Beating First-Day-of-School Jitters

Holly Easterby says her week is never complete without spending some of her time around kids. She loves sharing stuff about them at Bonza Brats and in blogs such as this one. In here, she writes about how parents can help their children overcome first-day school jitters. School is about to start or probably has started! Finally! Your small tot is all grown up. In a few days’ time, he will be putting on his new backpack, getting on the bus, and will be making new friends at school. Or so you thought. After shopping for school supplies, your kid has now developed cold feet over going to school. Ah! It’s the first-day school jitters. This is quite normal. Kids from all ages could suffer from it. Some of the reasons why children during their first day are nervous include transferring to a new school, worries about fitting in, and fear of being in a new environment. No worries! There are several ways by which you can help your kid overcome this.

Tips for First Day School Jitters

1. Visit the school together before school starts. It would make a difference for your kid if the two of you will visit the school together prior to the start of classes. Kids may be scared of going to school since it is indeed fearful to be in a place where they will be sitting next to strangers. When they see the school beforehand, they will at least be able to explore its surroundings a bit, enabling them to get comfortable with it.
2. Tell stories of how great school was for you. Put your kid’s fears to rest by telling them how it was fun for you in school. One of the ways to do this is by showing them some of the activities you did as a student when you were their age. Most kids love art projects, so show your child how to paint a house.
3. Accompany your kid on the first few days. While some kids find it easy to transition from their home life to school life, some don’t. If your kid asks you to come with him inside the class, then you may need to do so. He needs you to be there physically for emotional support.
4. Talk to the teacher. Find help from your kid’s teacher when your child is nervous about going to school. There are children dealing with their first day of school whose greatest fear is being scolded by their teachers.
5. Don’t be late when picking kid from school. You can make matters worse if you do not show up when the school bell rings. Remember that your child is already agitated about going to school in the first place and making him wait will make him feel abandoned in his misery.
6. **Read books.**There are many popular titles for helping children cope with first day of school.The kissing hand ione of the most sought after books by teachers.

Final Thoughts

For kids who are attending school for the first time, it may take several days to get used to the new teacher, classmates and environment. But don’t let this be a permanent arrangement. Help your kid enjoy school by employing the tips mentioned above. For the older kids who are having back to school jitters, you can help ease this by talking to your child. See this in their perspective so that the two of you would be able to come up with the best Author: Holly Easterby Holly’s love for children has seen her featured in many education and children websites, whether talking about healthy snacks, motivating students or children’s fashion at Bonza Brats. Holly loves reading books, and shopping is her way of spending time with her young family. If you would like to catch her, you can via Google+ or Twitter: @HollyEasterby