Since children love familiarity and routine, getting into a school going groove can be especially helpful for kids starting preschool, nursery school or kindergarten in the fall. A month or so before my child first started school, I started taking steps to make sure he knew what to expect in school when he got there for the first time. For tips on how to prepare your child for the first days of school, read my article "Off to School: Getting Your Child Ready For Starting School". For a list of suggested books for kids that will help prepare for starting school for the first time, read my article "Suggested books to help kids prepare for starting kindergarten or preschool."
Practice going to school: I walked or drove my child to school a couple of times each week. In the beginning, we did it at any hour, but towards the end, we practiced around school time. This helped him get familiar with the route and routine. I pointed out the signs, the speed hump, classrooms and any visible play equipment.
Describe what will happen on the first day/read books: I shared my own memories of school. We sang songs (my favorite is "Off to School" from The Best of Elmo album by Sesame Street), and read books together about going to preschool.
Don't ignore fears but focus on the positive things: One advice I got was not to let the child dwell on fears or imagination of what might happen. For example, since my child likes art, I showed her books about going to school where children are painting or doing crafts. We also talked about how a fictional character (Elmo, Dora or Superman) might handle it.
Practice separation: I was surprised to find out so many ways of practicing separation. We played simple separation games like hide-and-seek. Since my child has never been separated from family based care givers, I introduced him to alternate caregivers (e.g. babysitters). Occasionally, I sent him to one to two hour drop-off classes.
Meet other children going to the same class: Some schools will organize orientations and get children together prior to the start of school. I attended such events. Additionally, I introduced my child to some of the children in the class by arranging play dates in advance of starting school.
Don't over-schedule extra-curricular activities: Before school started, we got a schedule for enrichment activities. I expected my child to be initially tired and possibly more irritable than usual when he started school. I did not give in to peer pressure for signing him up in advance for before or after school activities.
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