Tips from a Teacher for Kids Starting School

Children can react very differently to starting school depending on how you have prepared for it as a family.

Here are some ideas that will help keep the transition smooth and exciting rather than frustrating and scary!

- Try clothes and uniform on a few times before the big day to get used to how it feels and how it will fit. Encourage your child and let them know how grown up and smart they look. Begin to instil a healthy pride in making sure their uniform is neat and tidy. My dad always used to get us kids to polish our own shoes every Sunday night. I have never been able to feel comfortable with unpolished shoes since! An important preparation step for starting school!

- Pack the school bag together with all the supplies they will need

- Ask your child what they are looking forward to in regards to starting school and discuss the different activities they might be doing they can look forward to

- Find out from their new teacher some of the structure or routine of the day so you can begin to discuss that with your chid and help them know what to expect and look forward to it when they start school.

- When saying goodbye on the first day be positive and strong. Say your goodbye and leave. They may be upset but the teachers are professional and know how to distract your child and get them involved in different activities.

Soon enough your child will find a friend or an activity they love and will stop being upset. If there are continuous problems, you can be assured that the school will let you know. However the majority of the time children will start playing happily once you go and only remain sad and clingy if you hang around. It just prolongs the break from you that needs to come.

- Starting school may mean a different routine at home too. Set a regular time each day to do your child’s reading program or spelling words or whatever they have to do at home.

My routine was to come home, have afternoon tea and a good catch up with mum about the day, do my homework and then play. Make sure you know what is expected of your children as students and be available to help them with it.

Don’t fall into the trap (and this is the teacher in me talking) to do the work for your students. They may get a good mark but what has your child learnt? One day they won’t have you to do the work for them (because it’s too hard for us!) and they won’t have learnt the skills needed to do the work on their own. Just teach them to put aside that homework time regularly each day – even from year 1 and be there to help and support.

- Label EVERYTHING! Kids lose stuff so often but there is more likelihood of finding it again if your child’s name is plasted all over it! There are some great companies out there now that offer different types of labels for different types of objects. Washable labels, plastic labels, peel off labels etc etc.

- Be a part of the school family by helping out with canteen, sport days and special days in the school calendar. It makes the school experience even more meaningful because you are showing your children that it is important to you too. Children will respond by working harder and having a better attitude in class.

- Begin to develop a child’s independence before they start school. Children that have learnt independence to a certain degree adapt better to operating in a classroom situation.

Some ways you can do this are:

- Getting children to dress themselves each morning

- Helping with small jobs around the house that are their responsibility

- Packing their own bag when you go for day trips

Put each of these first day at school ideas well before the day arrives and you will find that starting school is not something to fear and dread but an exciting time for your child.

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