How to Prepare for the First Day of School

First Day of School Preparation is key to a successful first day of school for your kids! Here’s how to prepare so your kids are ready for the first day!

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The first day of school is fast approaching and the relaxing, fun days of summer are about to end. Soon, there will be school bells, busses to catch, homework to do and earlier bedtimes. Children look to the first day of school with excitement and anxiousness. The following are six things you need to do for the first day of School Preparation for your kids! 

So What Do You Do to Prepare for the First Day of School?

Visit the School

Take your child to the school grounds and walk around. If they will allow you, take a tour. If you live in an area where they have back to school nights, take advantage of them. Let your child meet their teacher and see where their classroom will be. If there isn’t a meet the teacher available, email the teacher and set up a meeting if possible.

Giving your child the opportunity to see the school and meet their teacher will help alleviate some of their anxiety and stress about the first day. They will see that it isn’t such a scary place. It will give children returning to school the opportunity to show younger siblings around. By doing this, they will feel some pride and responsibility in their task.

Practice!

First day of school Preparation begins before the first day of school starts! Start practicing for the first day of school a week or two before school begins. Start school time bed routines. Ease your kids into earlier nights by sending them to bed fifteen minutes sooner each evening. You can get them up earlier each morning in preparation for the first day. Start having lunch at the same time they will have lunch at school, perhaps even pack it in their lunch box!  Getting back into a routine a week or two before school begins will make things easier and will not be such a shock to the kids when the first day arrives.

If your children ride the bus, have a trial run a day or two before school starts. Have your children practice getting ready and out to the bus stop, complete with backpacks and being on time. Then pick them up and take them out to breakfast or their favorite park for a picnic. If they don’t ride the bus, you can still do the same thing. Just have everyone make it to the car by a certain time. It’s a fun way to prepare everyone for the first day.

Prepare Your Home

Set up a homework area in your home. Maybe it’s a desk in the family room or an area in your child’s bedroom, but prepare a place for your children to do homework so they know where they will be expected to do their work each day.

Prepare a place for backpacks. You will probably want it to be close to where they can grab it in the morning as they are leaving so they won’t forget it. Talk to your child about where they are to put their backpack there when they come home each day.

School supplies seem to disappear quickly. Have an area where extra supplies are kept for when your child runs out. A place for a backup supply when your child needs more pencils or glue sticks will lessen future stress and meltdowns.

Preparation for these areas before school starts will save you some headaches and will help your child be better prepared for the first day.

Go School Supply Shopping

Take your child school supply shopping. Set a budget. Let your child know how much is available and let them help pick out the supplies necessary for the classes they will attend. Getting your children involved in shopping gives them an opportunity to have some ownership over the things they will take them each day. At the same time, you can teach them about money management and how to shop responsibly.

Spend Some Time With Each Child

Spend some one on one time with each of your children the last week before the first day arrives. Give them the opportunity to talk about what they are anxious about, and what they are looking forward to during this year. Set some goals with them. What do they want this year to look like? It would be a great time to share some memories about what it was like for you as a child. Spending some time talking with your child and sharing with them will help them feel less anxious about the first day and it will create a stronger bond between you and your child.

Print Your First and Last Day of School Printables

One of my favorite things to do to get ready for back to school is print “First Day of School Signs!” And guess what? we have them for you to download for FREE!

Salmon and Green Color First and Last Day of School Printable

First and Last Day of Preschool Greens and salmons

First Day and Last Day of Kindergarten Greens and Salmons

First and Last Day of First Grade Greens and salmons

First and Last Day of second grade Greens and salmons

First and Last Day of Third grade Greens and salmons

First Day and Last Day of Fourth Grade Greens and Salmons

First and Last Day of Fifth Grade Greens and salmons

First and Last Day of Sixth Grade Greens and salmons

Blue and Green Color First and Last Day of School Printable

First and Last Day of Preschool Blues and Greens

First and Last Day of Kindergarten Blues and Greens

First and Last Day of First Grade Blues and Greens

First and Last Day of Second Grade Blues and Greens

First and Last Day of Third Grade Blues and Greens

First and Last Day of Fourth Grade Blues and Greens

First and Last Day of Fifth Grade Blues and Greens

First and Last Day of Sixth Grade Blues and Greens

Celebrate

Have a back to school party. Invite some of your children’s friends over and celebrate the beginning of a new year. You could have a campout in the backyard with a tent, hot dog roast and s’mores. Maybe even a back to school brunch with apples, donuts, and milk and play some of your children’s favorite outdoor games. Perhaps even a book swap party and have the children bring a book wrapped up to give away. Having a celebration is a fun way to get everyone excited about the first day.

Following these six steps will help prepare your children for the first day of school and everyone will feel less stressed when that day comes and more excited to start the new school year.

Want more back to School ideas? Click here!

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