by Nautica Mourey

Created on: August 29, 2011

It is normal to be anxious on the first day of school, especially if it is a brand new school. Here are a few ideas to keep the anxiety levels low in your child as they take their first step into a new grade, or a new school.

First, attend open house. Open house is a chance for your child to see the school, meet the teachers, and have you, the parent, there if it is needed for support. While at open house, get your child’s schedule, if they have several classes. After you get the schedule, walk to each of the classes in the order that the child will attend them in school. With block scheduling this can be kind of tricky. Block schedules usually do odd classes one day and even classes another day. Make sure that you go in the right order for each day. Tell your child as you walk to the classroom what class you are going to, what day they will be going to the class, and what period. Let the child help you find the classroom. Your kid will have to be at the school every day and needs to know how to find things in the school alone.

While you are stopping by the classrooms, go in. Talk to your child’s teachers. Let your child introduce himself or herself. If your child is shy, introduce him or her to the teacher. Also, show your child where the front office, bathrooms, library, and cafeteria are. They will spend time in those areas of the school too. Allow your child to talk to other children at the open house, especially if it is a new school. It is never too early to make new friends.

Then, talk to your child about how he or she will be getting to school. Will they ride the bus? Are you going to take them to school? Talk to your child about what is expected before school and after school. If homework is supposed to be done when they get home, make sure that they know that. Surprises do not suppress anxiety, they increase it! The more that your child knows about what is expected of them, the better off they are, and the less anxious they will be.

Finally, get your child excited about going to school on their first day, and every day after. Get your child involved in activities that they like. If your child is into sports, talk to them about playing a sport and get them excited about it! The more excited that your child is, the less anxious they will feel.

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