Who
among you haven’t experienced hiding behind doors and walls of your child’s
classroom? Or run as fast as you could so your child won’t notice you leaving. And
worst, stay all day inside the classroom for your child’s comfort. These things
all happen on the first day of school.
First
day of school have always been a struggle for parents, teachers and especially
for first-time students. But at this point, going to school should not be a
chore. Let children think that going to school is just part of playing rather
than playing as part of going to school. The best thing to do is to make any
activity and preparation fun for your child. Don’t make them feel that
everything is a requirement. It should appear to the child that they are having
fun, that they go to school to play with friends and be excited about the
activities prepared for them. But if parents make too big a deal out of this
milestone, they and the child may end up being more worried than excited.
From
different readings and from my own observation as a teacher and a parent, here
are some very child-centered tips on how to surpass the waves of first-day of
school.
- Do things together - Ask when you
can tour the school with your child and have a visit at the preschool together
twice or thrice. When you enroll, bring him with you. Then, purchase
school stuffs together.
- Give Him a Sense
of What to Expect - Let your child know weeks before that he’s going
to meet and play with new friends. The night before, tell him that the fun
day has arrived. Let your child choose clothes and a toy to bring
for her first day.
- Arrive early
- Be sure to leave the house a way earlier so you're not rushing. Rushing
can make you and your child anxious. Late comers usually get uneasy and
feels unblended. Allot time for kids to warm up.
- Pay attention to non-verbal messages –
Children tends to be timid when they are in unfamiliar place, although
they keep on playing. As soon as your child is having a little warm up,
observe him closely. Address the things where he seem to be struggling
like asking for his turn or wanting to borrow a toy.
- Invent a special
parting ritual — such as a high-five, or saying “I’ll see you later”
rather than purely saying “Bye Bye”. Or something like, "I'll be back
to get you soon, long before we see the moon."
- Never sneak off -
always let your child know you're going and that you will come back. Don’t
make excuses to leave, you will soon ran out of reasons. If it's your
child's first time, ask to stay in the preschool room until your child is
comfortable with you leaving.
- Resist the rescue - When your
child has expressed readiness to be left alone, try not to run back in the
classroom if you hear him crying. This is a big change and your
child may feel sad and a little scared. But if you run back in, it
sends the message that he is only okay if you are there and it is likely
to prolong your child’s distress and make it harder for him to adapt.
Within
the day, we never know what might actually happen in school. Everything we’ve done and prepared for may go out of their way. This will test how great parents
are in coming up with plans B, C, D and so on. But rest assured that teachers also
have many years of experience with helping families make the shift to
preschool.
How
about you, have you had any successful strategy on how to handle your child’s
first day of school? We would love it if you can share your successful
parenting tips so we can all help our first-time students and their parents.
With You Every Step of the Way,
Teacher Belle <3
Credits to the photo contributors.
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