it can be tempting to go in with your child - especially if they are upset.
Take a step back and let them go in by themselves.
The teacher or classroom helpers are always on hand to help them settle and by break time they will have completely forgotten about it.
If you keep your child involved in the entire process - letting them choose their own lunch box/backpack and teaching them how to put on and fold their uniform & PE kit - they are likely to be nothing more than excited about their very first day at school and you can rest assured that they will be just fine.
The days where they were devoted to their parents are over as they make their own way in the world and begin developing their own, independent lives.
The thought of your little one venturing out there with limited guidance can be a daunting and emotional time, and there are likely to be tears from both sides.
However preparing your child, and yourself, for that first day doesn't mean it has to be chaos! Bellow are our favourite snippets of advice - from parents who have been there and done it - which aim to help make the day as stress free as possible, both for parent and child.
Check Out the Surroundings The next six years of your child's life will be spent in the grounds of the school you have chosen for them.
If you haven't already, take a look around and see where your child will be spending the majority of their time and familiarise yourself with it.
Most primary schools tend to host a summer fete - a great opportunity to speak to current students, teachers and other parents.
Trial (school) Run Perform a test run of the school morning from start to finish.
Getting a feel for how long it takes to get your children up, dressed, ready and deposited safely at their school can take a weigh off your mind when it comes to being punctual.
The last thing you want is to be running around like a headless chicken when the day finally comes! Rules and Regulations Although it may seem unreasonable, schools have policies and rules in place for a reason.
Find out what the rules are on uniform, shoes and hairstyles beforehand.
If you choose to break the rules it will only result in unnecessary anxiety for you and your child.
Get the Gear Make a checklist of everything your child needs for school including their uniform, backpack, stationary and PE kit and get everything together in advance.
There is nothing worse than getting to the big day and realising that the only socks your daughter has are bright pink or your son has outgrown his shoes.
The Night Before Have everything prepared.
Start as you mean to go on and pack up bags and lunches the night before, have uniforms, shoes and coats where you can easily find them and settle your child in for a good nights sleep.
Set your alarm for a reasonable time and make sure you rest well yourself.
Brave Faces Even the most hardened of parents wobble as they watch their once baby put their uniform on and walk through those school gates, so advanced preparation is the key.
The most important thing you can do is remain confident - your child will pick up on your positive mood and it will boost their confidence as a result.
If you can hold yourself together on the day, they will walk straight through those gates without a care in the world.
Stand Back When the bell goes it can be tempting to go in with your child - especially if they are upset.
Take a step back and let them go in by themselves.
The teacher or classroom helpers are always on hand to help them settle and by break time they will have completely forgotten about it.
If you keep your child involved in the entire process - letting them choose their own lunch box/backpack and teaching them how to put on and fold their uniform & PE kit - they are likely to be nothing more than excited about their very first day at school and you can rest assured that they will be just fine.
Source...