Preparing for the first day at primary school

Last year (2010) was when I had to prepare for my child’s first day at school. I remember it very well. It was a maelstrom of emotions. Excitement, apprehension, anxiety, panic and utter chaos – I have to say it felt like the most stressful day of my life.

With September fast approaching there are lots of parents who will be looking at getting through this most important of days. I thought it would be interesting to share my thoughts on how I think you can prepare yourself and your little one.

How to prepare for the first day of School

Have you got everything for school? Don’t wait until the night before to check you have everything. Do it as soon as possible. Have you got;

School uniform
PE kit and bag
Name labels for school? (Stuff will go missing)
Do you need pencils, rubbers, a book bag?
School Shoes (labels for school shoes)
Lunch bags/Boxes

Have you read the School’s information pack? Most of the answer will be in there.

Talk to your child

This might seem obvious to some parents. But it’s not a universal acknowledgement. I once heard one mum say, “She [child] doesn’t talk to me, so I don’t talk to her”.
Explain where they’ll be going and take the time to visit the school. We walked/drove past the school about a dozen times and in each occasion we brought up the subject.
Ask questions, and really listen to the answers. There are so many things that are obvious to adults that will be quite daunting to children.
Children love routines. Try and establish yours early. Talk to your child and get them involved in creating the new routine.
Some schools request your child to be able to perform certain activities. Going to the toilet themselves or knowing their own name.

Get ready for School the night before.

Believe me, the morning of the first day will be busy and time will disappear. So get ready the night before;

Iron clothes, get your child to help lay them out.
Do you have lunches ready
Book bags
Get shoes
Coats

On the big day

As they say “Keep Calm and Carry on”

Set the alarm.
Breakfast can be a stressful time. But I have found that between the ages of 4 and 5 children want to assert their independence more and more. Give them a choice.
Brush teeth before getting dressed.
There is a balance to be had in getting the kids dressed too early, as there is a risk that they could and have often have got mucky.

At the end of the first School day

At the end of the day, when I went to collect my little boy, I asked him, “So how was it?”. ”Okay” came the short response.

What I have found over the last year is the key to a relatively stress-free school run is to be prepared. If everything is lined up the night before, the following day should go smoothly.

Good Luck

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