Tips for sending kids to school for the first time
Posted Sep 1, 2016 7:38 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Many parents are dropping off their little ones at school for the very first time this year, and it can be emotional.
An expert says you can make the transition a little less worrisome for mom and dad — and kids, by planning, instead of panicking.
“It’s important that they have some sense of predictability and routine,” Child Psychologist Kelly Moroz said.
He suggests preparing new students for what their school day might look like, which could include touring the school and meeting teachers ahead of the first school bell.
“A few questions that could be asked when a child (is nervous), before they go to school or when they come home from school: ‘what are you afraid of?’, ‘what are the odds of it occurring?’, and most importantly ‘what would you do if this happened to you?,” Moroz said.
“Whether it means a poor relationship with a teacher, or nervous that you won’t be accepted at school, just having a bit of a plan of what you would do, should that happen to you, usually helps take away some of the worry.”
But what if it’s the adult that’s feeling uneasy?
“The most important thing a parent could do, probably, is to lead by example, when it comes to the routines, and winding down at bedtime, not worrying right at bedtime but talking calmly about things throughout a day,” Moroz said.
He explained, the parents’ behaviour tends to be reflected in the child.
