Sooo… who is slightly hyperventilating in secret at the fear of your baby growing up and heading off to school? You may be experiencing all the feels with this transition as you gear up for back to school and it’s totally normal.
All the Feels
As a kindergarten teacher and mama I, too, understand all those feelings. As each day gets closer to the first day of school I worry about whether everything is ready. But, I know one thing to be true – when that first day of school arrives everything will go the way it’s suppose to and I did my best to prepare for it. The same will go for you. I promise.
The Most Important Thing
The most important things are not the supplies or the outfits but your mindset. Yes, your mindset. Your child will read and feed off of you. If you appear as that fearless mama who is excited for their new adventure because you know they will rock it, then your child is more likely to also feel that way. This mindset helps significantly with those first day of school nerves some children feel.
Let’s be honest, we all get nervous and worry for our children and they may appear scared or cry but as soon as you walk out that door your baby is in good hands. Somehow teachers are the masters at the art of distractions, especially when it comes to those first few days of school.
Preparation and Routines
Encourage your little one to get a good night’s sleep (I know sometimes that’s easier said than done), eat a good and healthy breakfast in the morning and have clothes picked out the night before.
If your picky eater has not attended the school and this will be their first time experiencing cafeteria lunches, it may not be a bad idea to pack a snack and lunch for them for those first few days until they see that other kids eat cafeteria lunches too. I know that sounds a bit extreme but you’d be surprised how much a lunch can set a child off those first few days when they’re getting adjusted to new routines.
Ask About School
Don’t forget to ask them detailed questions other than the general “how was your day?” or “what did you do today?”
Most likely you’ll get some sort of newsletter or craft your child created from those first few days and you can use those as tools to ask them questions.