How to Make the First Day of School Easy

The first day of school can be a scary thing. New teacher, new classmates, and new things to learn. And if it’s a completely brand new school, too, it’s that much more nerve-racking. You don’t know your way around or know anyone. It’s enough to make even the most confident child lose some confidence. It doesn’t have to be a hard thing, though. Learn ways to make the first day of school easy for your child.

Seven Ways to Make the First Day of School Great

1. Be prepared. Get everything ready for the first day the night before. Choose what you’ll wear and have your lunch and backpack all packed and ready to go. Have a little extra pocket change for lunch or in case you meet someone new and he or she invites you to go to the local coffee shop after school. Then get a good night’s sleep. Nothing says bad first impression quite like falling asleep when someone is talking to you.

Related: 8 best books and blogs for inspired school lunches.

2. Eat a good breakfast. No matter how much of a nervous stomach you have, it’s not going to be made better by not having enough energy to get through the day. You can try a smoothie or oatmeal which might be a little easier on a nervous stomach.

3. Be friendly. If you smile, then you’ll be more approachable. Compliment others. This will also help you be more approachable.

4. Make friends. Don’t beg and be needy. Just be yourself. It might be easier to approach someone else who’s not with a group of people. He could be a new student too. That might make him more approachable.

5. Don’t be a moper. A positive attitude will make you much more approachable. So don’t complain about everything. Saying negative things about other people, the weather, or school in general might seem like the cool thing to do, but it can be a real turn-off. So turn on the charm and come at things with a positive twist.

6. Don’t judge your teachers. Remember, this is their first day too. You don’t know your teachers well enough to determine if they are nice or not. So give them a chance. You could keep a notebook about some of the things they say about their personal life and use it to break the ice with your teacher when you need it. When you make the teacher see that you are interested in them, then they will be more invested in you.

7. Practice your locker combination – if you have a locker, that is. Knowing your locker combo and being able to open it on the first try will save you time and embarrassment.

Having a positive attitude on the first day of school will really set the tone for the whole year. It doesn’t matter what you might have heard about that teacher you have been assigned to, or even what someone says about the kid who sits next to you in homeroom. One person’s experiences are not going to be the same for everyone. Things will be much smoother for you as long as you are prepared with all of the supplies that you need and have a positive attitude.

Help Your Child Overcome Fears about School

School can be very scary thing for kids, for some more so than others. And lately with the seemingly non-stop rash of school violence, it might seem even harder to help your child cope with the fear of going to school. But children need to attend school, so you have to help ease those fears. Here are ten ways to help your child overcome his or her fears about school.

How to Help Your Child Overcome Fears about School

1. It’s important to know that fears about school are very common. So don’t dismiss your child’s fears. Let him (or her) know that many experience similar fears. However, it’s important to talk about it to make sure there’s not something more going on – like maybe a bully or some sort of abuse. This is rare, but that’s why it’s important to not be dismissive of your child’s fears and be open to communication.

2. Make sure your child is taking care of the basics. Eating and sleeping are still important.

3. Help your child problem solve and come up with a plan to deal with these fears. Ask him, “What’s the worst case scenario of your fear?” Then ask, “And what can you do if that does happen?”

4. Role play with your child. If your child is fearful because of a bully, then try a little role play to help him come up with ways to deal with the bully.

5. Shift your child’s focus. Help your child see the good in things. Find something about school that your child enjoys and have him focus on that.

6. Make sure you’re not adding to your child’s anxiety. Sometimes our own fears about things can rub off onto our children. You need to make sure you aren’t expressing your own fears with your child. And if you are, then take some time to talk about it together. But make more of an effort to not put your fears on your child.

7. Create a routine. Many times a child’s fears revolve around just not knowing. So create a schedule so your child knows what to expect. It will help transition into the school routine.

8. Go to the school with your child. If it’s nervousness about the school and where classes are, then help them by going to school a few days before to walk around and figure out where classes are located or see the classroom. Take the unknown away and then there’s nothing to fear.

9. Talk to the teacher about your child’s fears and anxieties. Let them know so they can keep an eye on things and help address things, especially if you’re dealing with a bully situation.

10. Don’t pull your child out of school just because of fears. There are many things in life that will cause fear and we have to handle them. So you need to give your child the tools needed to handle these fears.

Communication is going to be key in making sure your child is comfortable with school. It might take a few days for your child to overcome these fears, so be patient and continue talking to your child and his teacher.

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