How to Prepare Your Student for the First Day of School

How to prepare your child for the first day of school is one of the best rewards you can offer your child. Weather you child is beginning elementary school, middle school or high school, preparing them both mentally and physically will help your child in the long run.

It is important to prepare your child for new situations, new expectations and their new surroundings. If you are new to the school district or have lived in the district all your life will depend on how you prepare your student for a new school and the first day of school.

First and foremost, how are you feeling as a parent sending your child off to school?  I was anxious, nervous, excited and very emotional when both of my children started school.  A key factor is not to show your negative emotions to your child.  They need to know that mom and dad are on board with them.  They need to feel the comfort of knowing where you are going to be while they are at school.  If they see that you are sad, many young children will not want to leave because mommy or daddy is sad that they are leaving to go to school.  I bawled my eyes out after my children started their first day of school; tears they didn’t see, nor did they need to see!

Mental preparation is one of the key elements in preparing your child for new school year.  Dependent upon how old your child is, there are different levels of preparing your student for a new school year.  Are you new to the area of the school district or have you lived there all your life?  Does your child already have friends or siblings that they will know in school?

If your child is already familiar with the elementary school they will be attending, they are mentally aware of where the school is.  They may have even been inside with older siblings or gone with you to a community event at the school.  Several weeks before school begins, take your elementary student to the school and walk around the outside.  If the playground is accessible, take time for several play dates at the play ground.  This will help them feel comfortable at recess as they already will have had time to familiarize themselves with the playground.

Attend all of the open house and new student orientations with your child.  The more your child is in the school, the more comfortable they will be at school when it begins.  Take time to explore your child’s classroom with them at the open house.  Walk through the entire school, including the cafeteria and gymnasium.  Encourage your child to look around and really see their surroundings.  Comfort your child by letting them know that they will be safe at school. 

When purchasing back to school supplies, make sure your child is able to pick out key supplies.  Their backpack, pencils, crayons, etc.  This will make them feel a bit more grown up and they will have a backpack that they love and want to take to school.

Let your child know where you are going to be when school is out for the day.  If they are going to daycare or going home, they need to mentally know where you are going to be.

The middle school and high school students are a bit easier to prepare.  They have already done their time in elementary school and might not be as excited to return to school in the fall.

It is as important for your middle school student and high school student to know their surroundings as much as possible.  They will be encountering in middle school a new way of life.  Moving from one classroom to another can be a bit overwhelming the first week.  They also will have to memorize their schedule, lock combinations and where their locker is located.  Your student may have a new pin number for the cafeteria to memorize.  Band students will have a band instrument that needs to go to the band room at the beginning of each day.  There are many factors that go into a day at middle school.  The sooner they know the layout of the school, the easier it will be for them to get around.  Knowing their surroundings will also give them more confidence.

Take time to talk with your middle school student about meeting new kids.  If they are new to the school, encouraging them to talk with kids and be social will help them make friends easier.  If they are moving into a middle school in the same community as their elementary school, they will already have a strong group of friends.  It is a time for development.  They will make new friends, find new clothing trends that fit their “image” and they will start finding themselves in a new light.  Embrace it as much as you can. 

Most middle schools offer an array of clubs and after school activities.  Encourage your child to take part in one or more of these clubs or activities.  It will help them grow and stay involved in the school.

Make the time to go to all of the parent and student orientations.  Your child may be entering into middle school, but they still need to know that you are there for them.  They may not like that you are involved in the school, but parent involvement is key to any good school.

Preparing your high school student is very similar to preparing your middle school student. Your student may or may not be as eager to have you with them; after all, it is high school! High school is bigger and there will be more kids. Talk with your child about upper and lower classman status. As freshman, it is important that they understand that they are freshman!

It is unfortunate that we also have to really take the time to talk with them about drugs, drinking and smoking. We may have had this chat with our students during their middle school years, but a good long discussion before high school is very important. Drugs and alcohol are problematic at every high school. It doesn’t matter if you are at the richest school in the district or the poorest school – the drugs are there. Your student needs to feel comfortable talking to you about drugs and alcohol – so they know that they can come to you if they have been asked to purchase drugs or drink alcohol at a high school party. Your student also needs to feel comfortable with his/her school counselor to discuss these issues.

Encourage your child to participate in school, not just in classes, but in school activities, sporting events, or after school clubs. It is a proven fact that kids who participate in band, choir or other school activity do well. It also helps them prepare for college and looks great on their college applications.

I believe this is one of the most important things I ever did for my kids.  They didn’t like it much, but benefitted in the long run.  Prepare your child to be physically ready for school after summer break is very important.

The week prior to the first day of school, I start the physical preparation.  It is really quite easy, but oh will they complain!  First rule of thumb, they have to go back to their school bedtime.  It is imperative that they get at least eight hours of sleep.  For my daughter, it was 10 hours of sleep, for my son it is a solid seven hours of sleep (he was never a good sleeper).  I wake them up in the morning as if they were starting school.  They have to shower and get ready just as though it is a school day.  When the kids were younger, we had baths before bed. We have breakfast and make lunches.   They are required to read more during this final week of summer vacation to prepare them for their days at school.  The television and video games are put back on a school schedule too!

Once school begins, I make sure that they have a good breakfast.  I don’t care if it is last night’s pizza.  I believe strongly that they do better with a full stomach.  I never encouraged caffeine and neither of my children drink caffeinated beverages.

We have also gone over the school lunch menu, so we know by the calendar which day lunches need to be made to take to school.  One piece of fruit and one serving of vegetables go in the lunch, it makes me feel better!

Each night before bed, they need to have their back packs ready by the front door.  If necessary, you may want to help them pick out their clothes the night before also.

Following this routine the week prior to the start of school really does help alleviate some stress on the first day of school.  A routine has already been started at home.

Helping your child to be mentally and physically ready for the first day of a new school year is so important.