Preparing Your Child for Their First Day of School

As a parent, you've prepared for this day time and time again, imagining the situations and trying to keep yourself from crying and embarrassing your child. What could this experience possibly be? It is your child's first day of school. A child's first day of school is a very important time for your child to step into the world of school and out of the confines of home.
Once you have found a suitable school for your child start the enrollment process and fill in the necessary forms. Make sure that you know all of the details about your child's medical needs as well, and have him or her checked by a doctor to see about their general health, vision and hearing. There may be some vaccinations your child will be required by law to have. It is best to start on those early, and get your paperwork in order. Nothing is too much trouble for your child's well-being, so do not skip out on having these things checked and notifying the school about them.
Also you need to talk to your child about school and their thoughts about it. Many children experience fear when it comes to encountering their first day of school. In order to get your child ready for school, talk about what they'll be doing in school and how long they'll be there. Make sure that everything that they are curious about gets answered, and tell them about all the wonderful things they'll be doing in school. If they are still scared, you can have them watch a class to show them how things work in school. Take advantage of any orientation or open house programs before the first day.
Another thing that you will need to have your child do is to get ready in terms of academics. Your child needs to know the basics that they will learn more about in school. To help your child with their basic skills, you can read to them and help them understand the stories. You can also teach them how to write letters and identify colors. A child should know their full name and address and their parents' names.
Your child should also be ready for the social aspect of school. Talk to your child about other children and how they should treat them, and teach them how to be friendly and to share. You can also help by setting specific times for food and sleep since this is how it will go in school. Give them guidelines about what cannot be done in school, like wandering out of the room without the teacher's permission.
A few weeks before the first day of school, go shopping with your child and find things that they will need like their book bag, coloring materials, water bottle, etc. This will make them feel like they have a say in what they're doing and will make them feel more independent.
When the day finally comes, remember to pack tissues and bring your camera to document this important event. If you prepared your child enough, he or she should be able to get through their first day of school, and soon feel like it is their second home. You won't have to worry about them as much. They are on their way to education and a bright future.