The Business of Getting Back to School
The best part of back to school time for me as a mom was seeing my kids so excited about school. As a family, we supported their excitement with visits to the school and their new classroom. We walked around the playground, met their teacher before school started, and attended open houses and back to school events. There was always a bit of nervousness around this time… “5th grade – would I really be able to be with the big kids in 5th grade!?” It’s
pretty normal for kids to feel that way so we talked about things and allowed those feelings to surface.
Combat some of this anxiety by doing these couple things for your kids.
Make it special. This is such a big deal for your kid. It’s huge. And it’s a big deal for you too. You
may be excited and nervous – but never let the nervous show! Start planning your family routines,
events and make this a fun time for you and your child. We had a couple special rituals that we did every year on the first day of school.
FIRST DAY of school picture. Every year we took a few minutes before we left for school to take
a family picture. Everyone was dressed in their new outfits, had fresh haircuts and gathered in the
flowerbed right outside the back door. I love those pictures. They love those pictures. We still look
at them and are flooded with memories of such sweet times. We took the same picture on the last
day of school. Every kid stood in the same place – with arms full of flowers for the teacher or treats
for the class. Love those pictures.
FIRST DAY of school dinner. We made a special dinner to celebrate the first day of school. The
kids set the table with extra excitement and a sense of anticipation knowing there was lots to share.
I don’t remember any of the menus any more – but I do remember how excited they were to tell
stories, give us the low down on the teacher and say who was in their class. Love those dinners.
Do your homework. Check out the school, the teacher, what happens at lunch, do they get a recess?
Find out everything you can so you know – so you’re your own expert. Tell your child a little at a time, enough to make them comfortable – but don’t overwhelm them with too much information all at once.
I have also created a back to school checklist to help you stay on task and reduce the tension as the first day of school approaches.
As the first day approaches, just keep it calm and focus on the fun and excitement of school starting.
